Stracimir Balšić

Stracimir was the eldest[2] son of Balša I (his two brothers were Balša II and Đurađ I), a petty nobleman who held only one village during the rule of Serbian Emperor Stephen Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355).[3] Some years after the death of the Emperor, Balša I and his sons managed to expand their local power, beginning by taking lands previously held by Lord Žarko (south of Lake Skadar, Lower Zeta).[3] In 1361, during a conflict between the Republic of Ragusa and Vojislav Vojinović, they supported Ragusa.[4] For this, they became Ragusan citizens in May or 3 July 1361.[5] In 1362, the three brothers killed[6] čelnik Đuraš Ilijić, and expanded further into Upper Zeta.[3] Their father died the same year.[3] The brothers succeeded their father ruling Zeta together, though Đurađ I was the major figure.[2] They were called "oblastni gospodari" ("provincial lords") in charters of Emperor Uroš V the Weak (r. 1355–1371).[3] In 1368, after Đurađ I's attack on Kotor, the Serbian court deemed him a rebel. The brothers converted from Serbian Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism in 1368/1369, in order to further their coastal ambitions.[7]

Stracimir married firstly Irene Duklina, and secondly Milica Mrnjavčević, the daughter of Serbian King Vukašin Mrnjavčević.[8] He had three sons with Milica:

• Đurađ II (1385–1403), married Jelena Lazarević[9]
• Gojko (died before 1372)
• Ivaniš (died before 1372)

Stracimir became a monk and was tonsured before his death on 15 January 1373,[10][1] and the power was now shared by Đurađ I, Balša II, and Stracimir's son Đurađ II, who each held an individual appanage.[2]