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139-883: He is widely considered one of the most important figures in Serbian history . Sava is considered to be to the Serbs what Averroes is to the Muslims and Maimonides is to the Jews . Saint Sava is venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 27 [ O.S. January 14]. Many artistic works from the Middle Ages to modern times have interpreted his life. He is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education. The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade

278-504: A Byzantine princess, i.e. niece of the Byzantine emperor. The concluded peace envisages that the grand zoupan Nemanja will be succeeded by his middle son Stefan, who received the Byzantine title of sebastokrator and the Byzantine princess Eudokia for a wife, and not the firstborn Vukan. In 1196, at the state assembly near Church of Saints Peter and Paul , Stefan Nemanja abdicated the throne in favor of his middle son Stefan, who became

417-412: A Serbian assault on Scutari been weakened. Đorđe disappears from sources, and Stefan II controls Zeta by 1216, probably through military action. Stefan either put Zeta under his personal rule, or assigned it to his son Stefan Radoslav . Zeta would from now on have no special status, and would be given to the heir apparent. Despot Michael I of Epirus conquered Skadar , and tried to press beyond, but

556-517: A contemporary of Serbian patriarch Pajsije , published a biography of St. Sava in Latin, in Rome in 1630–31, which was later translated into Serbian by Veselin Čajkanović (1881–1946); this biography has many historical inaccuracies. There are many transcripts preserved of Domentijan's biography, and many more of Teodosije's. Bishop of Bosnia Giovanni Thomas Marnavich wrote about him. The presence of

695-643: A depiction of St. Sava. He is most often depicted as an archiereus ( arhijerej , main priest), or together with his father, St. Simeon. The most notable of his fresco depictions are located in the monasteries of Studenica , Mileševa , Peć , Morača , Arilje , Sopoćani , Dečani , Hilandar , Bogorodica Ljeviška , Psača , Lesnovo , Marko's Monastery , Matejić , Nagoričano , Nikita , Andrijaš , Bela Crkva , Baljevac , Pavlica , Ljubostinja , Resava , Koporin , Prohor Pčinjski , Rudenica , Blagoveštenje and St. Nicholas in Ovčar , Ježevica , Poganovo and others; he

834-632: A letter in 1198 called on the entire West to liberate the Holy Land , was not satisfied with the fact that the Serbs were subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople , but wanted to return them to Rome through Vukan. In 1198, the Hungarian dux Andrew conquered Hum (Hercegovina) of grand zoupan Stefan and rebelled against brother king Emeric but did not gain legitimacy from Rome. In any case,

973-521: A note to all Serb bishops to come to him and collaborate only with Habsburg forces. A large migration of Serbs to Habsburg lands was undertaken by Patriarch Arsenije III. The large community of Serbs concentrated in Banat, southern Hungary and the Military Frontier included merchants and craftsmen in the cities, but mainly refugees that were peasants. Smaller groups of Serbs also migrated to

1112-598: A part of the historians as a reaction to his brother Stefan accepting the royal crown from Rome. Stefan had just prior to this made a large switch in politics, marrying a Venetian noblewoman, and subsequently asked the Pope for a royal crown and political support. With the establishment of the Latin Empire (1204), Rome had considerably increased its power in the Balkans. Stefan was crowned by a papal legate, becoming equal to

1251-738: A practical school of state administration. Teodosije the Hilandarian said that Rastko, as a ruler, was "mild and gentle, kind to everyone, loving the poor as few others, and very respecting of the monastic life". He showed no interest in fame, wealth, or the throne. The governance of Hum had previously been held by his uncle Miroslav , who continued to hold at least the Lim region with Bijelo Polje while Rastko held Hum. After two years, in autumn 1192 or shortly afterwards, Rastko left Hum for Mount Athos . Miroslav may have continued as ruler of Hum after Rastko had left. Athonite monks were frequent visitors to

1390-757: A resistance movement known as the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland , or the Chetniks. The Chetniks had the official support of the Allies until 1943, when Allied support shifted to the Communist Yugoslav Partisans , a multi-ethnic force, formed in 1941, which also had a large majority of Serbs in its ranks in the first two years of war, later, after the fall of Italy, September 1943. other ethnic groups joined Partisans in larger numbers. At

1529-523: A sense of civic duty. The Serbian state thought of the Nemanjić dynasty was created politically by Nemanja, but spiritually and intellectually by Sava. After the crowning of his nephew Radoslav , the son of Stefan, Sava left the Serbian maritime in 1229 for a trip to Palestine . He visited almost all the holy places and endowed them with valued gifts. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Athanasius , along with

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1668-675: A short stay at Studenica, Sava embarked on a four-year trip throughout the lands where he confirmed the theological teachings and delivered constitutions and customs of monastic life to be kept, as he had seen in Mount Athos, Palestine, and the Middle East. After the throne change in 1234, when King Radoslav was succeeded by his brother Vladislav , Archbishop Sava began his second trip to the Holy Land. Prior to this, Sava had appointed his loyal pupil Arsenije Sremac as his successor to

1807-509: A time of great foreign relations activities in Serbia. Rastko showed himself serious and ascetic ; as the youngest son, he was made Prince of Hum at an early age, in ca. 1190. Hum was a province between Neretva and Dubrovnik ( Ragusa ). Having his own court with magnates ( velmože ), senior officials and selected local nobility , the governance in Hum was not only an honorary title but constituted

1946-417: A tired and sick man. When the sickness took a hold of him and he saw that the end was near, he sent part of his entourage to Serbia with the gifts and everything he had bought with his blessing to give "to his children". The eulogia consisted of four items. Domentijan accounted that he died between Saturday and Sunday, most likely on 27 January [ O.S. 14 January] 1235. Sava was respectfully buried at

2085-541: Is dedicated to him, built on the site where the Ottomans burnt his remains in 1594, during an uprising in which Serbs used icons of Sava as their war flags; the church is one of the largest church buildings in the world . Rastko ( Serbian Cyrillic : Растко Немањић , Serbian pronunciation: [râstkɔ nɛ̌maɲitɕ] ), a diminutive of Rastislav , was born in 1169 or 1174 , in Gradina (modern-day Podgorica ). As

2224-775: Is depicted with the Nemanjić dynasty ( loza Nemanjića ) in Dečani , Peć and Orahovica . The translation of his relics are illustrated in the church of the Gradac Monastery , and in the Monastery of Peć (in the Bogorodica Odigitrije temple) the scene where Sava appoints his successor Arsenije is depicted. In the Church of St. George, also in the Monastery of Peć , an assembly of Sava is depicted. Iconographer ( zograf ) Georgije Mitrofanović illustrated events from

2363-467: Is one of the largest churches in the world. Divine Services , službe , were created in his honour following his burial. The earliest service date to the reign of king Vladislav, in which Saint Sava is mentioned along the killed monks on Sinai. In it, he is compared to the saints Sergius and Bacchus , whose relics are held at the Mileševa monastery. In the service, he is called an illuminator on earth, and

2502-514: Is possible that among other tribes exists tribe or group of small tribes of Serbs. However, the mentioning of "Dalmatia" in 822 and 833 as an old geographical term by the authors of Frankish Annals was Pars pro toto with a vague perception of what this geographical term actually referred to. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Grand Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Vukanović dynasty . During that period, Serbs frequently fought against

2641-491: Is the first work of the epistolary genre that has been preserved in the old Serbian literature. Theologian Lazar Mirković (1885–1968) noted "With a lot of feeling and longing for the fatherland in a distant world and caring for things in the homeland, Sava wrote this letter to Spiridon, reporting about him and his entourage, of them falling ill on the road, how they donated to the Holy sites, where he intended to travel, and along with

2780-614: Is to have authority, neither bishop nor any one else") in relation to the Bishopric of Raška and Archbishopric of Ohrid. The canonization of Nemanja and the Studenica Typikon would be the first steps towards the future autocephaly of the Serbian Church and elevation of the Serbian ruler to king ten years later. In 1217, archimandrite Sava left Studenica and returned to Mount Athos. His departure has been interpreted by

2919-1181: The Three-handed Theotokos icon. His person is illustrated on numerous liturgical metal and textile items, while he and scenes from his life are illuminated in many manuscripts and printed books. Many Serbian poets have written poetry dedicated to St. Sava. These include Jovan Jovanović Zmaj 's (1833–1904) Pod ikonom Svetog Save and Suze Svetog Save , Vojislav Ilić 's (1860–1894) Sveti Sava and Srpkinjica , Milorad Popović Šapčanin 's (1841–1895) Svetom Savi , Aleksa Šantić 's (1868–1924) Pred ikonom Svetog Save , Pepeo Svetog Save , Sveti Sava na golgoti , Vojislav Ilić Mlađi 's (1877–1944) Sveti Sava , Nikolaj Velimirović 's (1881–1956) Svetitelju Savo , Reči Svetog Save and Pesma Svetom Savi , Milan Petrović 's (1902–1963) Sveti Sava , Vasko Popa 's (1922–1991) St. Sava's Journey , Momčilo Tešić 's (1911–1992) Svetom Savi , Desanka Maksimović 's (1898–1993) Savin monolog , Matija Bećković 's (b. 1939) Priča o Svetom Savi , Mićo Jelić Grnović 's (b. 1942) Uspavanka , and others. The earliest works of Sava were dedicated to ascetic and monastic life:

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3058-691: The 2000 Yugoslav general election . The Serbian Revival refers to a period in the history of the Serbs between the 18th century and the de jure establishment of the Principality of Serbia (1878). It began in Habsburg territory, in Sremski Karlovci . The "Serbian renaissance" is said to have begun in 17th-century Banat . The Serbian Revival began earlier than the Bulgarian National Revival . The first revolt in

3197-510: The Balkans during the 6th and 7th centuries, where they encountered and partially absorbed the remaining local population ( Illyrians , Thracians , Dacians , Celts , Scythians ). One of those early Slavic peoples were Serbs. According to De Administrando Imperio , a historiographical work compiled by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (d. 959), migration of Serbs from White Serbia to Balkans occurred sometime during

3336-581: The Branković family and Lazar Hrebeljanović holding today's Central Serbia and a portion of Kosovo. Hrebeljanović was subsequently accepted as the titular leader of the Serbs because he was married to a member of the Nemanjić dynasty. In 1389, the Serbs faced the Ottomans at the Battle of Kosovo on the plain of Kosovo Polje , near the town of Pristina . Both Lazar and Sultan Murad I were killed in

3475-744: The Bulgarian capital at Tarnovo , where he was warmly and friendly admitted by the Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Asen II (father-in-law of King Vladislav) and Bulgarian Patriarch Joakim. As on all his destinations, he gave rich gifts to the churches and monasteries: "[he] gave also to the Bulgarian Patriarchate priestly honourable robes and golden books and candlesticks adorned with precious stones and pearls and other church vessels", as written by Teodosije. Sava had after much work and many long trips arrived at Tarnovo

