Nikola Buća

Nikola Buća (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола Бућа;[lower-alpha 3] fl. 1325-1350) was a Serbian nobleman, merchant from Kotor,[4] and protovestijar (financial manager)[lower-alpha 1] in the service of King Stephen Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia (r. 1321-1331) and Emperor Stephen Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355).

Nikola Buća
милостьник протовистіар Никола[1]
Nikola Buća, reading the Imperial proclamation. Detail from the artwork "Coronation of Emperor Dušan" (1900), by Paja Jovanović.
Coat of arms
Reign	Financial minister of Serbia (fl. 1336-1350)
Predecessor	?
Successor	Grubo
Titles and styles protovestijar (protovestiarios)[lower-alpha 1] komornik (comes camerarius)[lower-alpha 2] milosnik
Born	Kotor, Serbian Kingdom (modern Montenegro)
Died	1354[3]
Noble family	Buća
Spouse(s)	Dobra, sister of Klement Gučetić
Issue Bijela Bika
Occupation	Merchant

Emperor Stephen Dušan asked Buća for advice in every major question, as he was his most reliable advisor,[6] and Buća remained in the service of the Emperor until his death.[7]

Life

Nikola was part of the Buća noble family of Kotor, in the Serbian Kingdom (modern Montenegro). The first known Buća was Tripe Mihov (Trifun Buća, Трифун Бућа).[8] Kotoran families held high offices in the Serbian court, and the most notable was the Buča family,[8] while the most notable individual was Nikola Buća.[6] His brother was Mihajlo Buća, also a diplomat of Stephen Dušan, and his nephew was Trifun Mihajlov Buća.[9] Nikola and Toma Pavlov, another notable Kotoran,[6] traded in salt.[10]

Nikola Buća along with Metropolitan of Prizren Arsenije, kaznac Baldovin, vojvoda Gradislav, župan Vratko, knez Grgur Kurjaković, stavilac Miloš (title mentioned for the first time), vojvoda Dejan Manjak, Gradislav Sušenica, and more, signed the letter issued by Stephen Uroš III, dated 22 January 1325, for the sale of some maritime possessions to the Republic of Ragusa.[11][12] The possessions were Ston and Pelješac,[9] which the Ragusans earlier had tried to buy through talks with Tripe Mihov.[8]

On 15 July 1326, King Stephen Uroš III confirmed that Andrija Peštić, Nikola Buća and Grubeta had paid their bills for some royal markets which they had leased.[13] Buća had paid several people to gain control of business in Kotor; On 1 December 1326, he entrusted Ilija, the nephew of Bratoslav Dusinj of Ragusa, with 700 perpers, and then he personally invested in goods of Kotor which he sold in Serbia.[14]

In January 1336, Nikola and his brother Mihajlo became Ragusan citizens, and received the notable right of counselor (većnik).[9] Their sons also received Ragusan citizenship.[9] The granting of citizenship was a result of Buća's involvement in the sale.[15] The most notable nobles of King Stephen Dušan (the velikaši, "great ones") received up to 1000 ducats, and Nikola Buća was given a plot of land in Ragusa itself, and a part of Ston.[16] The city of Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik) had highly enriched itself during the rule of Emperor Stephen Dušan, who had constantly granted it gifts and delegations.[15]

There are sources saying that the Kotoran nobles received fame during the reign of King Stephen Uroš III, when they, under the command of Nikola Buća, captured the Bulgarian flag and cross during the Battle of Velbužd (1330).[6] He probably had supported Dušan's overthrow of his father, King Uroš III, in 1331.

In 1344, he asked permission to build the Dominican Monastery of St. Nicholas in Kotor.[17]

Buća held the title komornik (In latin documents "comes camerarius"), prior to the crowning of Stephen Dušan as Emperor, at which time the Serbian nobility and clergy were elevated in titles - Buća was elevated to protovestijar.[18] The protovestijar was the chief financial official.[lower-alpha 1] Buća had a number of associates and business partners in his near relatives.[19] The power of the protovestijar is best testified by the proverb: "Car da – al Buća ne da" (The Emperor gives, but Buća does not).[6][9][3]

Buća accompanied Emperor Dušan on his visits to Dubrovnik and Kotor, in 1350.[6] He died in 1354.[3]

His nephew Trifun Mihajlov Buća (fl. 1357), one of the most known and important persons in his time, served Emperor Dušan's successor Uroš V as protovestijar.[20]

Family

Nikola Buća married Dobra Gučetić, sister of Klement. They had following issue:

• daughter, Bijela, married to Maro Goca (Gučetić).
• daughter, Bika, married Marin Gučetić in 1349, in exchange for 1000 ducats, 100 aksađa gold and other equipment.

Notes

1. As Fine states in The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest: "The chief financial official responsible for the state treasury and its income was the protovestijar. This position was regularly held by a merchant from Kotor who understood financial management and bookkeeping. Both protovestijars and logothetes were used as diplomats, the protovestijars in particular being sent west, for as citizens of Kotor they knew Italian and Latin."[5]
2. The title comes camerarius is also rendered as veliki kaznac (Great kaznac).[2]
3. His name in Serbo-Croatian is Nikola Buća (Никола Бућа) - his full name was Nikola Petrov Buća.[3] In Italian Niccolò Bucchia. For other spellings of his surname, see Buća noble family.

References

1. Blagojević 2001, p. 119.
2. Jireček 1967, p. 10.
3. Kalezić 1970, p. 129.
4. Fine 1994, p. 651.
5. Fine 1994, p. 313-314.
6. Kostić 2001, Uvodni tekstovi, Nemanjići i Boka
7. Blagojević-Medaković-Ljušić-Popov 2000, p. 221: "Први познати протовестијар цара Душана, који је испуњавао све наведене услове, био је которски племић и трговац Никола Бућа. Уживао је велико царево поверење и остао је у његовој служби све до своје смрти."
8. Bešić 1970, p. 82.
9. Vizantološki institut 2004, pp. 389-390
10. Vizantološki institut 2004, pp. 459
11. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti 1908, p. 252
12. Istorijski institut u Beogradu, SANU 1976, p. 21
13. Univerzitet u Beogradu 1971, p. 209: "Стефан Дечански је нпр. потврдио 15. јула 1326. да су Андрија Пештић, Никола Бучић и Грубета изравнали рачуне за краљеве тргове које су држали у закуп."
14. Bešić 1970, p. 38: "Очигледно је да би Никола Бућа од 700 перпера које је 1. децембра 1326. повјерио Илији Челнику, синовцу Братослава Дусиње из Дубровника (да наведемо само један од многобројних примјера), добио сву зараду да је сам инвестирао у робу у..."
15. Orbini-Barišić-Samardžić 1968, p. 34
16. Ćorović 1999, p. 253: "Да се то постигне имали су добити извесни краљеви великаши до 1000 дуката, а Никола Бућа земљиште у самом Дубровнику и један део у Стону."
17. Bešić 1970, p. 53.
18. Blagojević 2001, p. 188.
19. Srejović-Gavrilović-Ćirković 1892, p. 536: "За време цара Душана, истакнуту улогу у воћењу државних финансија и послова имао је његов дугогодишњи протовестијар Никола Бућа, угледан которски властелин и искусан послован човек. Он је имао неколико помоћника и сарадника који су..."
20. Kalezić 1970, p. 130.
21. Novaković 1966, p. 148: "тако је царев протовистијар (по данашњој терминологији: министар финансија), Никола Бућа, по рођењу Которанин"

Sources

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