Stefan Dragutin Nemanjic

Serbian King from 1276 to 1282 and Saint. Dragutin was the eldest son of King Stefan Uros I. He married Katarina, daughter of Hungarian king Stefan V. He was the leading hungarophile in Serbian politics, and because of this he came in conflict with his father, from whom he then usurped the throne in 1276 with help of the Hungarians. He began to attack the Byzantine Empire but had no success. In 1282 he broke his leg while hunting and became ill. He gave the throne to his younger brother Milutin while keeping for himself the area from Rudnik to Konavle. In 1284 he gained from the Hungarians Belgrade, Srem, Macva, and the Bosnian areas Soli and Usora, which he ruled until 1316, establishing family relations with Bosnian ban Stefan I Kotromanic. He is the first of the Serb rulers who ruled from the capital of Belgrade. Near the end of the 13th century he expanded his territory, adding Branicevo and Kucevo. He came into conflict with his brother Milutin when Milutin wanted to create stronger political ties with the Byzantine Empire and obviously did not intend to give the throne to Dragutin's son Vladislav as agreed. The clergy calmed conflict between the brothers in 1313. Near the end of his life he separated from his Hungarian friends and strengthened his connections in Serbia. He later became a monk and changed his name to Teoktist.