3614-834: The Grand Prince of Serbia from 1196 and the King of Serbia from 1217 until his death in 1228. He was the first Serbian king by Nemanjić dynasty ; due to his transformation of the Serbian Grand Principality into the Kingdom of Serbia and the assistance he provided his brother Saint Sava in establishing the Serbian Orthodox Church . Stefan Nemanjić was the second-eldest son of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja and Anastasija . His older brother and heir apparent, Vukan , ruled over Zeta and

3753-598: The Holy Forty Martyrs Church . Sava's body was returned to Serbia after a series of requests, and was then buried in the Mileševa monastery , built by Vladislav in 1234. According to Teodosije, Archbishop Arsenije told Vladislav "It's neither nice nor pleasing, before God nor the people, leaving our father [Sava] gifted to us by the Christ. An equal to apostles – who made so many feats and countless efforts for

3892-537: The Kingdom of Thessalonica , the principality of Achaia , the duchy of Athens and Thebes, the duchy of Archipelago or Naxos . They were all under rule of Latin emperor of Constantinople. The remaining Byzantine factions also formed their own successor states on the fringes of the empire, at Niceae and Trebizond in Asia Minor , and at Epiros in west Balkan. Of the newly created Greek states, two gained some stability and survived through this period: Niceae under

4031-682: The Latins , and then from there went to Jerusalem , to the Monastery of St. John the Apostle, "which he, as soon as arriving, redeemed from the Saracens , in his name". Sava had a prolonged stay in Jerusalem; he was again friendly and brotherly received by Patriarch Athanasius. From Jerusalem he went to Alexandria , where he visited Patriarch Nicholas, with whom he exchanged gifts. After touring

4170-479: The Life of St. Sava at Hilandar at the end of the 13th century. He based it on Domentijan's biography, though, unlike the latter, of which narratives are of thoughtful and solemn rhetoric, Teodosije's biography is warmer, with features of a hagiographic narrative . Teodosije's description of events give the impression of a novel , though it does not distort the historical course of events. Catholic bishop Ivan Mrnavić ,

4309-761: The Life of St. Sava in the dining room of Hilandar . "The Serbian miracle-workers" Sava and Simeon are depicted in the Archangel Sobor in Kremlin , in Moscow. In the chapel of the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, the Life of St. Sava is depicted in eight compositions, and in the Athonite monastery of St. Panteleimon Monastery he is depicted as a monk. St. Sava is depicted with St. Simeon on an icon from

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4448-454: The Life of St. Simeon (Stefan Nemanja, his father), the first Serbian hagiography. He has been given various honorific titles, such as "Father" and "Enlightener". The Serb people built the cult of St. Sava based on the religious cult; many songs, tales and legends were created about his life, work, merit, goodness, fairness and wisdom, while his relics became a topic of national and ethnopolitical cult and focus of liberation ideas. In 1840, at

4587-559: The Middle Ages and the Ottoman rule . Saint Sava is the protector of the Serb people: he is venerated as a protector of churches, families, schools and artisans. His feast day is also venerated by Greeks, Bulgarians, Romanians and Russians. Numerous toponyms and other testimonies, preserved to this day, convincingly speak of the prevalence of the cult of St. Sava. St. Sava is regarded the father of Serbian education and literature; he authored

4726-682: The Ottoman Empire to acquire a national character was the Serbian Revolution (1804–1817), which was the culmination of the Serbian renaissance. According to Jelena Milojković-Djurić: "The first literary and learned society among the Slavs was Matica srpska , founded by the leaders of Serbian revival in Pest in 1826." Vojvodina became the cradle of the Serbian renaissance during the 19th century. Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (1787–1864)

4865-508: The Russian Empire , where they occupied high positions in the military circles. Serbia remained under Ottoman control until the early 19th century, with the eruption of the Serbian Revolution in 1804. The uprising ended in the early 1830s, with Serbia's autonomy and borders being recognized, and with Miloš Obrenović being recognized as its ruler. The last Ottoman troops withdrew from Serbia in 1867, although Serbia's independence

5004-746: The siege of Constantinople (1204) into the hands of the Crusaders, and the strained relations between the Despotate of Epirus (where the Archbishopric of Ohrid was seated, which the Serbian Church was subordinated to) and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in Nicaea , into his advantage. The Studenica Typikon became a sort of lex specialis , which allowed Studenica to have independent status ("Here, therefore, no one

5143-579: The theme of Thessalonica , which was formed ca. 150 years after the reign of Heraclius which was in the 7th century. For the purposes of its narrative, the DAI formulates a mistaken etymology of the Serbian ethnonym which it derives from Latin servi (serfs). As the Byzantine Empire sought to establish its hegemony towards the Serbs, the narrative of the DAI sought to establish a historical hegemony over

5282-636: The 14th century which is held in the National Museum in Belgrade, and on an icon held in the National Museum in Bucharest. The pair is depicted on tens of icons held in Hilandar. Other icons of them are found in the monasteries of Lepavina and Krka , and on the triptych of Orahovica. On an icon of Morača, beside a scene from his life, he is depicted with St. Simeon, knez Stefan and St. Cyril

5421-763: The Austrian side. In 1688, the Habsburg army took Belgrade and entered the territory of present-day Central Serbia . Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden called Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević to raise arms against the Turks; the Patriarch accepted and returned to the liberated Peć. As Serbia fell under Habsburg control, Leopold I granted Arsenije nobility and the title of duke. In early November, Arsenije III met with Habsburg commander-in-chief, General Enea Silvio Piccolomini in Prizren ; after this talk he sent

