Đurađ Branković
| Đurađ Branković | |
|---|---|
| Despot of the Kingdom of Rascia | |
Portrait from The Esphigmen Charter of despot Đurađ Branković, issued to the monastery of Esphigmen on Athos in 1429 | |
| Lord of Branković domain | |
| Reign | 1396–1412 |
| Predecessor | Vuk Branković |
| Despot of Serbia | |
| Reign | 1427–1456 |
| Predecessor | Stefan Lazarević |
| Successor | Lazar Branković |
| Born | 1377 |
| Died | 24 December 1456 (aged 78–79) |
| Spouse | Eleni of Trebizond disputed Irene Kantakouzene |
| Issue | Todor Branković Grgur Branković Mara Branković Stefan Branković Katarina, Countess of Celje Lazar Branković |
| House | Branković |
| Father | Vuk Branković |
| Mother | Mara Lazarević |
Đurađ Vuković Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Ђурађ Вуковић Бранковић, Hungarian: Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) served as the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456, making him one of the final rulers of medieval Serbia.
In 1429, Branković was formally granted the Byzantine title of Despot by Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. Like many Christian rulers in Eastern Europe at the time, his rule was marked by Ottoman vassalage. Despite this, he often sought to strengthen Christian alliances while maintaining the appearance of loyalty to the Ottoman Empire. Branković is also remembered for constructing the Smederevo Fortress in the city of Smederevo, which became the last capital of medieval Christian Serbia.
Despot Đurađ died in late 1456. Following his death Serbia, Bosnia, and Albania fell under the dominance of Sultan Mehmed II. During his reign Đurađ amassed a significant library of Serbian, Slavonic, Latin, and Greek manuscripts and made Smederevo a hub of Serbian culture. He was the first member of the Branković dynasty to hold the Serbian throne.