Editing Serbs (section)

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Loza nemanjica.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Nemanjić dynasty]] members, the most important dynasty of [[Serbia in the Middle Ages]]]]
{{main article|Serbia in the Middle Ages}}
The first Serb states, [[Principality of Serbia (early medieval)|Serbia]] (780–960) and [[Duklja]] (825–1120), were formed chiefly under the [[Vlastimirović dynasty|Vlastimirović]] and [[Vojislavljević dynasty|Vojislavljević]] dynasties respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deliso |first1=Christopher |title=Culture and Customs of Serbia and Montenegro |date=2008 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-31334-437-4 |page=13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6pFxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR13 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927202243/https://books.google.com/books?id=6pFxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PR13 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Morozova">{{cite journal |last1=Morozova |first1=Maria |title=Language Contact in Social Context: Kinship Terms and Kinship Relations of the Mrkovići in Southern Montenegro |journal=Journal of Language Contact |date=2019 |volume=12 |issue=2 |page=307 |doi=10.1163/19552629-01202003 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335305555 |access-date=15 February 2020 |ref=Morozova|doi-access=free }}</ref> The other Serb-inhabited lands, or principalities, that were mentioned included the "countries" of [[Paganija]], [[Zahumlje]], [[Travunija]].{{sfn|Komatina|2014|p=38}}{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=160,202,225}} With the decline of the Serbian state of Duklja in the late 11th century, Raška separated from it and replaced it as the most powerful Serbian state.{{sfn|Miller|2005|p=533}} Prince [[Stefan Nemanja]] (r. 1169–96) conquered the neighbouring territories of [[Kosovo]], [[Duklja]] and [[Zachlumia]]. The [[Nemanjić dynasty]] ruled over Serbia until the 14th century. Nemanja's older son, [[Stefan the First-Crowned|Stefan Nemanjić]], became Serbia's first recognized king, while his younger son, Rastko, founded the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] in the year 1219, and became known as [[Saint Sava]] after his death.{{sfn|Cox|2002|p=20}} Parts of modern-day Montenegro, [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], and central Serbia would come under the control of Nemanjić.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vance |first1=Charles |last2=Paik |first2=Yongsun |title=Managing a Global Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities in International Human Resource Management |date=2006 |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |isbn=978-0-76562-016-3 |page=379 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9gGKtLTQlUcC&pg=PA379 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327094744/https://books.google.com/books?id=9gGKtLTQlUcC&pg=PA379 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Over the next 140 years, Serbia expanded its borders, from numerous smaller principalities, reaching to a unified [[Serbian Empire]]. Its cultural model remained Byzantine, despite political ambitions directed against the empire. The medieval power and influence of Serbia culminated in the reign of [[Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia|Stefan Dušan]], who ruled the state from 1331 until his death in 1355. Ruling as Emperor from 1346, his territory included [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], northern Greece, Montenegro, and almost all of modern [[Albania]].{{sfn|Cox|2002|p=21}} When Dušan died, his son [[Stephen Uroš V of Serbia|Stephen Uroš V]] became Emperor.{{sfn|Cox|2002|pp=23–24}}

With [[Turkish people|Turkish]] invaders beginning their conquest of the Balkans in the 1350s, a major conflict ensued between them and the Serbs, the first major battle was the [[Battle of Maritsa]] (1371),{{sfn|Cox|2002|pp=23–24}} in which the Serbs were defeated.{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=}} With the death of two important Serb leaders in the battle, and with the death of Stephen Uroš that same year, the [[Serbian Empire]] broke up into several small Serbian domains.{{sfn|Cox|2002|pp=23–24}} These states were ruled by feudal lords, with Zeta controlled by the [[Balšić noble family|Balšić family]], Raška, Kosovo and northern Macedonia held by the [[Branković family]] and [[Lazar Hrebeljanović]] holding today's [[Central Serbia]] and a portion of Kosovo.{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=}} Hrebeljanović was subsequently accepted as the titular leader of the Serbs because he was married to a member of the Nemanjić dynasty.{{sfn|Cox|2002|pp=23–24}} In 1389, the Serbs faced the Ottomans at the [[Battle of Kosovo]] on the plain of [[Kosovo Polje]], near the town of [[Priština]].{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=}} Both Lazar and [[Sultan]] [[Murad I]] were killed in the fighting.{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=}} The battle most likely ended in a stalemate, and afterwards [[Serbian Despotate|Serbia]] enjoyed a short period of prosperity under despot [[Stefan Lazarević]] and resisted falling to the Turks until 1459.{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=}}