The life of St Stephen the Blind of Serbia
As a young man he lived for a time at the court of Sultan Murad II alongside his sister Mara, who had been given in marriage to the sultan; it was there, in 1441, that Stephen and his brother Grgur were blinded, apparently on the sultan's order, for a grievance the sources do not clearly explain. Bearing the injury without complaint, Stephen went on nonetheless to rule briefly as despot of Serbia in 1458, following his brother's death, only to be driven out within the year and forced into exile, first in Croatia, then in Albania. There in 1460 he married Angelina, daughter of the Albanian prince George Arianiti, and the couple had two sons, George and John. When the Ottoman advance into Albania threatened the family again, Stephen brought them to Italy for safety, and it was there that he died in exile on October 9, 1476. He was buried afterward in Serbia, at the monastery of Krušedol, founded by his son George, who had by then taken the monastic name Maximos. When his relics were uncovered some years later they were found incorrupt. He is remembered as a ruler who kept his integrity through blinding, exile, and the loss of his kingdom.
