Vuk Brankovic - the biggest Serbian traitor or slandered patriot?

Among the Serbs, there is a prevailing belief based on a folk tradition that Vuk Brankovic is the greatest Serbian traitor for betraying Prince Lazar during the fateful Battle of Kosovo in 1389. However, historians believe that there is no evidence of his betrayaland that it was unfairly attributed to him. As explicit references to Vuk Brankovic as a traitor only emerge in historical discourse starting from 1601, the author investigates reasons that contributed to the creation of such an extremely negative image of Vuk. In the subsequent years following the battle, narratives of defeat or betrayalwere absent. Only when it was clear what the catastrophic consequences for the Serbian people were after Kosovo battle, which was initially not recognized as a Serbian defeat, did the need to establish the reason for this defeat arise. It became convenient to attribute the role of traitor to a respectable person who had survived the conflict and Vuk Brankovic emerged as the prime candidate. Unlike Prince Lazar, who opted for The Kingdom of Heaven and was thus canonised, Vuk Brankovic survived, which suggested that he opted for the earthly realm. The rivalry for influence between Lazar?s family and Vuk Brankovic following Prince Lazar?s death as well the battle near Gracanica involving the despot Stefan Lazarevic and Djuradj Brankovic, further complicated Brankovic?s legacy. Moreover, the historical conflation of the Battle of Kosovo with the so-colled Second Battle of Kosovo in 1448 likely intensified negative conditions of the accusations against Vuk. Not only did the despot Djuradj Brankovic refuse to join the forces of Janko Hunyadi after realising that the defence against the Turks was poorly prepared, but the Wallachian duke Dan was ideed a traitor as he switched to the Turkish side. These events of 1448, particulary the treachery thar occurred, were anachronistically projected back onto the 1389 battle narrative. As a reminder of the patriotic and artistic strength of Kosovo?s tradition, the author concludes that historical and artistic truth should be distinguished. Even if Vuk Brankovic was not the traitor history has painted him to be, the archtype of traitor has played a pivotal role in the cultural memory and resilience of the Serbian people in their quest for liberty.