Vukašin Mrnjavčević in the context of "Mrnjavčević"

Andrea Gropa also known as Andrija was a 14th-century Albanian nobleman who ruled the region and the city of Ohrid, first as a minor vassal for a very short time (župan) to Serbian King Vukašin Mrnjavčević (r. 1365–1371), then as independent after 1370. He was a rival to Prince Marko and together with Andrea II Muzaka managed to take Prilep and Kostur from him. He hailed from the noble Gropa family.

The House of Mrnjavčević (Serbian Cyrillic: Мрњавчевић, pl. Mrnjavčevići / Мрњавчевићи, pronounced [mr̩̂ɲaːʋt͡ʃeʋit͡ɕ]) was a medieval Serbian noble house during the Serbian Empire, its fall, and the subsequent years when it held a region of present-day Macedonia region. The house ruled a province from its base at Prilep (in modern North Macedonia) from 1366 to 1395.

Vukašin Mrnjavčević was a military commander in the army of Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355) and co-ruler of Serbia as king, with Emperor Uroš the Weak (r. 1355-1371). After Uroš' death, the Serbian Empire crumbled, as the nobility could not agree on its rightful successor. Vukašin's son, Marko Kraljević, ruled his hereditary lands as titular King of Serbs and Greeks.

The Battle of Maritsa, also known as the Battle of Chernomen (Serbian: Marička bitka / Маричка битка; Turkish: Çirmen Muharebesi, İkinci Meriç Muharebesi; "Second Battle of Maritsa"), was fought on 26 September 1371 near the Maritsa River, close to the village of Chernomen (present-day Ormenio, Greece). The conflict pitted the Ottoman forces under Lala Şahin Pasha and Hacı İlbey against a coalition of Serbian lords, led by King Vukašin Mrnjavčević and his brother Despot Jovan Uglješa who sought to halt the Ottomans' westward advance. The battle ended in a decisive Ottoman victory in which both Serbian commanders were killed, marking the decline of Serbian power in Macedonia and paving the way for Ottoman expansion into the central Balkans.

Marko Mrnjavčević (Serbian Cyrillic: Марко Мрњавчевић, pronounced [mâːrko mr̩̂ɲaːʋt͡ʃeʋit͡ɕ] ; c. 1335 – 17 May 1395) was the de jure Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the de facto ruler of territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep. He is known as Prince Marko (Macedonian: Kрaле Марко; Serbian Cyrillic: Краљевић Марко, Kraljević Marko, IPA: [krǎːʎeʋit͡ɕ mâːrko]) and King Marko (Macedonian: Kрaл Марко; Serbian Cyrillic: Краљ Марко; Bulgarian: Крали Марко) in South Slavic oral tradition, in which he has become a major character during the period of Ottoman rule over the Balkans. Marko's father, King Vukašin, was co-ruler with Serbian Tsar Stefan Uroš V, whose reign was characterised by weakening central authority and the gradual disintegration of the Serbian Empire. Vukašin's holdings included lands in north-western Macedonia and Kosovo. In 1370 or 1371, he crowned Marko "young king"; this title included the possibility that Marko would succeed the childless Uroš on the Serbian throne.

On 26 September 1371, Vukašin was killed and his forces defeated in the Battle of Maritsa. About two months later, Tsar Uroš died. This formally made Marko the king of the Serbian land; however, Serbian noblemen, who had become effectively independent from the central authority, did not even consider to recognise him as their supreme ruler. Sometime after 1371, he became an Ottoman vassal; by 1377, significant portions of the territory he inherited from Vukašin were seized by other noblemen. King Marko, in reality, came to be a regional lord who ruled over a relatively small territory in western Macedonia. He funded the construction of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius near Skopje (better known as Marko's Monastery), which was completed in 1376. Later, Marko became an Ottoman vassal and died on 17 May 1395, fighting against the Wallachians in the Battle of Rovine.

Jovan Uglješa (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Угљеша; fl. 1346–1371) was a Serbian medieval nobleman of the Mrnjavčević family and one of the most prominent magnates of the Serbian Empire. He held the title of despot, received from Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V, whose co-ruler - Serbian King Vukašin was Uglješa's brother.

Uglješa was the son of Mrnjava, a treasurer of Helen, the queen consort of Stephen Uroš I of Serbia. He held Travunija in 1346, during the rule of Stefan Dušan (1331–1355). Uglješa married Jelena (later nun Jefimija), daughter of Vojihna, the kesar of Drama. This boosted the power of Uglješa, who would later govern the region alongside his father-in-law. Vojihna died in 1360, and his lands were inherited by Uglješa. He was given the title of despotes by the widowed Serbian empress, Helena of Bulgaria, in 1365. His domain, the Principality of Serres [bg], was situated along the lower course of the Struma with Serres as seat, eventually replacing Helena in its possession. From 1368, his territory was under the religious jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Patriarch mentioned the "master of Raška" (another name for Serbia), Jovan Uglješa, in a letter from 1371. With the Ottoman threat rising in the Balkans, Uglješa and his brothers Vukašin Mrnjavčević and Gojko Mrnjavčević tried to oppose the Turks. Uglješa was killed on 26 September 1371 in the Battle of Maritsa. Their troops were defeated by those of Ottoman commanders Lala Shahin Pasha and Gazi Evrenos at the Battle of Maritsa in 1371. The defeat resulted in large portions of the region of Macedonia falling under Ottoman power. Additionally, Uglješa's two brothers were killed during the fight. Their courage made them heroes of Bulgarian and Serbian epic poetry.