Smederevo: the last capital of medieval Serbia

Where the Danube meets the Jezava, some 45 kilometer downstream from Belgrade, the towering walls of Smederevo Fortress rise from the riverbank as the last great monument of medieval Serbia. Built between 1428 and 1439, it became the final capital of the Serbian Despotate and one of the largest surviving medieval fortresses in Europe.

Built in the Byzantine tradition and modeled after Constantinople Fortress, the Smederevo stronghold was commissioned by Despot Đurađ Branković after Serbia was forced to return Belgrade to Hungary in 1427.

Needing a new capital, Branković chose a strategic site on the Danube frontier, where natural waterways and massive stone walls created a formidable defensive stronghold. Covering 11 hectares and protected by 25 towers, Smederevo combined a fortified royal palace with a vast outer town enclosed by thick walls and moats.

Inside the fortress stood a remarkable audience hall, an important example of medieval Serbian architecture. The wall facing the Danube features four sets of double-arched windows, combining Gothic and Romanesque elements. The hall once hosted the signing of a merchant agreement between the medieval Serbian state and the Republic of Venice.

But Smederevo was more than a military fortress. It stood at the heart of a kingdom caught between two rival powers—Hungary and the rapidly expanding Ottoman Empire. Shortly after the fortress was built, Smederevo reached its peak as a religious and commercial centre.

The majority of its residents were Serbs, but the city was also home to merchant communities, primarily from Dubrovnik. It was during this period that the relics of Saint Luke the Evangelist, the patron saint of Smederevo, were brought to the city and placed in the now-lost church within the fortress.

Despot Đurađ Branković relied as much on diplomacy as on military strength to preserve Serbia's independence. That diplomacy reached the Ottoman court through Branković's eldest daughter, Mara Branković, who married Sultan Murad II in 1435. Although the marriage was political, Mara remained a Christian and became one of the most influential women in the Ottoman empire.

She also became the stepmother of Mehmed II, later known as Mehmed the Conqueror, who captured Constantinople in 1453. Even after Murad's death, Mara maintained a close relationship with Mehmed and played an important role as a mediator between the Ottoman court and Christian rulers.

Despite its formidable defenses, Smederevo withstood repeated Ottoman sieges. The city remained the Serbian capital until 1459, when it finally fell to Mehmed II. Two of his previous assaults had failed, but the third time proved decisive. The fall of Smederevo marked the end of the medieval Serbian state.

Under Ottoman rule, Smederevo continued to serve as a major military base guarding the Danube frontier. Centuries later, during the Second World War, a catastrophic ammunition explosion in 1941 severely damaged both the fortress and the surrounding town, although much of the medieval structure survived.

Today, visitors can still walk the same walls where Serbian despots negotiated with Hungarians, Venetians, and Ottomans. More than six centuries after its construction, Smederevo Fortress stands as a monumental reminder of the final days of medieval Serbia.