Balša III

Balša III. Stracimirović (* 1386, † 1421 ) was a Serbian prince of Montenegro from the ruling family of Balsici. He reigned as the last of his family about the Zeta.

Balša was the son of Prince Đurađ Balšić II and his wife Jelena, a daughter of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović.

When his father died in 1403, followed him Balša III. than 17 years in the rule. At first his mother had great influence on the government. Jelena ensured a close political connections to the Zeta Serbia Stefan Lazarevićs. In this way they tried the independence of the principality Balšić to true, which threatened to be wiped Venice and the Ottoman Empire between the then superpowers beginning of the 15th century.

1419 began Balša III. an unfortunate war against the Venetians, to regain lost coastal areas in Kotor and Bar. Shortly before his death he transferred his principality in 1421 to Stefan Lazarević, who passed it to his nephew Đurađ Brankovic. Thus, the rule of Balšić ended in Montenegro. In their place were once the Crnojevic for several decades create a separate rule.