Jovan Dragoslav

{{Short description|Serbian nobleman (fl. 1290–1315)}}

{{Infobox nobility

| name = Jovan Dragoslav

| title = veliki kaznac, (possibly) despot

| image = Mušutište.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = The church he founded in Mušutište. It was destroyed in 1999.

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| spouse = Jelena{{sfn|Srejović|Gavrilović|Ćirković|1982|p=494}}

| spouse-type = Spouse

| issue = Staniša (son) and Ana (daughter){{sfn|Srejović|Gavrilović|Ćirković|1982|p=494}}

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| birth_place = Kingdom of Serbia

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| death_date = after 1315

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| religion = Eastern Orthodoxy

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Dragoslav ({{lang-sr-cyr|Драгослав}}) or Jovan Dragoslav (Јован Драгослав; {{floruit}} 1290–1315) was a Serbian nobleman with the titles of kaznac, and then veliki kaznac, serving King Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321). The kaznac was a financial-taxation office, translated into Latin camerarius (chamberlain).{{sfn|Purković|1985|p=27}} In the hierarchy of the Serbian court, kaznac ranked higher than stavilac and čelnik, and lower than tepčija and vojvoda, the supreme title.{{sfn|Blagojević|2001|p=211}} He was part of the generation of Serbian nobility that were empowered in the early 14th century.{{cite book|author1=Miloš Blagojević|author2=Sreten Petković|title=Srbija u doba Nemanjića: od kneževine do carstva : 1168-1371 : ilustrovana hronika|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2XBpAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=TRZ VAJAT|page=202|isbn=9788670390287|quote=}}

Dragoslav served as kaznac in the area of Skopje, mentioned in ca. 1300, then was elevated to veliki kaznac some time prior to 1315.{{sfn|Blagojević|2001|p=21}} According to P. Grujić, he first served Milutin in ca. 1290 as sluga, became kaznac in ca. 1300, then veliki kaznac in ca. 1315.{{sfn|Mandić|1981|p=71}} P. Grujić stressed that his career started as sluga (a special court office, similar to stavilac{{sfn|Blagojević|2001|p=301}}), mentioned in a confirmation of Ragusan privileges.{{sfn|Ferjančić|1960|p=157}} Ferjančić was unsure of this,{{sfn|Ferjančić|1960|p=157}} while the Serbian Institute of Byzantinology now agrees that Dragoslav began his rise on Milutin's court as sluga.{{cite book|author=Vizantološki institut|title=Zbornik radova|volume=41–42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEIjAQAAIAAJ|publisher=Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti|year=2004|page=267|quote=}} In 1300, he was mentioned along his wife kyra Jelena, and at that time held the region of Sušica which was around Žegligovo.{{sfn|Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti|1908|p=203}} He donated a vineyard, called Mavrovo, to the Monastery of St. George near Skopje,{{sfn|Ferjančić|1960|p=157}} as part of Milutin's endowments.{{cite book|author=Naučno društvo Bosne i Hercegovine. Odjeljenje istorijsko-filoloških nauka|title=Posebna izdanja|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EUMoAQAAMAAJ|year=1963|publisher=Naučno društvo SR Bosne i Hercegovine|page=71|quote=}} He founded the Church of the Virgin Hodegetria in the village of Mušutište, near Prizren, together with his wife, son and daughter in 1315.{{sfn|Srejović|Gavrilović|Ćirković|1982|p=494}} Dragoslav had acquired good master artists for his church.{{cite book|author=Branislav Todić|title=Srpsko slikarstvo u doba Kralja Milutina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qw1YAAAAMAAJ|year=1998|publisher=Draganić|isbn=9788644101895}} In an inscription in the church, his elevated title of veliki kaznac is mentioned — this meant that he was the supreme court administrator of state assets.{{cite book|author1=Borislav Pelević|author2=Artemije Radosavljević|title=Raspeto Kosovo i Metohija: sveta srpska zemlja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aYRAQAAIAAJ|year=2007|publisher=Evro-Giunti|page=157|isbn=9788650508589}} According to Svetislav Mandić, he later had the title of despot.{{sfn|Mandić|1986|p=192}} It was possibly given to him by Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1272–1328).{{sfn|Mandić|1990|p=219}} Mandić also believes that he received the name Jovan from the church (as did Jovan Oliver),{{sfn|Mandić|1986|p=106}} of a special honorable character, and was not born with it.{{sfn|Mandić|1981|p=71}} According to some, Dragoslav married Teodora, the mother of Stefan Dušan and former Queen consort, sometime between 1322 and 1326, and thence received the title of despot.{{sfn|Ferjančić|1960|pp=157–158}}

His church was destroyed with explosives in 1999 by ethnic Albanians.{{cite web|title=Mušutište: Služena prva liturgija nakon 12 godina|date=12 June 2011|publisher=Kurir|url=http://www.kurir.rs/musutiste-sluzena-prva-liturgija-nakon-12-godina-clanak-93540}}