Vranje (Serbian Cyrillic: Врање, pronounced [ʋrâɲɛ] ^ⓘ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 55,214 while the city administrative area has 74,381 inhabitants.

Vranje is the economical, political and cultural centre of the Pčinja District in Southern Serbia. It was the first city from the Balkans to be declared UNESCO city of Music in 2019. It is located on the Pan-European Corridor X, close to the borders with North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bulgaria. The Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Vranje is seated in the city, as is the 4th Land Force Brigade of the Serbian Army.

The toponym Vranje is first attested in an 11th-century Byzantine text. The town's name is believed to be derived from vran, a word of Slavic origin meaning swarthy or dark, or the archaic Slavic given name Vran, which itself is derived from the same word.

Eastern Roman Empire 330–?
First Bulgarian Empire ?–1018
Eastern Roman Empire 1018–1183
Contested between Eastern Roman Empire, Grand Principality of Serbia, and Second Bulgarian Empire 1183–1207
Grand Principality of Serbia 1207–1217
Kingdom of Serbia 1217–1345
Serbian Empire 1345–1371
Various Serbian noble domains (Fall of the Serbian Empire) 1371–1402
Serbian Despotate 1402–1433
Contested between Serbian Despotate and Ottoman Empire 1433–1251
Serbian Despotate 1451–1455
Ottoman Empire 1455–1689
Habsburg monarchy 1689–1690 (occupation)
Ottoman Empire 1690–1878
Principality of Serbia 1878–1882
Kingdom of Serbia 1882–1915
Tsardom of Bulgaria 1915–1918 (occupation)
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1918–1929
Kingdom of Yugoslavia 1929–1941
Tsardom of Bulgaria 1941–1944 (occupation)
Democratic Federal Yugoslavia 1944–1945
Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia 1945–1963
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1963–1992
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1992–2003
Serbia and Montenegro 2003–2006
Serbia 2006–present

The Romans conquered the region in the 2nd or 1st centuries BC. Vranje was part of Moesia Superior and Dardania during Roman rule. The Roman fortresses in the Vranje region were abandoned during the Hun attacks in 539–544 AD; these include the localities of Kale at Vranjska Banja, Gradište in Korbevac and Gradište in Prvonek.

During the Middle Ages, in the 9th-11th centuries, the territory of modern-day Vranje was a part of Bulgaria.

The first written mention of Vranje comes from Byzantine chronicle Alexiad by Anna Comnena (1083–1153), in which it is mentioned how Serbian ruler Vukan in 1093, as part of his conquests, reached Vranje and conquered it, however only shortly, as he was forced to retreat from the powerful Byzantines. The city name stems from the Old Serbian word vran ("black"). The second mention is from 1193, when Vranje was temporarily taken by Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja from the Byzantines. Vranje definitely entered the Serbian state in 1207 when it was conquered by Grand Prince Stefan Nemanjić.

Some time before 1306, tepčija Kuzma was given the governorship of Vranje (a župa, "county", including the town and neighbouring villages), serving King Stefan Milutin. At the same time, kaznac Miroslav held the surroundings of Vranje. Next, kaznac Baldovin (fl. 1325–45) received the province around Vranje, serving King Stefan Dečanski. Next, župan Maljušat, Baldovin's son, held the župa of Vranje. By the time of the proclamation of the Serbian Empire, holders with the title kefalija are present in Vranje, among other cities. During the fall of the Serbian Empire, Vranje was part of Uglješa Vlatković's possessions, which also included Preševo and Kumanovo. Uglješa became a vassal of Serbian Despot Stefan Lazarević after the Battle of Tripolje (1403); Vranje became part of Serbian Despotate.