ÃÂuraàI Balà ¡ià(; ) was the Lord of Zeta between 1362 and 13 January 1378. He was the eldest of the three sons of Balà ¡a I, and belonged to the Balà ¡iàfamily.
ÃÂuraàwas the eldest son of Balà ¡a, a petty nobleman who held one village during the rule of Emperor Stefan Duà ¡an (r. 1331âÂÂ1355) and was said to be "kin to Nemanja". The family started taking Lower Zeta sometime following the death of Duà ¡an in 1355. In 1362 the brothers murdered ÃÂuraà ¡ Ilijiàwho had held Upper Zeta, and were then recognized as (provincial lords) of Zeta in charters of Stefan Uroà ¡ V (r. 1355âÂÂ1371).
In 1363, ÃÂuraàdeclared war against the Thopias, an Albanian noble family which controlled northern Albania. The Matarangos, an Albanian noble family which controlled southern Albania, were allied with the Balà ¡iÃÂs as a result of a quarrel with the Thopias in the south. In the spring of 1364, Karl Thopia took ÃÂuraàcaptive due to a skirmish, ending Zetan involvement in the war. ÃÂuraàwas held captive until 1366 when Republic of Ragusa mediated peace and procured his release. In 1367, ÃÂuraàis mentioned as the "baron of maritime Serbia".
In January 1368, a Ragusan document reported that the three Balà ¡iàbrothers: Stracimir, ÃÂuraàand Balà ¡a II, were preparing for a campaign against Karl Thopia. They were camped on the Mati River, of which Karl's lands lay south of. The fighting was apparently small-scale as two months later, Karl had no difficulty capturing Dyrrhachium from the Angevins.
In order to secure their rule, the Balà ¡iàbrothers (especially ÃÂuraàand Balà ¡a II) were already in 1369 ready to convert from Orthodoxy to Catholicism. According to Fine (1994), the brothers converted in order to further their coastal ambitions in 1368 or early 1369. They formally converted in 1369.
Hoping to acquire suzerainty over the town, ÃÂuraàhad waged war against Kotor in 1368. Kotor, as a result of warfare, was suffering economic decline. Accepting Zetan rule wasn't going to aid Kotor economically either. Kotor resisted ÃÂuraÃÂ's assault after seeing the town of Bar paying an annual tribute of 2,000 ducats to ÃÂuraÃÂ, previously paying 100 perpers under Serbian Imperial rule, expecting the same fate for Kotor. Kotor sought aid from Nikola AltomanoviÃÂ, but after his major defeat in Kosovo, he could provide little assistance. Kotor sought aid from the weak Stefan Uroà ¡ V and Venice. Neither provided much help as Venice was concerned that only their warships were on the Adriatic. In fact, Venice wrote to Uroà ¡ V in 1368, complaining that Serbia's armed ships were on the Adriatic, citing Bar, Budva nand Ulcinj to have them. They had also stated that this was also a violation of the Venetian-Serbian treaty and threatened to treat the ships as pirate vessels. However, Stefan Uroà ¡ V replied to that letter, stating that those ships that Venice were complaining about belonged to ÃÂuraàI Balà ¡iÃÂ, the lord of Zeta.
Stefan Uroà ¡ V was unhappy with ÃÂuraÃÂ's actions as they were directed against Kotor, which was under Stefan Uroà ¡ V's suzerainty. Concluding that ÃÂuraàwas a rebel, the Serbian court claimed no responsibility for ÃÂuraÃÂ's actions that might violate the Venetian-Serbian treaty.
In 1369, ÃÂuraÃÂ laid siege to Kotor, which, having no choice, turned to the Kingdom of Hungary for support and sought for Hungarian suzerainty. Hungary sent a nobleman from Zadar to hold Kotor. This action only increased Kotor's troubles, as it lost its trade privileges with Serbia for a time, causing a larger economic turmoil for Kotor. By spring 1370, probably through Venetian mediation, ÃÂuraÃÂ had made peace with Kotor. However, in the same year, Nikola AltomanoviÃÂ attacked Kotor.