5560-412: The Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos at Constantinople, he mentioned the neglected and abandoned Hilandar , and asked the Emperor to grant him and his father permission to restore the monastery and transfer it to Vatopedi. The Emperor approved, and sent a special letter and considerable gold to his friend Stefan Nemanja ( monk Simeon ). Sava then addressed the Protos of Athos, asking them to support

5699-433: The Catholic Church in Serbia did not last long but angered Serbian clergy. Many opposed Stefan's coronation, with Sava protesting by leaving Serbia and returning to Mount Athos. Later Serbian churchmen were also bothered by Stefan's relations with the papacy; while Stefan and Sava's contemporary Domentian wrote that the coronation was performed by a papal legate, a century later Theodosius the Hilandarian claimed that Stefan

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5838-412: The Franks' territorial aspirations towards the entire area of the former Roman Province of Dalmatia. The same entry mentions "the Serbs, who are said to hold a great/large part of Dalmatia " ( ad Sorabos, quae natio magnam Dalmatiae partem obtinere dicitur ), but according to John (Jr.) Fine , it was hard to find Serbs in this area since the Byzantine sources were limited to the southern coast, also it

5977-584: The Holy Mother of God in Ston ; Dabar , seated at Monastery of St. Nicholas on the Lim; Moravica, seated at Monastery of St. Achillius in the Moravica region; Budimlja, seated at Monastery of St. George; Toplica, seated at Monastery of St. Nicholas in the Toplica region; Hvosno, seated at Monastery of the Holy Mother of God in the Hvosno region; Žiča, seated at Žiča , the seat of the Church; Raška, seated at Monastery of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Peć ; Lipljan, seated at Lipljan ; Prizren, seated at Prizren . Among his bishops were Ilarion and Metodije . In

6116-426: The Hungarians became dominant on the eastern Adriatic coast. But Venice , because of its business interests, did not like the eastern coast of the Adriatic to be controlled by the mighty Byzantium or Hungary. Vukan and the Hungarian king Emeric (1196–1204) make an alliance against Stefan, after which a civil war breaks out in Serbia. The action against Stefan was preceded by his letter to the Pope in which he asked for

6255-506: The Karyes Typikon and Hilandar Typikon. In their nature, they are Church law, based strictly on non-literary works, however, in them some moments came to expression of indirect importance for the establishment of an atmosphere in which Sava's original and in the narrow sense, literary works, came to exist. In addition, characteristics of Sava's language and style come to light here, especially in those paragraphs which are his specific interpretations or independent supplements. The organization of

6394-411: The Laskaris dynasty, which soon became an empire (1208), and Epiros, which took considerably to rise to same status (1224–27). The two rivals sought to present themselves as lawful successor of Empire of the Romans and to get the upper hand in the struggle for its restoration. Bulgaria was located to the north, and Serbia to the northwest. Serbia's neighbors at the time were Epirus to the south, Bulgaria to

6533-440: The Orthodox Serbs, while his grave was also a pilgrim site for Catholics and Muslims. Foreign 16th-century writers, Jean Sesno (1547) and Catherine Zen (1550) noted that Muslims respected the tomb of St. Sava, and feared him. Benedicto Ramberti (1553) said that Turks and Jews gave more charity to Mileševa than Serbs. When the Serbs in Banat rose up against the Ottomans in 1594, using the portrait of Saint Sava on their war flags ,

6672-476: The Ottomans retaliated by incinerating the relics of St. Sava on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade . Grand Vizier Koca Sinan Pasha , the main commander of the Ottoman army, ordered for the relics to be brought from Mileševa to Belgrade, where he set them on fire on 27 April. Monk Nićifor of the Fenek monastery wrote that "there was great violence carried out against the clergy and devastation of monasteries". The Ottomans sought to symbolically and really, set fire to

6811-475: The Philosopher. Graphical illustrations of St. Sava are found in old Serbian printed books: Triode from the Mrkšina crkva printing house (1566), Zbornik of Jakov of Kamena Reka (1566), as well as Sabornik of Božidar Vuković (1546) where he is depicted with St. Simeon. There are notable depictions of Sava in chalcography , one of which was made by Zaharije Orfelin (1726–1785). In Hilandar, there are two wood-cuts depicting St. Sava and St. Simeon holding

6950-409: The Serb determination of freedom, which had become growingly noticeable. The event, however, sparked an increase in rebel activity, until the suppression of the uprising in 1595. It is believed that his left hand was saved]; it is currently held at Mileševa. The Church of Saint Sava was built near the place where his relics were burned. Its construction began in the 1930s and was completed in 2004. It

7089-405: The Serbian Karađorđević dynasty . In the period of 1920–31, Serb and other South Slavic families of the Kingdom of Hungary (and Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja Republic ) were given the option to leave Hungary for the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , and thereby change citizenship (these were called optanti ). During World War II , Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis powers in April 1941. The country

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7228-409: The Serbian church with united areas was set on a completely new basis. The activity of major monasteries developed; caretaking of missionary work was put under the duty of the proto-priests ( protopopovi ). Legal regulations of the Serbian Church was constituted with a code of a new, independent, compilation of Sava – the Nomocanon or Krmčija ; with this codification of Byzantine law, Serbia already at

7367-438: The Serbian court – lectures perhaps made him determined to leave. Upon arriving at Athos, Rastko entered the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery where he received the monastic name of Sava ( Sabbas ). According to tradition, a Russian monk was his spiritual guide or mentor and was said to have had earlier visited the Serbian court with other Athonite monks. Sava then entered the Greek Vatopedi monastery, where he would stay for

