Later legends[edit]

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 An earlier episode of Miloš Obilić's career in the service of Prince Lazar is related to the Battle of
Pločnik, in which he participated and survived an arrow wound. In many sources he is
mentioned as a son-in-law of Prince Lazar, which would make him a brother-in-law to Vuk
Branković, another Serbian high ranking nobleman and a prominent antagonist in epic traditions
concerning the Battle of Kosovo. The characters of Obilić and Branković are usually contrasted in
these legends. However, these claims cannot be confirmed with certainty.

 Another legend tells about the treason of Vuk Branković, Serbian feudal lord and son-in-law of
the Serbian Prince Lazar. According to this legend, Miloš was accused by Branković, at the eve of
the Battle of Kosovo of intent to betray his lord Lazar and switch sides mid battle. The
accusation was a result of alleged rivalry between the two. Branković, a nobleman of much
higher rank, was intensely jealous of the reputation that Obilić enjoyed as the bravest of Serbian
knights. In order to clear his name and prove his loyalty to Lazar and his country, Miloš made a
solemn oath to slay the Ottoman Sultan during the battle.

 Other variants of songs and legends state that Miloš was captured by a Baba Yaga (a witch), who
advised the Turks how to kill Miloš's horse and find the keys of his armour, which were hidden in
his moustaches. Miloš gained his revenge by killing the witch on a bridge, which is presently
called Babin Most (Old Woman's Bridge).

 In folk epic and legends, Miloš was celebrated as the hero of supernatural birth and strength (his
mother was a fairy, demonic creature or his father was a dragon; he had got his strength from
the milk of the mare). He had an extraordinary horse called Ždralin.

 In Serbian epic poetry, there are several blood brotherhoods. Miloš Obilić with Milan
Toplica and Ivan Kosančić,[28] Miloš Obilić with Prince Marko,[29] Miloš Obilić with the Jugović
brothers.[30]

Legacy[edit]
Icon of Miloš Obilić in Hilandar, depicted as a holy warrior.

It was not until the early 19th century that Miloš was also venerated as a saint in the Serbian Church.
During the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813), a fresco of Miloš as a haloed, sword-bearing saint was
painted in Prince Lazar's narthex in the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos (Greece).[9] The
historian Rade Mihaljčić suggests that the cult was a popular movement which originated among the
Serbs south of the Sava and Danube during the Ottoman period.[9]

Later in the same century, the heroic figure of Miloš was given a national boost in the epic poem The
Mountain Wreath (1847) by Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, prince-bishop of Montenegro. The poem praises
the assassin's valour in battle, calling him "the victim of a noble feeling, / An all powerful military genius,
/ A dreadful thunder that smashes crowns".[9] Njegoš also instituted the Obilić medal for courage.[31]

This event and the Battle of Kosovo itself has become embedded in the Serbs' national consciousness,
history, and poetry. Njegoš's tales, including Miloš, inspired later generations of Serbs - notably Gavrilo
Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.[32]

In 1913, the Medal of Miloš Obilić was awarded by King Peter I to soldiers for the acts of great personal
courage, or for personal courage demonstrated on the battlefield. It was given during the Balkan
wars, World War I, and during World War II, to members of the Yugoslav Army or allied forces and was
discontinued with the end of the war.

In the late 1980s, religious nationalists began to breathe further life into the figure of Miloš and
the Kosovo Myth.[33] Special inspiration was taken from Njegoš's The Mountain Wreath, with its
portrayal of Lazar as a Christ-like martyr and Obilić as the Serb sacrificing himself to prove his loyalty and
seek retribution.[34] A key event which gave expression to this idea was the 600th anniversary of the
Battle of Kosovo (Vidovdan) on 28 June 1989, which was held at the Gazimestan plain, near the site of
the battle.[35] Obilić's feat has been cited as a source of inspiration in public speeches by political leaders,
notably President Milošević, who referred to him in his Gazimestan speech on the occasion of the battle
anniversary.[36] His regime often alluded to Obilić frequently in comparison to Milosević, who was
proclaimed the "saviour of the nation".[37]

Anna Di Lellio presented Kosovo Albanian epic poems regarding the Battle of Kosovo, in her book The
Battle of Kosovo 1389: An Albanian Epic, released in 2009, just a few days after the anniversary of the
battle. Reviewers point out that she portrays Miloš Obilić as an "Albanian knight", though she has said
that she does not claim that Obilić was Albanian: "I have only collected poems sung by Kosovo Albanians
and translated them into English so that the world can see the other view on the Kosovo myth which has
a strong influence on Balkan countries".[38] She also noted that Albanian historiography officially views
Obilić as having been a Serb.[39]

Obilić is featured in Serbian rhymical idiom "Dva loša ubiše Miloša" or "Dva su loša ubila Miloša" which
translates as "Two no-goods have killed Miloš". The idiom addresses the issue of quantity prevailing over
quality as a sad fact of life, since Obilić was outnumbered by enemies.[40]

He is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs.