on national lines.  In 1219 he journeyed to Nicaea and extracted from the Emperor Theodore Lascaris, who had fallen on evil days, the concession for the establishment of an autonomous national Serbian Church, independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople.  Sava himself was at the head of the new institution.  In 1220 he solemnly crowned his brother King (Kralj) of Serbia, the natural consequence of his activities in the previous year.  For this reason Stephen Nemanji[’c] is called ‘The First-Crowned’.  He was succeeded in 1223 by his son Stephen Radoslav, and he in turn was deposed by his brother Stephen Vladislav in 1233.  Both these were crowned by Sava, and Vladislav married the daughter of Tsar John Asen II, under whom Bulgaria was then at the height of her power.  Sava journeyed to Palestine, and on his return paid a visit to the Bulgarian court at Tirnovo, where he died in 1236.  His body was brought to Serbia and buried in the monastery of Mile[)s]evo, built by Vladislav.  This extremely able churchman and politician, who did a great deal for the peaceful development of his country, was canonized and is regarded as the patron saint of Serbia.

The reign of Vladislav’s son and successor, Stephen Uro[)s] I (1242-76), was characterized by economic development and the strengthening of the internal administration.  In external affairs he made no conquests, but defeated a combination of the Bulgarians with Ragusa against him, and after the war the Bulgarian ruler married his daughter.  In his wars against Hungary he was unsuccessful, and the Magyars remained in possession of a large part of northern Serbia.  In 1276 he was deposed by his son, Stephen Dragutin, who in his turn, after an unsuccessful war against the Greeks, again masters of Constantinople since 1261, was deposed and succeeded by his brother, Stephen Uro[)s] II, named Milutin, in 1282.  This king ruled from 1282 till 1321, and during his reign the country made very great material progress; its mineral wealth especially, which included gold and silver mines, began to be exploited.  He extended the boundaries of his kingdom in the north, making the Danube and the Save the frontier.  The usual revolt against paternal authority was made by his son Stephen, but was unsuccessful, and the rebel was banished to Constantinople.

It was the custom of the Serbian kings to give appanages to their sons, and the inevitable consequence of this system was the series of provincial rebellions which occurred in almost every reign.  When the revolt succeeded, the father (or brother) was granted in his turn a small appanage.  In this case it was the son who was exiled, but he was recalled in 1319 and a reconciliation took place.  Milutin died in 1321 and was succeeded by his son, Stephen Uro[)s] III, who reigned till 1331.  He is known as Stephen De[)c]anski, after the memorial church which he built at De[)c]ani in western Serbia.  His reign was signalized by a great defeat of the combined Bulgarians