Gradislav Vojšić

Gradislav Vojšić, known as Čelnik Gradislav (Градислав Војшић, челник Градислав; fl. 1284-1327), was a Serbian nobleman who served under the Serbian Kings Stephen Uroš II Milutin (r. 1282–1321) and Stephen Uroš III (r. 1322–1331). He was the first known čelnik of the Serbian court, in the nearest circle of the King, mentioned serving the first time in 1284 and the second time in 1327. The čelnik was entrusted with the security of Church property from the nobility, and appeared in the role of a judge or executor of the King's decisions, in disputes between the Church and the nobility.

Life
Gradislav is mentioned in 1284, as serving under King Stephen Milutin as čelnik. The latter account also mentions a gift worth 400 perpers to the King, and 26 perpers to Gradislav. Gradislav is the first known čelnik (челник, roughly "head, chief") that served a Serbian ruler. He was in the nearest circle of the King, and served at the royal court. In an edict dated March 1304, a Branko is mentioned for the first time as čelnik under King Stephen Milutin, and is still in this position in an edict dated 1319.

In 1320, Stephen Uroš III (Milutin's son) returned from a 6-year exile at the Byzantine court in Constantinople, and received the appanage of Budimlje, while his half-brother and crown heir Stephen Constantine was titled "King of Zeta". King Milutin became ill and died on October 29, 1321, and Constantine was crowned King. Stephen Uroš III invaded Zeta after Constantine refused to submit the throne to him, and killed Constantine during the ensuing war.

Next, Đuraš Ilijić served Stephen Uroš III as čelnik (mentioned lastly in 1326). The next year, Gradislav is mentioned as serving as čelnik under Stephen Uroš III.

In 1327, the hegumen of the Hilandar Monastery, Gervasije, arrived at the court of King Stephen Uroš III, because of a quarrel regarding the boundaries between the metochion (church-dependent territory) of Hilandar and the county of the Hardomilić brothers Dmitar and Borislav (tepčija Hardomil's sons); the latter had taken a tract of land ("hills and the ground") between the village of Kosorić and the Kosorić monastery, which both parts claimed as theirs. Gradislav was sent to arbitrate the case, and was joined by twelve local elders that would show the exact boundaries between the parts. The tract of land was in fact part of the Hilandar metochion of Kosorić, and after the boundaries were marked in the favour of Hilandar, hegumen Gervasije, on his own will, decided to give the brothers a piece of land that belonged to the Českovo monastery. On September 6, 1327, King Uroš III issued an edict with a gold seal at Svrčin, written by logotet Rajko, about the events.