The Charter of Despot Stefan to the Monasteries of Tismana and Vodița

grievous straits into broad places, from weakness into strength, and from sorrow into gladness - He led me too from subjection into freedom and from a lower throne to the highest.

Then I too gave, restored, to the monasteries their freedom, and to each its standing and estate. Among them I also found the monasteries in the Wallachian land, which were raised with the help of my blessed parent (Prince Lazar): the Temple of the All-Pure Theotokos at Tismena and that of Anthony the Great at Vodița. The metochia that they had in my land - which, like others, had been utterly laid waste and (fallen) into oblivion - I restored and granted again to the aforesaid monasteries. And their names are these: Tribroda, Hanovci, Draževci, Kruševica with Duhovci, Izvorac, Barič, Bikinj, Ponikva, Poporate.

To them I also gave a firm promise that the church people, from before the devastation, wherever they may be found: whether in my land or among the Hungarians, may go freely each to his own place, and that none of my nobles may stop anyone, nor withhold anything from him, and that they are freed from the fine-collectors and from all violence of the nobles. Moreover, if anyone flees from my land to the Hungarian land or to Bulgaria (the Bulgarian land), whether he be my man or my nobleman's, having stayed there three, two or one year, and wishes to return to the aforementioned church villages - let him be free to return; from this is excepted whoever is guilty: if he has done me some harm, if he has robbed my nobleman, if he is a murderer, if he is a thief of sacred things, if he is a slave bought into possession, if he is an abductor of a maiden - to such a one freedom is not given. But if there be anyone (who wishes to return), other than those with the aforementioned offenses, let the steward who is then in the aforementioned villages come to me, and let him inform me of whom it concerns, so that I may give him a firm promise.

All this aforesaid I confirm with a firm promise and command, that it shall be unaltered and steadfast during the lifetime of the priest lord Nikodim, and likewise, after his death, for as long as I live. After my death, by the command of God, him whom God shall appoint to be ruler on my throne I entreat to preserve what has been said above, that he may not himself inherit sin and extinguish for all eternity the remembrance of us in those monasteries.

All this was written by the command of the lord Despot Stefan. In the year 6914 (1406), indiction 14.

By the grace of God lord of all the Serbs and of the Danube lands Despot Stefan