[December 20] Stephen IV, tsar of Serbia

Sobriquet: "The Mighty"
Local Name: Душан Силни 
Parents: Stephen III, king of Serbia, and Theodora Smilets of Bulgaria
Date of Birth: circa 1308
House: Nemanjic
Spouse(s): Helena, daughter of Sratsimir of Kran and Keratsa Petritsa
Predecessor: Stephen III
Reign: 1346 – 1355
Brief: Stephen IV Dusan was the declared heir to the Serbian throne in 1322 after his father defeated Stephen Constantine in a contest for the throne. During his earlier years, Dusan lived in Constantinople where he learned Greek and Byzantine culture. In his twenties, he fought in two major battles and gained a reputation as a soldier prince. In 1331, Dusan forcibly took the Serbian throne from his father after his father invaded Dusan's lands in Zeta. As king, Stephen IV looked to the east and began preparing for a major invasion of the Byzantine Empire. By 1343, Stephen was king over much of the Balkan states styling himself "King of Serbia, Albania, and the Coast", and in the next year he adopted the title tsar (emperor). He formalized this later that year proclaiming himself "Tsar of the Serbs and Romans", which he followed with a major coronation ceremony the next year. This declaration ended up being the Byzantine Empire's downfall, for in response, the Empire sought the aide of the Ottoman Turks of Anatolia and invited them to invade the Balkans. While the Turks made inroads in Greece, the Serbs captured several northern cities that were near to Constantinople. Stephen then moved west to conquer Bosnia while the Empire recaptured much of their lost land on its borders. Stephen was preparing a renewed assault against the Turks when he died unexpectedly in 1355. His son and successors could not maintain the large empire and it fell to pieces. A daughter, Theodora, married Orhan I, an Ottoman sultan, and is one of the few confirmed links between the Ottomans and European dynasties.

Date of Death: 20 December 1355

Successor: Stephen V

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Zephyrinus, pope of Rome (217)
• Æthelbald, king of Wessex (860)
• Alfonso III, king of León (910)
• Kangxi, emperor of China (1722)