Zeta, Principality of / Господин Балша I (Lord Balša I)

According to Mavro Orbini (writing in 1601), Balša (Serbian: Балша), the eponymous founder of the Balšići dynasty, was a petty nobleman that held only one village in the area of Lake Skadar during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty. Only after the death of the emperor, Balša and his three sons gained power in Lower Zeta after acquiring the lands of gospodin Žarko and by murdering voivode and čelnik Đuraš Ilijić, the holders of Lower and Upper Zeta, respectively. Balša died the same year, and his sons, the Balšić brothers, continued in ruling the province spanning Podgorica, Budva, Bar and Skadar.

The Balšići managed to elevate themselves from petty nobility to provincial lords.