EMPEROR DUSAN AND THE ALEMANNIC SQUAD

Stefan Uroš IV Dušan was the last king from the Nemanjić dynasty and the first Serbian emperor. He conquered a large part of Southeast Europe and became one of the most powerful rulers of his time, which is why he was nicknamed "Strong". He was considered "the best soldier of his time". He was a born winner, an exceptional figure in Serbian and European history

The time of his rule is known as the most golden Serbian era, marked by cultural prosperity and unprecedented territorial expansion.

Do you know what Emperor Dusan looked like?

In a word, fascinating and unique! This appearance, with its stature and posture, did not leave anyone indifferent.

It is interesting that it was only at the end of the twentieth century, on the order of the Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church, that Bishop Atanasija Jeftiić opened the ark in which Dušan's body lay in the church of St. Mark in Belgrade. After the measurement, it was determined that Tsar Dusan was an extremely tall man - as much as 2.14 m. It should only be reminded that at that time, the average height of adult men was around 1.70 m. Thanks to that, in addition to the skill he possessed, he regularly won knights' tournaments in which he gladly participated.

And how did he fight and conquer?

The main support and strike force of Emperor Dusan was his personal squad - the elite army of the Serbian Emperor.

Even when he was a prince, Dušan started forming his squad unit. The condition that every guard had to fulfill was that he was taller than 2 meters. Since the standards were too high, Dusan set out in search of such knights in Europe and soon assembled a guard of 101 knights, all over 2 meters tall. Imagine when such u power force, together with him, appeared on the battlefield!

The mercenary knights, "vagabond warriors" who fought for certain benefits and money on the side of Emperor Dusan, encouraged sui from various European countries - Germany, Italy, Sweden and others. As the Germans were the most numerous, Dušan's personal guard was known as the "Alemannic Squad" (after the medieval name for Germany).
The flag bearer had a special position in Dušan's unit. Dušan entrusted this role to a Swede! That flag, otherwise left on Hilandar, was triangular in shape, measuring 3m x 4.5m, made of eight layers of heavy silk. At the top was a large cross, weighing as much as 4.5 kilograms. The whole flag weighed about 40 kilograms. The flag bearer carried such a flag in his left hand, while in his right he was a sword for defending the flag.

Where did the Swedish flag bearer come from? The story says that one day a knight appeared and stood next to Emperor Dusan. The other knights, seeing that he was taller than the emperor, set out to remove him, so that the emperor would not get angry. Dušan's eye did not miss this and, allegedly, he stopped him with the words: "He will have a special duty in my unit, give him the tallest and strongest horse immediately!"

In its offer, Serbianshop provided a unique collection of personal figures that marked the history of Serbia in the three most important epochs. Among them is a metal figure of this Swede on a pedestal.

Palman Bracht - Captain of the "Alemannic Squad"

Palman Bracht was a leader of mercenaries and a man who enjoyed the greatest trust of Emperor Dusan. From a few sources, it can be seen that he was born in Austria, from where he went on a journey because of unrequited love.

On his way, he met Kraljevic Dusan, entered his service and became the captain of the "Alemannic Squad", which history remembers as "Palman's Knights".

Palman proved the strength of his muscles and the skill of handling weapons to his boss in the battle near Nerodimlje, after which he became the captain of the squad, which numbered about three hundred heavily armored cavalry, mostly German mercenaries. He was the first to be asked for his opinion when the new campaign was decided.

Palman Bracht, the right hand of Emperor Dusan, is also immortalized in the paintings of the famous Serbian painter Paja Jovanovic.

Within the unique collection of figures of the most famous personalities of Serbian history, Serbianshop also has those that represent Palman Bracht, a foreigner who significantly influenced important events in Serbian history.

Want to know more about Dusan the Emperor? You will find much more than that in the book The Life of Serbian Medieval Rulers. Discover who the knights of Dušan the Strong were and how they won the victory at Velbužda. Read more about medieval Serbia in this fantastic book that you can find in the online store Serbianshop.

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