Claim: Jovan Oliver was a noble who served as veliki čelnik and despot under the Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty, who was Serbia's King and Tsar and autocrat of the Serbs and Greeks.
Evidence: Jovan Oliver Grčinić (Serbian: Јован Оливер Грчинић; ca. 1310-1356) was a magnate of the Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355), holding the titles of sebastokrator and despotes, and the rank of "great voivode", showing his prominence and status as one of the most important nobles of Dušan. veliki čelnik of Stefan Dušan
before 1340–before 1349 despot of Stefan Dušan
1346–?
Served alongside:
Simeon Uroš and Jovan Asen Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Урош IV Душан, pronounced [stêfaːn ûroʃ tʃětʋr̩ːtiː dǔʃan (listen)), known as Dušan the Mighty (Serbian: Душан Силни / Dušan Silni; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs and Greeks (or Romans) from 16 April 1346 until his death. čelnik (челник, lit. "head"). During the reign of Stefan Milutin (1282–1321), the title holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Church from the aristocrats, so the holder appeared in the role of a judge or executor of the ruler's decisions, in disputes between the church and the nobility. It is unclear if there was one or several with that title at the court at that time. During King Stefan Dečanski's reign (1321–31) there was two or three title holders at the same time. During Stefan Dušan's reign, the title of veliki čelnik (велики челник) is first mentioned. After Jovan Oliver and Dimitrije, it seems that the title was not given at the court of Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55). despot (деспот). From Byzantine despotes.