Vuk Grgurević

Vuk Grgurević
Serbian Despot
Vuk Branković the Dragon, Serbian Despot
Despot of Serbia
Reign	1471–1485
Predecessor	Stephen Tomašević
Successor	Đorđe Branković
Born	c. 1440
Died	April 16, 1485
Spouse	Barbara Frankopan
Full name Vuk Grgurević Branković
Dynasty	Branković
Father	Grgur Branković
Religion	Serbian Orthodox Christian
Signature

Vuk Grgurević Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Вук Гргуревић Бранковић; ca. 1440 – April 16, 1485), was the titular Despot of Serbia from 1471 until his death in 1485. He inherited the title of despot (as an heir to the throne now under occupation of the Ottoman Empire), by King Matthias Corvinus, and ruled most of present-day Vojvodina, under the overlordship of the Kingdom of Hungary. He is known in Serbian epic poetry for his valour and heroism, and is called Vuk the Fiery Dragon (Змај Огњени Вук), Vuk the Dragon-Despot, or simply the Dragon; he commanded the Hungarian army (Black Army) in several of its battles against the Ottomans. He is considered the founder of Grgeteg monastery.

He was a son of Grgur Branković and a grandson of despot Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene.

At first, Vuk Grgurević was with the Ottomans, but in 1465, he acceded into the Hungarian service and became a commander of the Serb military squads in Syrmia.

He was a despot of Rascia who worked together with alias Dojčin Petar, which demonstrates in some of his letters. An inheritance was suspected centuries later. Imperial censorship caused every copy of the 1808 issue of the Almanach de Gotha to be seized and destroyed. In fact the censorship office found the word "genealogy" to be an insult.since the Bonapartes could not produce one and the tendentious word was suppressed.