Mara Branković or Mara Despina Hatun, in Europe also known as Amerissa, Sultana Marija or Sultanina, was the daughter of Serbian monarch Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene. As the daughter of Despot Đurađ, wife of Sultan Murad II, and stepmother of Mehmed II the Conqueror, she came to play a significant role in the diplomatic negotiations of the Ottoman Empire. She became a leading member of the pro-Ottoman party in the Balkans and one of the most powerful women of the 15th century.

The Serbian Despotate was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia, lasted for another sixty years, experiencing a cultural, economic, and political renaissance, especially during the reign of Despot Stefan Lazarević. After the death of Despot Đurađ Branković in 1456, the Despotate continued to exist for another three years before it finally fell under Ottoman rule in 1459.