*Entry* **Stefan Uroš II Milutin Nemanji´c (1282–1321)**

**Cedomila Marinkovi´ ˇ c**

> Institute of Ethnography, Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; cedomilamila@gmail.com; Tel.: +381-63-8767-872

**Abstract:** King Stefan Uroš II Milutin Nemanji´c (1282—Donje Nerodimlje, October 29, 1321) was a Serbian medieval king, the seventh ruler of the Serbian Nemanide dynasty, the son of King Stefan Uroš I (r. 1243–1276) and Queen Helen Nemanji´c (see), the brother of the King Stefan Dragutin (r. 1276–1282) and the father of King Stefan Deˇcanski (r. 1322–1331). Together with his grea<sup>t</sup> grandfather Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Nemanide dynasty, and his grandson, Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan, King Milutin is considered the most powerful ruler of the Nemanide dynasty. The long and successful military breach of King Milutin, down the Vardar River Valley and deep into the Byzantine territories, represents the beginning of Serbian expansion into southeastern Europe, making it the dominant political power in the Balkan region in the 14th century. During that period, Serbian economic power grew rapidly, mostly because of the development of trading and mining. King Milutin founded Novo Brdo, an internationally important silver mining site. He started minting his own money, producing imitations of Venetian coins (grosso), which gradually diminished in value. This led to the ban of these coins by the Republic of Venice and provided King Milutin a place in Dante's *Divina Commedia*. King Milutin had a specific *philoktesia* fervor: He built or renovated over three dozen Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries not only in Serbia but also in Thessaloniki, Mt. Athos, Constantinople and The Holy Land. Over fifteen of his portraits can be found in the monumental painting ensembles of Serbian medieval monasteries as well as on two icons.

**Keywords:** King Milutin; Serbian medieval kingdom; King's Church Studenica; Monastery of Staro Nagorˇcino; Monastery of Graˇcanica; Nemanide's Genealogical Tree
