Miloradović noble family

Miloradović-Hrabren Hrabren
Vlachs clan and noble family
Radimlja necropolis, resting place for several members of the family, is National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina and inscribed UNESCO heritage site.
Parent house	Hrabren
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Place of origin	Donji Vlasi Dubrave, Vidovo Polje (region surrounding Stolac)
Founded	mid-15th century
Founder	Milorad
Titles	vojvoda (duke), knyaz
Members	duke Stipan Miloradović duke Petar, son of duke Stipan Ivan Hrabren[1] Vukić, son of duke Stjepan and brother of duke Petar Radoje, son of duke Stjepan and brother of duke Petar Radosav Hrabren, son of duke Petar spahi Milislav Hrabren duke Radoje Vukovič, nephew of duke Petar[2]
Connected families	Vukovič
Estate(s)	manors in Crnići, Dubrave, and Opijači property in Žitomislić, Dračevo and Svitava, Gabela, by the river Neretva including Obrljin hill above Zijemlje (vicinity of Mostar)[3]
Cadet branches	Miloradović, Stjepanović, Opijač, Ljoljić, Kuzman

The Miloradović (Serbian Cyrillic: Милорадовић) or later Stjepanović (Стјепановић), whose paternal parent house was Hrabren (Храбрен),[a] were an Eastern Orthodox Bosnian Vlach noble family and a katun clan from Hum, and later Sanjak of Herzegovina, parts of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, and whose some later branches embraced the Bosnian Serb ethnic identity, while others converted to Islam and became Bosnian Muslims (modern days' Bosniaks). The members of the family served the Kingdom of Bosnia, the Republic of Ragusa, and the Ottoman Empire. One branch of the Miloradović's established themselves as military leaders of Russian Empire and were adopted into the Russian nobility. The family left behind several cultural-historical monuments important to Bosnian and Herzegovinian heritage, protected as such by the KONS state agency and the UNESCO.

Family background

It is deduced from written monuments that the Miloradović's progenitor was Milorad Hrabren,[a] of Hrabren klan from Donji Vlasi in Hum zemlja, in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of Bosnian Kingdom.[4] The family patronymic changed over time, and later surname Stjepanović also fared prominently. Ethnically they were Bosnian Vlachs and a katun clan,[3][5][6][7][8][9] who distinguished themselves in service of local Slavic lords and became noble family, with members gaining status of vojvodas and knyazs.[3][10] They flourished later under Ottomans in Sanjak of Herzegovina as prominent Bosnian Ottoman nobility.[3][11][12][13][14][2] An Eastern Orthodox by religion, some later branches embraced Bosnian Serb ethnic identity,[4][15] while other converted to Islam and became Bosnian Muslims (today Bosniaks).[8][4] The members of the family served the Bosnian Kingdom, Republic of Ragusa, Ottoman Empire.[3] One branch of Miloradovićs established themselves as military leaders of Russian Empire, and were adopted into Russian nobility.[16][17]

Middle Ages

Main articles: Radimlja and Stećak

The progenitor of Hrabren-Miloradović family was Milorad Hrabren, chieftain of Vlachs from Donji Vlasi.[4][3] Milorad lived in the second half of the 14th century. In 1416, his son, Stipan (Stjepan), is mentioned in appeal by Republic of Ragusa as a nobleman who fought in the Lower Neretva near Slivno along Petar Pavlović against Sandalj Hranić and his Ottoman allies, in a quarrel between two most powerful Bosnian magnate families at the time, the Pavlović's and the Hranić's.[5][18] Stjepan Miloradović had three sons: Petar Stjepanović, first mentioned in 1473 and the last time in 1486; Radoja Stjepanović, who died between 1475–1477, and Vukić Stjepanović, who was mentioned for the last time in 1496.[18] They had land possessions between Stolac and Mostar.[19][20]

Radimlja, near Stolac, was in their possession, and the famous graveyard with stećci there was most likely the clan's main burial ground,[4] as a number of family members, at least five, have been buried there.[21][22] There are epitaphs on five medieval stećak referring to the Miloradović family.[20]

Ottoman period

During the Ottoman period,[23] some members of the family were Christian sipahis.[4][24] As Ottoman subjects, they were given privileges and possessions, some of which they used to erect churches and founded one monastery.[4][19] The various family members in various times erected four of such buildings: the Church of Peter and Paul in Ošanići was built prior to 1505, its founder was duke Radoslav,[3] the Church of St. Nicholas in Trijebanj, 15 km from the town of Stolac, is erected in 1534 as an endowment of duke Radoje Hrabren,[25] in Klepci, the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ (St Luke), built by sipahi Milisav Hrabren-Miloradović, most likely near the end of the 16th century,[26] and the Žitomislić monastery in 1566 by duke Petar and his brother Ivan (with the Church of the Holy Annunciation in 1603).[1][9][27]

Brothers Petar and Vukić Hrabren founded the katun which was part of the Vlach group Donji Vlasi (transl. Lower Vlachs) of Blagaj nahiye.[4] This katun was the largest with 127 houses and 16 unmarried persons, out of 37 katuns with a total of 1383 houses and 177 unmarried persons. At the time, Petar Stjepanovič-Hrabren, along with knezs Vukac, Pavko, Stipan and Radivoj Popratović, was included in the order of Ragusan citizens, as well as in the Ottoman timariot.[4][20]

When the Ottoman feudal system, which they were part of, started falling apart in Herzegovina in the 16th and 17th centuries, the clan started dispersing itself as they felt unsafe.[4][28] The Miloradovići in Dubrava remained in Ottoman service as sipahi with the Sultan's grant until the mid-17th century, when more Ottomanized nobility, which had the ruling power, pushed them aside.[4][29]

Miloradovich branch in the Russian Empire

General Mikhail Miloradovich.

