# Milutin takes Skopje (1282)

URL: https://allhistories.com/serbia/timeline/1282-milutin-takes-skopje
Themes: Rulers & Successions

Soon after taking power in 1282, Milutin, with Dragutin's help, attacked Byzantine territory in northern Macedonia. Serbian forces captured Skopje, a major Byzantine city in the Vardar valley, and the surrounding regions, including Polog and Ovče Pole. Byzantine counter-offensives failed, and further campaigns in the following years carried Serbian rule toward Štip and the Struma valley. Skopje became an important Serbian city and later Dušan's capital. The capture of Skopje shifted the centre of the Serbian state southward into wealthy, urbanised Byzantine lands. It began the century-long southern expansion that culminated in Dušan's empire.

## Why it matters
The taking of Skopje began Serbia's southward expansion and gave the kingdom its future imperial capital.

Ruler at the Time: [Stefan Milutin](https://allhistories.com/serbia/rulers/stefan-milutin)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Stefan Milutin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Milutin)
- [Wikipedia — Skopje](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skopje)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Milutin takes Skopje](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Milutin+takes+Skopje)
- [Wikipedia — Grand Principality of Serbia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Principality_of_Serbia)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Serbian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Serbian_history)