Stefan Dragutin

Saint Stefan Dragutin Стефан Драгутин
King Dragutin, founder's portrait (fresco) in Saint Achillius Church, painted during his lifetime (around 1296)
Stefan the Teoktist
Born	c. 1244
Died	March 1316
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church
King of Syrmia
Tenure	1282–1316
Successor	Stefan Vladislav II
King of Serbia
Tenure	1276–1282
Predecessor	Stefan Uroš I
Successor	Stefan Uroš II Milutin
Burial	Đurđevi Stupovi
Spouse	Catherine of Hungary
Issue	Vladislav Elizabeth Urošica
Dynasty	Nemanjić
Father	Stefan Uroš I
Mother	Helen of Anjou
Religion	Serbian Orthodox Christian

Stefan Dragutin (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Драгутин, Hungarian: Dragutin István; c. 1244 – 12 March 1316), was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neighboring Hungarian banates (or border provinces), for which he was unofficially styled "King of Syrmia".^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

He was the eldest son of King Stefan Uroš I of Serbia and Queen Helen. Dragutin married Catherine of Hungary, likely after his father concluded a peace treaty with her grandfather, Béla IV of Hungary, in 1268. By 1271, he received the title of "young king" in recognition of his right to succeed his father. He rebelled against his father, and with Hungarian assistance, forced him to abdicate in 1276.

Dragutin abandoned Uroš I's centralizing policy and ceded large territories to his mother in appanage. After a riding accident, he abdicated in favor of his brother Milutin in 1282, but retained the northern regions of Serbia along the Hungarian border. Two years later, his brother-in-law, Ladislaus IV of Hungary, granted him three banates—Mačva (or Sirmia ulterior), Usora and Soli. He was the first Serbian monarch to rule Belgrade. With his brother's support, he also occupied the Banate of Braničevo in 1284 or 1285.

In theory, Dragutin was a vassal both to his brother (for his Serbian territories), and to the Hungarian monarchs (for the four banates), but in practice he ruled his realm as an independent ruler from the 1290s. His conflicts with Milutin developed into open war in 1301, and he frequently raided the neighboring Hungarian lords from 1307. Most of the Serbian noblemen supported Dragutin, but he was forced to make peace with Milutin after Milutin's mercenaries routed him in 1311 or 1312. Before his death, he entered a monastery and died as the monk taking the name of Theoctistus, the fifth century Byzantine saint. On the list of Serbian saints, Dragutin is venerated on 12 November or 30 October (Old Style and New Style dates).