7506-441: The Serbian lands, decorating it with churches and the kingdom, the archbishopric and bishops, and all constitutions and laws – that his relics lie outside his fatherland and the seat of his church, in a foreign land". King Vladislav twice sent delegations to his father-in-law Asen, asking him to let the relics of Sava be transferred to the fatherland, but the Emperor was unappealing. Vladislav then personally visited him and finally got

7645-451: The Serbian throne (1202). Stefan returned to Serbia with an army in 1204 and pushed Vukan to Zeta , his hereditary land. After problems at Athos with Latin bishops and Boniface of Montferrat following the Fourth Crusade , Sava returned to Serbia in the winter of 1205–1206 or 1206–1207, with the remains of his father which he relocated to his father's endowment, the Studenica monastery , and then reconciled his quarreling brothers. Sava saved

7784-399: The Serbs by claiming that their arrival, settlement and conversion to Christianity was the direct result of the Byzantine interference in the centuries which preceded the writing of DAI . Historian Danijel Dzino considers that the story of the migration from White Serbia after the invitation of Heraclius as a means of explanation of the settlement of the Serbs is a form of rationalization of

7923-454: The Serbs was undergoing, as a gradual process, that was finalized by the middle of the 9th century. Serbs also created local states in regions of Neretvanija , Zahumlje , Travunija and Duklja . Some scholars, like Tibor Živković and Neven Budak, doubt their Serbian identity in 7th century and suppose that sources like De Administrando Imperio are based on data related to Serbian rule and identity in 10th century when Serbian ethnogenesis

8062-416: The Serbs, the first major battle was the Battle of Maritsa (1371), in which the Serbs were defeated. With the death of two important Serb leaders in the battle, and with the death of Stephen Uroš that same year, the Serbian Empire broke up into several small Serbian domains. These states were ruled by feudal lords, with Zeta controlled by the Balšić family, Raška, Kosovo and northern Macedonia held by

8201-409: The Yugoslav Army and Albanians seeking independence erupted into full-out war, resulting in a 78-day-long NATO bombing campaign which effectively drove Yugoslav security forces from Kosovo. Subsequently, more than 200,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians fled the province. On 5 October 2000, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosević was overthrown in a bloodless revolt after he refused to admit defeat in

8340-451: The adoration of his icon is mentioned. There are two services dedicated to Saint Sava: one dedicated to his Assumption (death), and the second to the translation of his relics. Nikola and Radoslav wrote the service on the translation of his relics in ca. 1330. Other services dedicated to the translation were also compiled in 1599 by inok Georgije, and written by protohegumen Visarion of Zavala in 1659–60. These services were superseded by

8479-440: The apparitions of the holy God-bearing fathers. And he consecrated them and made them bishops" (Domentijan). Sava gave the newly appointed bishops law books and sent them to bishoprics in all parts of Serbia. It is unclear how many bishoprics he founded. The following bishoprics were under his administration: Zeta ( Zetska ), seated at Monastery of Holy Archangel Michael in Prevlaka near Kotor; Hum ( Humska ), seated at Monastery of

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8618-479: The approval, and brought the relics to Serbia. With the highest church- and state honours, the relics of Saint Sava were transferred from the Holy Forty Martyrs Church to Mileševa on 19 May [ O.S. 6 May] 1237. "The King and the Archbishop, with the bishops and hegumens and many noblemen, all together, little and great, carried the Saint in much joy, with psalms and songs". Sava was canonized, and his relics were considered miraculous; his cult remained throughout

8757-442: The arrival of his father (1197), he founded three chapels ( paraklisi ). He had the monastery church covered in lead , and was regarded as the second ktetor , also having donated highly valuable ecclesiastical art objects. Together with his father he was the great, second ktetor of the monasteries of Iviron , Great Lavra and churches in Karyes . The most important was Hilandar , together with his father (1198). He then founded

8896-536: The beginning of the 13th century received a firm legal order and became a state of law, in which the rich Greek-Roman law heritage was continued. His liturgical regulations include also Psaltir-holding laws (Ustav za držanje Psaltira), which he translated from Greek, or as possibly is the case with the Nomocanon, was only the initiator and organizer, and supervisor of the translation. A personal letter of his, written from Jerusalem to his disciple hegumen Spiridon in Studenica, shows Sava getting closer to literature. This

9035-579: The beginning of the 14th century, Serbian Archbishop Nikodim I (s. 1316–1324) dedicated a church to him. Helena of Bulgaria , the wife of Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), founded a chapel on the top of the tower in Karyes, dedicated to St. Simeon and St. Sava. One of the churches of Rossikon on Mount Athos, as well as a church in Thessaloniki, are dedicated to him. Churches throughout Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro are dedicated to him, as well as churches in diaspora communities . There are close to no Serbian churches that do not have

9174-453: The beginning of the development of convenient literary genres in the independent Serbian literature. In the Hilandar Typikon, Sava included the Short Hagiography of St. Simeon Nemanja , which tells of Simeon's life between his arrival at Hilandar and death. It was written immediately after his death, in 1199 or 1200. The developed hagiography on St. Simeon was written in the introduction of the Studenica Typikon (1208). Very few manuscripts of

9313-468: The bishopric of Hum in Ston ; both of these were almost on the outskirts of the kingdom, obviously with the aim to combat the Catholic action which had spread especially from the Catholic dioceses of Kotor and Dubrovnik. In earlier times, also Orthodox monasteries were subjected to the supervision of the Catholic Archdiocese of Bar; after Sava's action that intercourse began to change in the opposite direction. After Sava's organization, Orthodoxy finally became

