Radič (veliki čelnik)
| Radič Postupović | |
|---|---|
| Grand Čelnik (велики челник) | |
Radič granting his endowment to Christ
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| Grand Čelnik of Serbia | |
| Reign | Grand Čelnik, senior aristocrat (fl. 1428–1433) |
| Predecessor | Hrebeljan |
| Successor | ? |
| Titles and styles | |
| Born | before 1389 Moravian Serbia |
| Died | between 1441 and 1456 Kastamonitou, Mount Athos |
| Buried | Vraćevšnica monastery (his endowment) |
| Spouse | Ana |
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Issue
Misailo
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| Father | Milutin |
| Occupation | Nobleman, Monk |
Radič (Serbian: Радич; fl. 1413–1441) was a Serbian nobleman that had the title of Grand Čelnik (count palatine), the highest dignitary after the Serbian monarch. He began his service under Prince, later Despot, Stefan Lazarević (r. 1389–1427) as čelnik, then was elevated to Grand Čelnik during the rule of Despot Đurađ Branković (r. 1427–1456). He was very wealthy, and held the silver mines in Novo Brdo of the Serbian Despotate. Radič founded and renovated several churches and monasteries which still exist, including the notable Vraćevšnica and Kastamonitou. He took monastic vows and became a monk in Kastamonitou where he spent his last years.
He held the highest position, under Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković, and was the longest office-holder (čelnik), and the most powerful political figure besides the monarch in his time.
Radič was born in ca. 1363 or 1372, in the village of Kamenica, to a family of miners, who extracted lead, zinc and silver from the Rudnik mine. Radič's father was vojvoda Milutin, a lord of Gruža. He was brought up at the court of Prince Lazar of Serbia and was friends with the heir, Stefan. At the age of 17, he joined his father's contingent and fought at the Battle of Kosovo (1389) under the command of Prince Lazar against Ottoman Sultan Murad I; according to tradition he prayed to Saint George and promised that if he would survive, he would found the Vraćevšnica monastery as a sign of gratitude. Some older soldiers made fun of his age, but he survived without a scratch, and became glorified as the strongest and most courageous fighter of the younger generation. The bulk of both armies were wiped out in the battle, including Prince Lazar and Murad I; although the Ottomans annihilated the Serbian army, they also suffered high casualties which delayed their progress. Serbs were left with too few men to effectively defend their lands, while the Turks had many more troops in the east. Consequently, the Serbian principalities that were not already Ottoman vassals, one after the other became so in the following decades.
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