General Andrei Miloradovich.

Since the 17th century some Miloradović members migrated to Russia, with occasional visits to Herzegovina carrying gifts and Church books.[30] Mihailo Miloradović (ca. 1650–1725) and Metropolitan Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš had been recruited by Peter I of Russia to incite rebellion in Herzegovina against the Ottomans in 1710–11 (during the Pruth River Campaign), but after unsuccessful attempts Mihailo was forced to flee Herzegovina to Little Russia where he joined Peter's service as a colonel.[31] Among Mihailo's descendants and prominent members of this branch were his grandson Andrei Miloradovich (1726–1796), a governor, and, most importantly, Mikhail Miloradovich (1771–1825), a Russian general who stood out in the course of the Napoleonic Wars.[30] Count Grigorije Miloradović-Hrabren (1839–1905), a Russian colonel, visited monastery Žitomislić in 1883.[32]

Legacy

Most important cultural and religious legacy of Hrabren-Miloradović are Radimlja family cemetery near Stolac,[2] three churches, church in Klepci the end of the 16th century, 1505 church in Ošanići, 1534 church in Trijebanj, and the monastery from the second half of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century in Žitomislić.[26][25][3][1] Family members who emigrated to Russia rose to prominence, as high-ranking Imperial army officials. Those members of Miloradović-Stjepanović who remained in Žitomislić have taken collective surname Ljoljić and Kuzman,[4] while those who converted to Islam have taken surname Opijač and today live in Dubrave at the outskirts of Stolac not far from Žitomislić.[4] From the Dubrava family, Jeronim Miloradović-Hrabren became an Austrian officer in the 18th century.[32]

Annotations

1. Name: They are sometimes known in modern historiography by the combination of "Miloradović-Hrabren" (Милорадовић-Храбрен) or "Hrabren-Miloradović" (Храбрен-Милорадовић). The name Hrabren is derived from hrabar, meaning "brave".[33] The surname Miloradović is patronymic derived from Milorad Hrabren. During the Ottoman period, they were mostly known as Hrabren.