9452-523: The cell at Karyes, and in 1199 became ktetor of three more Authonite monasteries: Karakallou , Xeropotamou , and Philotheou . In 1197 he gave a large contribution to the Constantinopolitan monastery of the Holy Mother of God Euergetes, and did the same to Philokallou in Thessaloniki; "due to him also giving much gold for the erection of that monastery, the population there regard him the ktetor ", according to Teodosije. Returning to Serbia in 1206, Sava continued his work. The Mother of God Church in Studenica

9591-420: The city of Gordoserba ( Greek : Γορδόσερβα ), had its bishop, who participated at the Council of Trullo (691-691). In contemporary historiography and archaeology, the narratives of De Administrando Imperio have been reassessed as they contain anachronisms and factual mistakes. The account in DAI about the Serbs mentions that they requested from the Byzantine commander of present-day Belgrade to settle in

9730-426: The country from further political crisis by ending the dynastic fight, and also completed the canonization process of Nemanja (Simeon) as a saint. Having spent 14 years in Mount Athos, Sava had extensive theological knowledge and spiritual power. According to Sava's biography, he was asked to teach the court and people of Serbia the Christian laws and traditions and "in that way enwisen and educate". Sava then worked on

9869-412: The crown. Around 1200, Stefan expelled his wife Eudokia, a daughter of Alexios III Angelos , who found refuge with Vukan in Zeta. Emeric saw Stefan's move as an open attack on his crown, because in Hungary it was traditionally believed that only it in the region could have primacy with the Roman pope. Stefan lost the conflicts and had to flee the country in 1202 to the ruler of Bulgaria Kaloyan . In

10008-481: The crown. It is possible that Sava did not agree with everything in his brother's international politics, however, his departure for Athos may also be interpreted as a preparation for obtaining the autocephaly (independence) of the Serbian Archbishopric. His departure was planned, both Domentijan and Teodosije, Sava's biographers, stated that before leaving Studenica he appointed a new hegumen and "put

10147-513: The east, and the Hungary to the north and west. After the death of Kaloyan, there was a succession war in Bulgaria. Tsar Boril , the most ambitious of the nobles, took the throne and exiled Alexius Slav , Ivan Asen II and Strez (of the Asen family). Strez, the first cousin or brother of Boril, took refuge in Serbia, and was warmly welcomed at the court of Stefan II. Even though Boril requested

10286-607: The effort so the monastery of Hilandar might become a haven for Serb monks. All Athonite monasteries, except Vatopedi, accepted the proposal. In July 1198, Emperor Alexios III issued a charter which revoked the earlier decision, and instead not only granted Hilandar, but also the other abandoned monasteries in Mileis, to Simeon and Sava, to be a haven and shelter for Serb monks in Athos. The restoration of Hilandar quickly began and Grand Prince Stefan sent money and other necessities, and issued

10425-672: The end of the war, the Partisans, led by the Croat Josip Broz Tito , emerged victorious. Yugoslavia subsequently became a Communist state. Tito died in 1980, and his death saw Yugoslavia plunge into economic turmoil. Yugoslavia disintegrated in the early 1990s, and a series of wars resulted in the creation of five new states. The heaviest fighting occurred in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina , whose Serb populations rebelled and sought unification with Serbia , which

10564-543: The extradition of Strez to Bulgaria with gifts and bribes, Stefan II refused. Kaloyan had conquered Belgrade , Braničevo , Niš and Prizren , all of which were claimed by Serbia. At the same time, Boril was unable to take military action against Strez and his Serbian patron, as he had suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Latins at Plovdiv . Stefan went as far as to become a blood brother with Strez, in order to assure him of his continued favor. Andrija Mirosavljević

10703-598: The feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God , Sava was consecrated by Patriarch Manuel I of Constantinople in Nicaea as the first Archbishop of the autocephalous (independent) Serbian Church. The patriarch of Constantinople and his Synod thus appointed Sava as the first archbishop of "Serbian and coastal lands." With the support of Emperor Theodore I Laskaris and "the Most Venerable Patriarch and

10842-583: The fighting. The battle most likely ended in a stalemate, and Serbia did not fall to the Turks until 1459. There exists c. 30 Serbian chronicles from the period between 1390 and 1526. The Serbs had taken an active part in the wars fought in the Balkans against the Ottoman Empire, and also organized uprisings. Because of this, they suffered persecution and their territories were devastated. Major migrations from Serbia into Habsburg territory ensued. The period of Ottoman rule in Serbia lasted from

10981-575: The first Allied victory over the Central Powers in the war. Further victories at the battles of Kolubara and the Drina meant that Serbia remained unconquered as the war entered its second year. However, an invasion by the forces of Germany , Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria overwhelmed the Serbs in the winter of 1915, and a subsequent withdrawal by the Serbian Army through Albania took

11120-497: The founding charter for Hilandar in 1199. Sava wrote a typikon (liturgical office order) for Hilandar, modeled on the typikon of the monastery of Theotokos Euergetis in Constantinople. Besides Hilandar, Sava was the ktetor (sr. ktitor ; founder, donator) of the hermitage at Karyes (seat of Athos) for the monks who devoted themselves to solitude and prayer. In 1199, he authored the typikon of Karyes . Along with

