The family tree can be reached back to 1536. According to tradition, the family descended from Vojin, the grandson of Serbian king Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–32). The family moved to the Bay of Kotor from Herzegovina in 1692, fleeing Ottoman terror, settling in Herceg Novi, which was taken over by the Republic of Venice after the 1689–92 battles of the Morean War. The Republic of Venice recognized their nobility status and coat of arms after 1771, Austria in 1815 (along with other para-nobility of Dalmatia and the Bay of Kotor). Upon receiving noble status, the family adopted the coat of arms of Serbian magnate Nikola Altomanović ( 1359–76) as displayed in the "Il regno di Slavi" of Mavro Orbini (1563–1614).