Uroš the Weak, the last of the
Nemanjić dynasty, died in December 1371. His chosen co-ruler,
Vukašin Mrnjavčević, left a son,
Marko, who took up the royal title. Having been forced to accept
Ottoman suzerainty, Marko was not recognized as king by any of the Serbian magnates, effectively leaving the throne vacant. Serbia was divided between Marko (whose small realm extended no further than western
Macedonia), Lazar (the greatest lord),
Vuk Branković (Lazar's son-in-law), George of Zeta, and Tvrtko of Bosnia. The idea of restoring the Serbian Empire nevertheless persisted. George discussed it in one of his charters, but the Serbian regional lords were not considered suitable. They had only recently risen to prominence and lacked illustrious family backgrounds and formal titles to their lands; they were mere "lords". Tvrtko not only controlled a significant portion of Serbia but was a member of the dynasty which had ruled as bans of Bosnia from
time immemorial and—most importantly—could boast descent from the Nemanjić dynasty. A genealogy published in Tvrtko's newly conquered Serbian lands emphasized his Nemanjić ancestry, derived from his paternal grandmother,
Elizabeth, daughter of King
Dragutin. A Serbian
logothete named Blagoje, having found refuge at Tvrtko's court, attributed to Tvrtko the right to a "double crown": one for Bosnia, which his family had ruled since its foundation, and the other for the Serbian lands of his Nemanjić ancestors, who had "left the earthly realm for the heavenly kingdom". Arguing that Serbia had been "left without its pastor", Tvrtko set out to be crowned as its king. Tvrtko's
coronation as
king of Bosnia and
Serbia was held in the fall of 1377 (probably 26 October, the
feast day of
Saint Demetrius). However, there is still no full consensus as to where, and by whom it was performed. The opinion that the Ragusan chronicler
Mavro Orbini, when he wrote in 1601 that the coronation was performed by
metropolitan bishop in the monastery of "Mileševa in town with the same name", meant the monastery was
Mileševa and the person who performed coronation was its Orthodox
metropolitan bishop, was adopted among historians like Jiriček (in 1923), Ćorović (1925), Dinić (1932), Solovjev (1933). Such an opinion, still perpetuated only in
Serbian historiography, contradict recent researches based on modern methodology elsewhere. Citing more recent archaeological and historical researches, Croatian and Bosnian historians agree that the coronation took place in the Franciscan Church of Saint Nicholas in the Bosnian town of
Mile. This place is certainly the undisputed location of the coronations of Tvrtko I's successors, as well as the burial place of some of his predecessors. Writing to Ragusa shortly after his coronation, Tvrtko successfully claimed
Saint Demetrius' income, which had been paid to the kings of Serbia since the 13th century. Although he presented himself as the heir to the Nemanjić crown, Tvrtko decided to assume the royal title of his great-grandfather, rather than continue Dušan's unpopular claim to an imperial style, thus becoming "
by the Grace of God king of the Serbs, Bosnia,
Pomorje and the
Western Areas". In addition to the royal title, Tvrtko also adopted the symbolic name
Stephen in order to associate himself with the Nemanjić kings; his successors followed suit. Tvrtko, at times, completely omitted his birth name and used only the honorific. Tvrtko's right to kingship was derived from his right to the Serbian throne, and was likely recognized by Lazar Hrebljanović and Vuk Branković. Still, Tvrtko never established authority over the regional lords of Serbia. Tvrtko's new title was also approved by Louis and by his successor
Mary. Venice and Ragusa consistently referred to Tvrtko as king of
Rascia, Ragusa even complaining, in 1378, about Tvrtko's preoccupation with his new kingdom. Despite his cordial relations with its clergy, Tvrtko's claim to Serbia did not enjoy the support of the Orthodox Church, severely hindering Tvrtko's efforts. == Economy ==