11259-456: The further fate of the Serbian Church largely depended on the personality of the successor. Sava began his trip from Budva , then via Brindisi in Italy to Acre . On this road he experienced various bad events, such as an organized pirate attack in the rough Mediterranean Sea , which however ended well. In Acre he stayed in his monastery dedicated to St. George, which he had earlier bought from

11398-430: The grand zoupan of Serbia. He left his eldest son Vukan in charge of Zeta, Travunija, Hvosno and Toplica. Nemanja became a monk in his old age and was given the name Simeon. Shortly afterwards, he went to Byzantium, to Mount Athos , where his youngest son Sava had been a monk for some time. They received permission from the Byzantine emperor to rebuild the abandoned Hilandar monastery . The new Pope Innocent III , who in

11537-551: The hegumen said with the fear of God", as witnessed by Teodosije. From Hilandar, Sava traveled to Thessaloniki , to the monastery of Philokalos, where he stayed for some time as a guest of the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Constantine the Mesopotamian, with whom he was a great friend ever since his youth. His stay was of great benefit as he transcribed many works on law needed for his church. Upon his return to Serbia, he

11676-632: The help of Prince Kaloyan, he returns to the throne in Ras in 1204, while Vukan retreats to Zeta. The fighting between the brothers was stopped in 1205 and relations were established as they were before the outbreak of the conflict. Meanwhile, in November 1204, the Hungarian king Emeric died and the Kaloyan of Bulgaria was crowned for king by the Pope. Numerous states were created on the ruins of Byzantium, which were almost equal in strength. The Crusaders founded

11815-545: The hermitage, he built the chapel dedicated to Sabbas the Sanctified , whose name he received upon monastic vows. His father died on 13 February 1199. In 1204, after 13 April, Sava received the rank of archimandrite . As Nemanja had earlier (1196) decided to give the rule to Stefan , and not the eldest son, Vukan , the latter began plotting against Stefan in the meantime. He found an ally in Hungarian king Emeric with whom he banished Stefan to Bulgaria, and Vukan seized

11954-634: The holy places in Egypt , he returned to Jerusalem, from where he went to the Sinai , where he spent Lent . He returned briefly to Jerusalem, then went to Antiochia , and from there across Armenia and the "Turkic lands" he went on the "Syrian Sea" and then returned on a ship to Antiochia. On the ship, Sava became sick, and was unable to eat. After a longer trip he arrived at Constantinople where he briefly stayed. Sava first wanted to return home via Mount Athos (according to Domentijan), but he instead decided to visit

12093-559: The lack of foreign support. After allied Christian forces had captured Buda from the Ottoman Empire in 1686 during the Great Turkish War , Serbs from Pannonian Plain (present-day Hungary , Slavonia region in present-day Croatia , Bačka and Banat regions in present-day Serbia ) joined the troops of the Habsburg Monarchy as separate units known as Serbian Militia . Serbs, as volunteers, massively joined

12232-542: The letter he sent gifts: a cross, pleat, cloth and pebbles. The cross and pleat had laid on Christ's grave, and hence these gifts received greater value. Sava perhaps found the cloth in Jordan". The letter has been preserved in 14th-century copies held in the Velika Remeta monastery . The proper literary nature of Sava is however revealed only in his hagiographical and poetic compositions. Each in its genre, they stand at

12371-536: The lives of more than 240,000 Serbs. Serb forces spent the remaining years of the war fighting on the Salonika front in Greece, before liberating Serbia from Austro-Hungarian occupation in November 1918. Serbs subsequently formed the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes with other South Slavic peoples . The country was later renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , and was led from 1921 to 1934 by King Alexander I of

12510-514: The meantime, control of the newly formed crusade army was taken over by the powerful Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo , who, to the surprise of all, including the pope himself, in the Fourth Crusade first sent an attack on Hungarian Zara in 1202, and then on Byzantium, whose capital Constantinople crusaders conquered in April 1204. Stefan uses this situation and in the counter-offensive, with

12649-463: The monastery in good, correct order, and enacted the new church constitution and monastic life order, to be held that way", after which he left Serbia. The elevation of Serbia into a kingdom did not fully mark the independence of the country, according to that time's understanding, unless the same was achieved with its church. Rulers of such countries, with church bodies subordinated to Constantinople, were viewed as "rulers of lower status who stand under

12788-461: The neighbouring Byzantine Empire . Between 1166 and 1371, Serbs were ruled by the Nemanjić dynasty , founded by grand prince Stefan Nemanja (1166-1196), who conquered several neighbouring territories, including Kosovo, Duklja, Travunija and Zahumlje. Serbian state was elevated to a kingdom in 1217, during the reign of Nemanja's son, Stefan Nemanjić . In the same time, Serbian Orthodox Church

12927-480: The neighbouring provinces (the highest appanage) while his younger brother Rastko (later known as Saint Sava ) ruled over Hum . The Byzantines attacked Serbia in 1191, raiding the banks of the South Morava . Nemanja had a tactical advantage, and began to raid the Byzantine armies. Isaac II Angelos summoned a peace treaty, and the marriage of Nemanja's son Stefan to Eudokia Angelina , the niece of Isaac II,

13066-418: The next seven years, and became more closely acquainted with Greek theological and church-administrational literature. His father tried to persuade him to return to Serbia, but Sava was determined and replied, "You have accomplished all that a Christian sovereign should do; come now and join me in the true Christian life". His young years at Athos had a significant influence on the formation of his personality, it

