Serbian conflict with the Nogai Horde

The Mongol (Tatar) clique of Nogai Khan, a part of the larger Golden Horde, was heavily involved in the Kingdom of Serbia in the 1280s and 1290s.

In 1282, the Serbian king Stefan Milutin invaded northern Macedonia, then a part of the Byzantine Empire.

[2] According to the Danilo, in the early 1280s the Bulgarian princes Darman and Kudelin were harassing the Hungarian banate of Macsó (Mačva) with the help of their Tatar (Mongol) and Cuman allies.

[5] According to a letter from King Andrew III of Hungary, in the winter of 1291–92 the region of Macsó (which was under Dragutin) was attacked by Mongols and he sent an army there to defend it.

Dragutin annexed the regions of Braničevo and Kučevo from them and they fled across the Danube to Mongol territory.

[8] In 1292, he "gathered thrice-cursed Tatar heretics and his own soldiers", in the words of Danilo, and invaded Milutin's Serbia.

[7] Despite their obvious diplomatic victory, since Shishman was back on the throne in Vidin, the Mongols of the Golden Horde clearly regarded Milutin's successes as at their expense.

According to Danilo, he "began preparations to strike [Milutin] with heathen forces, wanting to seize his lands".

[7][8] Warned in advance of Nogai's preparations, Milutin sent an embassy to the khan's court, where evidently he offered to accept Mongol overlordship.

Danilo records that afterwards, he sent his son Stefan Dečanski, the future king of Serbia, and "the high nobles of Serbian lands" to Nogai's court.