Andrea Gropa also known as Andrija was a 14th-century Albanian nobleman who ruled the region and the city of Ohrid, first as a minor vassal for a very short time (župan) to Serbian King Vukašin Mrnjavčević (r. 1365–1371), then as independent after 1370. He was a rival to Prince Marko and together with Andrea II Muzaka managed to take Prilep and Kostur from him. He hailed from the noble Gropa family.

Life

Ancestry Andrea was a member of the Albanian Gropa family. His ancestor Pal Gropa was acknowledged by Charles I of Naples in 1273: "nobili viro sevasto Paulo Gropa »casalia Radicis maioris et Radicis minons, neс non Cobocheste, Zuadigorica, Sirclani et Craye, Zessizan sitam in valle de Ebu".Sufflay, p. 126 During the Serbian expansion in Macedonia, the Gropa also moved towards the south, becoming neighbours with Arianiti and Spata.Sufflay 2000, p. 145: "U vrijeme srpskog prodiranja u Makedoniju pomiču se i Grope prema jugu, postaju susjedi Arianita i Spata, a po smrti kralja Vukašina, Andrija Gropa, koji se na grčkom kamenom natpisu (1378.) naziva megas zupanos (župan velji)"

Reign After Emperor Dušan's death (1355), Gropa was a local ruler in the district of Ohrid.Soulis 1984, p. 142 Prior to the Battle of Maritsa, Gropa was a vassal to the Mrnjavčević family.Srejović, Gavrilović, Ćirković 1982, p. 24 The King of Serbia Vukašin Mrnjavčević (r. 1365 – died 1371), held Western Macedonia as a co-ruler to Emperor Stephen Uroš V of Serbia (r. 1355 – died 1371). After the death of King Vukašin and his brother Jovan Uglješa at the Battle of Maritsa against the Ottomans in 1371, and the subsequent death of the Emperor, there was a crisis in appointing a successor to the throne. Vukašin's son, Marko, did not have the power to unite his lords, and only retained nominal rule over the area from his base at Prilep.

After Maritsa, the Dejanovići became Ottoman vassals.Soulis, p. 100 By 1377, Vuk Branković extended his rule over Skopje, and Gropa is mentioned as lord of Ohrid.Fine 1994, p. 380: "By 1377 Vuk Brankovic had Skopje and an Albanian named Andrew Gropa had Ohrid"Mihaljčić, p. 170: "Негде у исто време када је Вук Бранковић запосео Скопље, арбанашки властелин Андрија Гропа јавља се као господар Охрида." Bogdan, Gropa and Marko, and the rest of the rulers in Western Macedonia became vassals to Murad I.Soulis 1984, p. 100 The vassals had to pay tribute to the Ottoman sultan and supply troops in case of war.

According to the Muzaka chronicles, Gropa joined Andrea II Muzaka and the Balšić family against Marko; He gained Kostur and Debar, and became virtually independent from Marko. Andrea also participated in the Battle of Kosovo alongside other Albanian nobles as well.

Attestation and historiography Gropa is mentioned as megas zupanos (župan veliki) in a Greek stone inscription dating to 1378. He set himself up as Grand Župan of Ohrid, in southwest Macedonia.Parry;Yapp 1975, p. 167: "In southwest Macedonia, the Albanian Andrea Gropa (Cropa) set himself up as the 'Grand Zupan' (Prefect) of Ohrid." In 1379, he became a ktitor for a church in Ohrid dedicated to St. Clement. Gropa was mentioned as "župan Gropa" in the funeral inscription of his son-in-law Ostoja Rajaković (1380).Mandić, p. 85: Само са презименом поме- нут је, на пример, и жупан Андрија Гропа, 1380. године, у посмртном натпису Остоје Рајаковића V цркви Богородице Перивлепте у Охриду („зет жупана Гропе")Gropa also minted coins,American Numismatic Society 1964, p. 293 findings dating to c. 1377 – c. 1385,Dimitrijević 1997, p. 103: "47. Dinar issued by Zhupan Andrija Gropa (c. 1377 – c. 1385)" inscribed in Old Serbian with his title as župan and gospodar, with his signature as "Po milosti Božijoj župan Gropa". He was the last Christian ruler of Ohrid before the Ottoman conquest. His signature is found in the scriptorium of the Church of St. Sofia in Ohrid.Slovanský ústav, p. 208: "Signatures of Andrea Gropa, Tsar Uros, Marko Kralevich and a concept for letter to the archbishop from the scriptorium of St. Sofia Church in Ohrid"

The date of Gropa’s death remains unknown. The Muzaka chronicles written by Gjon Muzaka, claims that Gropa had no surviving issue and his domains were inherited by the Principality of Muzaka after his death.

Family Gropa married Anne (Kyranna), the daughter of Andrea II Muzaka. His brother-in-law was Balša II Balšić. Gropa's son-in-law was Ostoja Rajaković, a lord in Ohrid and relative to Marko.Stanojević 1915, Delo, Volume 72, A.M. Stanojević, p. 270

Legacy Gropa is, like other provincial lords during the breakdown and fall of the Serbian Empire (between 1354 and 1371), enumerated in the Serb epic poetry.

Gallery

See also Gropa family Medieval Albanian coinage

References

Sources

Marko Šuica, „Nemirno doba srpskog srednjeg veka“, Beograd, 2000. М. Шуица, Немирно доба српског средњег века. Властела српских обласних господара, Београд 2001. Велики жупан у Лексикон српског средњег века, приредили С. Ћирковић и Р. Михаљчић, Knowledge, Београд 1999. Sergije Dimitrijević, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, 1997, Srednjovekovni srpski novac American Numismatic Society., 1964, Numismatic literature, Issues 58-65, p. 293