Mara Brankovich

During the dynastic agreements, Mara Brankovich entered the harem of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II ^[1] .

After the death of Murad II in 1451, his heir Mehmed II officially confirmed the vassalism of George Brankovich. Mara Brankovich returned with honors to her homeland. Her name is Mariovo region in Macedonia , former personal possessions, exempted by the Sultan from taxes and the presence of Muslims; as well as the coast between Thessaloniki and the Kassandra Peninsula - Kalamaria , "Good Maria". She left a memory of herself thanks to the active support and gifts of Orthodox monasteries, including Athos . In particular, after the fall of Constantinople (1453) , Mara transferred to Athos, to the monastery of St. Paul, the sacred " Gifts of the Magi ."

In 1457, George Brankovich dies, his son Lazar becomes his heir. Mara, fearing for her safety, flees to Ottoman territory. Around 1459, Mehmed granted her the Macedonian city of Yezhovo ^[2] and the surrounding villages. And also - the former monastery lands near Thessaloniki and possession in the area Dubochitsa , near the current Leskovac . Until the end of his life, Mehmed II respected his stepmother and repeatedly used her as an intermediary in diplomatic contacts. So, at the end of 1474, through her mediation, negotiations began between the Sultan and the Venetian Republic, which by that time had been at war for twelve years.

Mara Brankovich contributed to the publication of the Sultan firman on the transfer of the relics of St. Ivan Rilsky from the old Bulgarian capital Tarnovo to the Rila Monastery. The procession of 1469 was artistically described by Vladislav Grammatik, who wrote that from now on “Westernize the Bulgarian land will be illuminated and filled with good”. Mara also gave the Rila Monastery an icon of the Holy Virgin.

Having lived to a very old age, Mara Brankovich died on September 14, 1487 in Yezhovo.