In 1371, ÃÂuraàannounced to the Republic of Ragusa that he, Vukaà ¡in MrnjavÃÂeviàand his son, Marko, along with their armies, were in Scutari, preparing an attack on Nikola AltomanoviÃÂ. Ragusa assisted their campaign by providing ships to transport men and supplies, since their campaign was in Ragusa's interest. However, the campaign never took place as Vukaà ¡in and Marko went to aid Vukaà ¡in's brother, Jovan Ugljeà ¡a, in a campaign against the Turks, which ended up in total disaster, Vukaà ¡in and Ugljeà ¡a and their army being wiped out in the Battle of Maritsa. Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanoviàand Bosnian Ban Tvrtko I allied themselves to defeat Nikola AltomanoviÃÂ. Desperate for a strong ally, Altomanoviàbegan negotiations with ÃÂuraÃÂ. Most historians agree that in concluding negotiations, ÃÂuraàgained the towns of Trebinje, Konavle and DraÃÂevica (Herceg Novi) from AltomanoviÃÂ, possibly a bribe to remain neutral within the war. Other historians, however, follow Mavro Orbini's account and argue that ÃÂuraànever concluded such an agreement, rather conquered the towns he gained from the agreement himself after Altomanoviàwas defeated in 1373.
On 30 November 1373 the Balà ¡iàbrothers issued an edict in the Republic of Ragusa that confirmed the laws of Emperor Stefan Uroà ¡ V and gave privileges to Ragusan traders, including imposed taxes. It also included a unique clause, recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Serbian Empire despite being without an Emperor for years and any form of strong centralized authority, a note that if anyone would become the new sovereign Emperor of the Serbs and the Serbian nobility and lands (), all the points shall be transferred from the Balà ¡iÃÂs to him. ÃÂuraàI's logotet Vitko was the witness, as well as Dragaà ¡ KosaÃÂiÃÂ.
In 1375, Lazar HrebeljanoviÃÂ and ÃÂuraÃÂ convened the state assembly (sabor) during which Jefrem was chosen as Serbian Patriarch.
After the Battle of Maritsa, Marko, the son of Vukaà ¡in MrnjavÃÂeviÃÂ, was crowned king and gained his father's lands. However, his friendship with the Balà ¡iÃÂs soon crumbled. This was a result of ÃÂuraÃÂ, in 1371, expelling his first wife Olivera, Marko's sister, and took Prizren from Marko. Lazar HrebeljanoviÃÂ, prince of Moravian Serbia, conquered Pristina in the same year. ÃÂuraàtook Peja a year later, stripping most of Marko's lands north of à  ar mountain.
ÃÂuraàI died on 13 January 1378 in Skadar. However, recent studies now conclude that ÃÂuraàdied in 1379 rather than in 1378. The rule of Zeta was passed down to his younger brother, Balà ¡a II. ÃÂuraÃÂ's death caused quite a stir between Zeta's neighbours. Bosnian Ban Tvrtko I annexed ÃÂuraÃÂ's territories bordering Dubrovnik in 1377, along with the remainder of ÃÂuraÃÂ's coastal lands between the Bay of Kotor and the land previously annexed in 1377 at the time of his death. Tvrtko secured these possessions through ÃÂuraÃÂ's death, free of worry of any counter-attack.
Vuk BrankoviÃÂ also took this opportunity to gain ÃÂuraÃÂ's land. BrankoviÃÂ sent his forces into Metohija and seized Prizren, along with the rest of ÃÂuraÃÂ's holdings in the region.
ÃÂuraàI was married to two women: Olivera MrnjavÃÂevià(daughter of Vukaà ¡in MrnjavÃÂeviÃÂ) before 1364 and Teodora Dejanovià(daughter of despot Dejan) after 1371. He had the following issue: