Serbian Kings, Tsars and Princes

Stefan Nemanja was a Grand Župan (prince) of Raška who united the Serbian lands in the 12th century. Serbia became virtually independent of the Byzantine Empire by the late 12th century. Stefan's son and successor was also named Stefan, and after his time members of the Nemanjić dynasty adopted the title Stefan after taking power.

In 1346 Stefan Uroš IV Dušan proclaimed himself a Tsar (meaning "emperor", ultimately related to Latin Caesar). The empire was short-lived; Serbia suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Ottomans in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 and became a vassal state.

Over the next several decades Serbia was ruled by princes who held the title of Despotes (a Greek word, from which we get the modern term despot). Serbia was finally conquered by the Ottomans in 1459 and would not be fully independent again for 400 years. During this time Serbia was often a battleground in the wars between the Ottomans and the Kingdom of Hungary and later the Habsburg Empire.

In the early 19th century, with the Ottoman Empire on the decline, the Serbs revolted. Serbia became a kingdom again in 1882. The final three kings were rulers of Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was only a portion. The last king, Petar II, was deposed by the Communists.

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NameYears
Stefan I Nemanja1166-1196
Stefan II Nemanjić1196-1228
Stefan Radoslav I1228-1233
Stefan Vladislav I1233-1243
Stefan Uroš I1243-1276
Stefan Dragutin I1276-1282
Stefan Uroš II Milutin1282-1321
Stefan Uroš III Dešanski1321-1331
Stefan Uroš IV Dušan1321-1355
Stefan Uroš V Nejaki1346-1371
Vukašin1365-1371
Marko1371-1395
Lazar I Hrebeljanović1373-1389
Stefan III Lazarević1389-1427
Đurađ Branković1427-1456
Lazar II Branković1456-1458
Jovan Nenad1526-1527
Đorđe Petrović1804-1813
Miloš Obrenović1815-1839; 1858-1860
Milan II Obrenović1839
Mihailo III Obrenović1839-1842; 1860-1868
Aleksandar Karađorđević1842-1858
Milan1868-1889
Aleksandar1889-1903
Petar I1903-1921
Aleksandar1921-1934
Petar II1934-1945