References

1. Ljiljana Ševo; Tina Wik; Dubravko Lovrenović; Amra Hadžimuhamedović; Zeynep Ahunbay (11 November 2002). "Manastir Žitomislić, mjesto i ostaci graditeljske cjeline". old.kons.gov.ba (in Serbo-Croatian and English). sssssss: Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
2. Ljiljana Ševo; Tina Wik; Dubravko Lovrenović; Amra Hadžimuhamedović; Zeynep Ahunbay (11 November 2002). "Necropolis of stecci at Radimlja, the historic site". old.kons.gov.ba (in English and Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. Ljiljana Ševo; Tina Wik; Dubravko Lovrenović; Amra Hadžimuhamedović; Zeynep Ahunbay (27 January 2003). "St. Peter and Paul's Church, with the cemetery, judicial chairs, courtyard and walls in Ošanići, the historic ensemble". old.kons.gov.ba (in English and Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
4. Đuro Tošić (1998). "Porodica Miloradović-Stjepanović iz Vlaškog roda Hrabrena". Istorijski zapisi – Istorijski Zapisi (in Serbo-Croatian). 3–4. Podgorica: Istorijski Institut - Univerzitet Crne Gore: 93–106. ISSN 0021-2652. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
5. Marko Vego (1973). "Kulturni karakter nekropole Radimlje kod Stoca / Cultural character of the Radimlje necropolis near Stolac". in Radovi sa Simpozijuma Srednjovekovna Bosna i evropska kultura (in Serbo-Croatian) (Museum of Zenica III ed.). Zenica: Muzej grada. pp. 301–332. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
6. Fine, John V. A. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 487. ISBN 978-0-472-08260-5. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
7. Vego, Marko (1957). Naselja bosanske srednjovjekovne države (in Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Svjetlost. pp. 127–129.
8. Lovrenović, Dubravko (2013). Stećci: Bosansko i humsko mramorje srednjeg vijeka [Stećci: Bosnian and Hum marbles from Middle Age] (in Serbo-Croatian). Ljevak. pp. 72, 225–231. ISBN 9789533035468.
9. Hannes Grandits (2008). Herrschaft und Loyalität in der spätosmanischen Gesellschaft: das Beispiel der multikonfessionellen Herzegowina. Böhlau Verlag Wien. pp. 263–266. ISBN 978-3-205-77802-8.
10. Neco Sipovac (1977). Zapisi o zemlji. NISP "Oslobodjenje". У дубровачким повељама за њих се вежу титуле војвода и жупана много прије доласка Турака. Велике камене судачке сто- лице, са којих су Храбрени - Милорадовићи судили својим не- послушним поданицима, ...
11. "Glasnik Zemaljskog Muzeja u Sarajevu, Nova Serija, Sv. VII (1952), VIII (1953), IX (1954), X (1955), XI (1956)" (PDF). Historijski zbornik (in Serbo-Croatian). IX (1–4). Školska knjiga: 234–235. 1956. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
12. Bešlagić, Šefik (1971). Stećci i njihova umjetnost (in Serbo-Croatian). Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika. p. 101.
13. Marković, Mirko (1998). Descriptio Bosnae & Hercegovinae: Bosna i Hercegovina na starim zemljovidima (in Serbo-Croatian). AGM. pp. 49, 52. ISBN 9531740917.
14. Ančić, Mladen (2005). "Kasnosrednjovjekovni Stolac". Historical Contributions (in Serbo-Croatian). 29 (29): 51, 57.
15. Ljubo Mihić (1975). Ljubinje sa okolinom. Dragan Srnic. pp. 145, 151.
16. Schultz, C. C. (2004). "A Russian Bayard" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2010.. Taleon Club Magazine, 2004 no. 8. Retrieved 2011-07-16. Archived from the original on 2006-01-12, p. 70.
17. Treasure, Geoffrey (1985). The making of modern Europe, 1648-1780. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-05136-3, ISBN 978-0-415-05136-1, pp. 611-618
18. Lovrenović 2013, p. 225.
19. Aleksandr Fedorovič Gil'ferding (1972). Poězdka po Gercegovině, Bosnii i Staroj Serbii. Veselin Masleša. p. 65. Милорадовићи-Храбрени имали су посједе око Стоца и Мостара и били су у служби Павловића (Раденовића). Турци су им као савезницима оставили привилегије и посједе, на којима су Милорадовнћи изградили задужбине.
20. Lovrenović 2013, p. 226.
21. Милијана Окиљ; Dajana Samardžić (2005). Васкрс Житомислића. Бесједа. p. 26.
22. Sarajevu, Zemaljski Muzej U. (1952). Bulletin du Museé de la République populaire de Bosnie et Herzégovine à Sarajevo. Што се тиче самога краја гдје су Милорадовићи-Храбрени имали своје феудалне домене, а то иде у прилог тврдњи да је некропола на Радимљи породично гробље Милорадовића, навешћемо још неке податке.
23. Petar N. Gaković (1939). Bosna vilajet. pisac. p. 31. Милорадовићи — Храбрени
24. Milenko S. Filipović; Ljubo Mićević (1959). Popovo u Herzegovini: antropogeografski prikaz. Naučno društvo NR Bosne i Hercegovine. p. 59. Много је значајније завођење новог друштвеног поретка и имовинских односа према турском државном праву. Нема података да је у самом Попову било хришћанских спахија, као што су били напр. Храбрени-Милорадовићи у ...
25. Ljiljana Ševo; Tina Wik; Dubravko Lovrenović; Amra Hadžimuhamedović; Zeynep Ahunbay (25 February 2003). "St. Nicholas Church in Trijebanj, the architectural ensemble". old.kons.gov.ba (in English and Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
26. Ljiljana Ševo; Tina Wik; Dubravko Lovrenović; Amra Hadžimuhamedović; Zeynep Ahunbay (9 October 2003). "Church of the Transfiguration of Christ in Klepci, school building and burial ground, the site and remains of the architectural ensemble". old.kons.gov.ba (in English and Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
27. Srpska pravoslavna crkva. Sveti arhijerejski sinod (1967). Službeni list Srpske pravoslavne crkve. Vol. 48. p. 137.
28. Dušan Nedeljković (1929). O psihičkom tipu Južnosrbijanaca. Vol. 59. Državna štamparija. Када се крајем XVI и XVII вијека почео распадати, у Херцего- вини турски феудални систем у коме су Милорадавићи-Храбрени има- ли повлашћен положај, они су се осјетили иесигурним, ради чега су се почели расељавати.
29. Glasnik Srpskoga učenog društva. Vol. 40. 1874. p. 66. Храбрени у Дубравама у садашњој столачкој нахији остали су, као спахије са султанским бератом до половине 17 вијека. На пошљетку притијешњени од више потурчене властеле, која је имала сву власт у рукама, замијене своје ...
30. Lovrenović 2013, p. 231.
31. Schultz, C. C. (2004). "A Russian Bayard" (PDF). Archived from the original on January 12, 2006. Retrieved 2015-05-20.. Taleon Club Magazine, 2004 no. 8. Retrieved 2011-07-16. Archived from the original on 2006-01-12.
32. Lovrenović 2013, p. 230–231.
33. Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja u Bosni i Hercegovini. Zemaljska štamparija. 1935.

Further reading

• Bogičević, V. (1952). Vlastela porodice Miloradovića - Hrabrenih. Sarajevo.