Prince Marko
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| Marko Mrnjavčević | |
| King | |
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| Contemporary fresco of Marko, church in the village Sušica, district Skopje, Macedonia, 1370-80 | |
| Reign | 1371 - 1395 |
| Full name | Marko Mrnjavčević |
| Died | May 17, 1395 |
| Place of death | Rovine |
| Predecessor | Vukašin Mrnjavčević |
| Successor | Position abolished |
| Royal House | House of Mrnjavčević |
| Father | Vukašin Mrnjavčević |
| Mother | Jevrosima |
Prince Marko (Bulgarian: Крали Марко, Krali Marko; Macedonian: Крале Марко, Krale Marko; Serbian: Краљевић Марко, Kraljević Marko) was a Serbian ruler in the region of Macedonia (roughly the Pelagonia, Polog and Southwestern statistical regions of Macedonia, and Greek Kastoria and Florina prefectures and Eastern Korçë County in Albania) from 1371-1395.
Marko is venerated as a national hero by the Serbs and is also the protagonist of many Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian epic poems. Folklore came to remember him as a respected protector and savior of the Christians during the period of early Ottoman Turkish occupation in the Balkans.
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[edit] Marko, the historical figure
Marko's capital was at Prilep. His father was Serbian feudal ruler Vukašin (Вукашин), from the medieval Serbian House of Mrnjavčević (Мрњавчевић), and his mother was Jevrosima (serb. Јевросима bulg. Евросия), sister of Bulgarian Voivode Momchil, who ruled territories in the Rhodope Mountains. After king Vukašin died in 1371, fighting against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Maritsa, Marko became an Ottoman vassal and later died with Serb ruler Konstantin Dragaš at the Battle of Rovine, fighting the Vlachs, in 1395.
[edit] Marko in Serbian epic poetry
Serbian epic poems attribute to Marko superhuman strength: He is said to be able to squeeze water from cornel dried for nine years; his weapon of choice is said to be a mace (Slavic: Топуз, topuz) of 66 oka (85 kilograms); the horse he chose was said to be the only one he could not throw over his shoulder.
The poems also assert his knightly valor: Even though he is prone to short-tempered outbursts, he remains a protector of the poor and the helpless, a guardian of the law and order, even when to his disadvantage. In one song he mourns killing a better hero, Musa the Albanian robber; in another, he decides on the rightful ruler of the Serbian Empire, Uroš, even though his dishonesty could have benefited his own father. It is told that he chose to die when guns were invented (thus living for hundreds of years) and when he saw that "every coward can kill a hero," even from a distance. Even in death he only sleeps, waiting in a cave until he is needed again, a typical king in the mountain motif. Marko's horse was named Sarac (Шарац; English: Dappled). He was depicted as a perfect match for the prince's strength, and even drank Marko's wine. Marko's chosen woman-protector is a vila called Ravijojla (Равијојла).
His mother Jevrosima (Јевросима) is sister of Momchil Voivoda, although Marko and his brother Andrеja (Андреја, sometimes known as Andrijaš) both exist in the historical chronicles of King Vukašin. In Serbian epic poetry Mother Jevrosima becomes a symbol of justice, morality, and Christian virtues. Marko's father - Vukašin Mrnjavčević wanted Momchil's wife, Vidosava, as his own, and she helps him kill her husband, Marko's uncle. Jevrosima tries to stop them from killing her brother, but fails to do so, which costs her dearly by medieval criteria: her beauty is lost as her long mane is shorn off by Vidosava. When Vukašin, scrutinizing the lifeless body of Momchil, notices what an awesome man Momchil was — even stronger than himself — he says: "If she (Momchil's wife) betrayed such hero, God knows what will she do to me!". Instead, he chooses Jevrosima as his wife and kills Momchil's wife as a traitor, in the manner in which traitors were usually punished: quartering by horses. It was later said that Marko looked more like his uncle than his own father.
[edit] Marko in Bulgarian epic poetry
According to the Bulgarian legends, at the birth of Krali Marko, three narecnitsi (fate-fairies) appeared and foretold that he would become a hero and replace his father, the king. When king Volkašin heard this he threw his son in a basket in the river to get rid of him. But a samodiva (also called samovila) named Vila found Marko and brought him up, becoming his foster mother. Because Marko suckled the samodiva's milk, he acquired supernatural powers. As in Serbian epic poetry, he is portrayed as a freedom fighter against the Turks. He has a winged horse, called Sharkolia (meaning Dappled) and a stepsister — the samodiva Gyura. The Bulgarian legends incorporate important fragments of pagan Slavic mythology and beliefs, even though the Bulgarian folk epos was created as late as 14-18th century. Bulgarian epic tales, including those about Krali Marko, are found mainly in the south-western part of the country.
[edit] Marko in modern literature
- In 1848 Jovan Sterija Popović wrote tragedy San Marka Kraljevića (The Dream of Prince Marko) which as its central motif has the legend of sleeping Marko.
- Radoje Domanović wrote a satirical story Kraljević Marko po drugi put među Srbima (Prince Marko among the Serbs for the Second Time ) in which God fulfills Marko's wish and brings him back to life to help the Serbs who are calling him for hundreds of years. The story portrays Serbs as unworthy of their forefathers and heroes.
- Marko is also the titular character in Marguerite Yourcenar's short story Marko's Smile, published in the volume Oriental Tales. His character, while showing extraordinary courage and endurance, is at the same time portrayed as a selfish and ruthless man who does not fight for any particular ideals.
- In 2006 Boris Starešina wrote the book Marko Kraljević — Natprirodni ciklus (Prince Marko — Supernatural Cycle) which parodies Serbian epic poems. In Starešina's poems Marko fights aliens, samurais, canibals, Superman's great-great-grandfather and other enemies.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The book on Marko Kraljevic - Marko, The King's Son - Hero of The Serbs by Clarence A. Manning, O. Muiriel Fuller, illustrated by Alexander Key
- Heroic Ballads of Servia translated by George Rapall Noyes and Leonard Bacon, 1913
- Web comic strip
- Serbian ballads about Marko (Serbian)
- Bulgarian ballads (also here, with more information) and legends about Marko (Bulgarian)
- Macedonian songs, fairy tales and legends about Marko (Macedonian)
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