principality · Balkans and Hungary

Zeta under the Balšići

1356 CE – 1421 CE · capital Skadar

Principality of the Balšić family on the shores of Lake Skadar and the Adriatic, a successor of the Serbian Empire contested with Venice and the Ottomans.

Origins

Around 1356, after Stefan Dušan's death, Balša I and his sons Stracimir, Đurađ I and Balša II took control of Zeta, the land around Lake Skadar and the Gulf of Kotor, ruling from Skadar (Shkodër).

Rule and society

The Balšići ruled as lords of Zeta with nobles and coastal towns, fighting Ragusa, Bosnia and Albanian lords. Balša II took Valona and Durrës, but died fighting the Ottomans at Savra in 1385. His successor Đurađ II Stracimirović gave Skadar to Venice in 1396 to escape Ottoman pressure. Balša III fought long wars with Venice over Skadar and the coast.

Decline and legacy

Balša III died in 1421, leaving Zeta to his uncle, Despot Stefan Lazarević of Serbia. Venice kept the coastal towns, and the inland region later became the Principality of Zeta under the Crnojević family.

Lineage

Serbian Empire 1346 CE – 1371 CEZeta under the BalšićiSerbian Despotate 1402 CE – 1459 CE

Connections (1)

Zeta under the Balšići was a vassal of Republic of Venice1396 CE – 1405 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zeta under the Balšići. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zeta-under-the-balsici
MLA: “Zeta under the Balšići.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zeta-under-the-balsici. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Zeta under the Balšići.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zeta-under-the-balsici.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zeta under the Balšići’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/zeta-under-the-balsici (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