 Podgorica fell into Ottoman hands in 1474, during the Ottoman-Venetian War; there are indications that Vuković might have fled the Balkans in the refugee waves fleeing from the Ottomans, in particular after the fall of the Cetinje, the seat of Zeta, in 1496 and the subsequent flight of its last ruler Đurađ Crnojević to Venice across Budva.When Montenegro (Zeta) fell to Ottoman occupation in 1496, Vuković fled with Crnojević to Venice, where he earned his living as a merchant.He joined the Eastern Orthodox Christian community and became a member of the Greek Brotherhood of Venice, enlisting as ""Bozhidar of Veche, a Serb"" after paying his fee, signing himself as such on every occasion.