Mrkša Žarković

Mrkša Žarković was a Serbian nobleman who ruled parts of today's southern Albania from 1396 to 1414.

Early life and marriage Mrkša was the son of Žarko, who was mentioned in 1356–1357 as ruling over a region at the mouth of the river Buna. Mrkša's mother was Teodora Dejanović, the daughter of Dejan, one of Stefan Dušan's magnates. After Žarko's death, Teodora married Đurađ I Balšić.

In 1391, Mrkša married Ruđina Balšić, the daughter of Balša II, a lord in Zeta, and Komnina Asen, daughter of Jovan Asen. Due to the fact that his mother already married into the Balšić noble family by marrying Đurađ I, Mrkša's marriage to another member of the Balšić was therefore contrary to the canon law of the Eastern church. In 1394, Mrkša sent a monk by the name of Athanasius to the patriarch of Constantinople to request that his union be blessed by the archbishop of Ohrid and that his marriage was dictated by the risk posed by the advancing Ottoman Turks. In response, the patriarch answered that he could neither forbid nor confirm Mrkša's marriage, and he advised the couple to lead pious lives. Thus, the Ottomans officially controlled a port on the Adriatic Sea and began to build their navy in the region, threatening the Venetians. In response, the Venetians unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Sultan Mehmed I in 1418 to restore Ruđina (who was also an honorary citizen of Venice) as the ruler of Valona and the other lost possessions.