What is "stavilac"

stavilac (, literally meaning "placer") was a court title of Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was similar to the Byzantine court offices of domestikos and cup-bearer ( pinkernes, known in Serbian as peharnik). It had a role in the ceremony at the royal table, though the holder could be entrusted with jobs that had nothing to do with court ritual. According to studies of Rade Mihaljčić, the holder was in charge of acquiring, preparing and serving food at the royal table. It was a confidant duty, given to the highest and most notable nobility, in which the ruler relied on in all occasions. Its oldest mention is from the court of King Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321), when Đuraš Vrančić had the title. The title of stavilac ranked as the last in the hierarchy of the Serbian court, behind čelnik, kaznac, tepčija and vojvoda, the supreme title. It was, nevertheless, quite prestigious as it enabled its holder to be very close to the ruler. In the Dečani chrysobulls, King Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–1331) mentioned that the court dignitaries present at the Dečani assembly were the kaznac, tepčija, vojvoda, sluga and stavilac. There is not much information on the title-holders at the court of King Stefan Dečanski; there is however much information on those at the court of King and Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1355).