13205-650: The other kings, and was called "the First-Crowned King" of Serbia. Stefan's politics that led to the events of 1217 were somewhat in odds with the Serbian Orthodox tradition, represented by his brother, archimandrite Sava, who favored Eastern Orthodoxy and Byzantine ecclesiastical culture in Serbia. Though Sava left Serbia while talks were underway between Stefan and Rome (apparently due to disagreeing with Stefan's excessive reliance on Rome), he and his brother resumed their good relation after receiving

13344-492: The papacy. It is not clear what Stefan promised in regard to the status of the Catholic Church, which had numerous adherents in the western and coastal parts of his realm, but a papal legate finally arrived in 1217 and crowned Stefan. In 1217 Stefan Nemanjić declared his independence from Byzantium and was crowned as king, adopting the title: "Crowned King and Autocrat of all Serbian and coastal lands" . The influence of

13483-557: The reign of emperor Heraclius I (610-641) when they arrived in an area near Thessaloniki , but shortly afterwards they left that area and settled lands between the Sava and the Dinaric Alps . By the time of the first reign of emperor Justinian II (685-695), who resettled several South Slavic groups from Balkans to Asia Minor , a group of Serbian settlers in the region of Bithynia were already christianized . Their settlement,

13622-624: The relics of Saint Sava at the Vračar plateau on April 27, 1595. The incineration of Sava's relics provoked the Serbs, and empowered the Serb liberation movement. From 1596, the center of anti-Ottoman activity in Herzegovina was the Tvrdoš Monastery in Trebinje . An uprising broke out in 1596 , but the rebels were defeated at the field of Gacko in 1597, and were forced to capitulate due to

13761-556: The relics of St. Sava in Serbia had a church-religious and political significance, especially during the Ottoman period. No individual among the Serbs has been woven into the consciousness and being of the people as Saint Sava, from his time until the present day. In 1377, Bosnian Ban Tvrtko was crowned King in the presence of Sava's relics. In 1448, vojvoda Stefan Vukčić Kosača of Hum styled himself "herzog (duke) of Saint Sava". The cult collected all South Slavic peoples, especially

13900-483: The religious and cultural enlightenment of the Serbian people, educating in Christian morality, love and mercy, meanwhile also working on the church organization. Since his return in 1206, he became the hegumen of Studenica , and as its elder, self-willed entered regulations on the independent status of that monastery in the Studenica Typikon. He used the general chaos in which the Byzantine Empire found itself after

14039-545: The rest of the prelates, and especially monks, warmly greeted and welcomed him. Sava asked Athanasios II, his host, and the Great Lavra fraternity, led by hegoumenos Nicholas, if he could purchase two monasteries in the Holy Land . His request was accepted and he was offered the monasteries of Saint John the Theologian on Mount Sion and St. George's Monastery at Akkon - both to be inhabited by Serbian monks. On

14178-467: The same time, Emperor Isaac II Angelos launched a punitive expedition against the Serbs, and Nemanja was defeated in the battle of South Morava . In fact, Constantinople did not want to subdue the Serbs, but to regain Niš and the main road to Belgrade , as well as to make allies of the rebellious Serbs. The peace treaty provided for Stefan Nemanjić, the middle son of the grand zoupan Stefan Nemanja , to marry

14317-460: The same year Sava published Zakonopravilo (or "St. Sava's Nomocanon"), the first constitution of Serbia; thus the Serbs acquired both forms of independence: political and religious. The organizational work of Sava was very energetic, and above all, the new organization was given a clear national character. The Greek bishop at Prizren was replaced by a Serbian, his disciple. This was not the only feature of his fighting spirit. The determination of

14456-733: The seats of the newly established bishoprics was also performed with especially state-religious intention. The Archbishopric was seated in the Monastery of Žiča , the new endowment of King Stefan. The bishopric in Dabar on the Lim river was situated towards the border with Bosnia, to act on the Orthodox element there and suppress the Bogomil teaching . The bishopric of Zeta was located on the Prevlaka peninsula, Bay of Kotor , out of real Zeta itself, and

14595-402: The second half of the 15th century to the beginning of the 19th century, interrupted by three periods of Habsburg occupation during later Habsburg-Ottoman wars. In early 1594, the Serbs in Banat rose up against the Ottomans . The rebels had, in the character of a holy war , carried war flags with the icon of Saint Sava . After suppressing the uprising, the Ottomans publicly incinerated

14734-490: The social and cultural change which the Balkans had undergone via the misinterpretation of historical events placed in late antiquity. After their initial settlement in the western regions of the Balkans, Serbs created their first state, the early medieval Principality of Serbia , that was ruled by the first Serbian dynasty, known in historiography as the Vlastimirović dynasty . During their reigh, christianization of

14873-453: The state religion of Serbia. Sava, in that respect, worked consistently and without any regard. The Bogomils had been prohibited already by his father, Nemanja, while Sava, as an Athonite Latinophobe, did his part all to prevent and weaken the influence of Catholicism. Through his clergy, which he directly influenced as an example and with teaching, Sava rose also the general cultural level of the whole people, striving to develop human virtues and

15012-477: The suggestion of Atanasije Nikolić , the rector of the Lyceum , the feast of Saint Sava was chosen to celebrate Education every year. It was celebrated as a school holiday until 1945 when the communist authorities abolished it. In 1990, it was reintroduced as a school holiday. The Serbian Orthodox Church venerates saint Sava on January 27 [ O.S. January 14]. The first, shorter, biography on St. Sava

15151-492: The territory and population of the Kingdom of Serbia . In 1914, a young Bosnian Serb student named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria , which directly contributed to the outbreak of World War I . In the fighting that ensued, Serbia was invaded by Austria-Hungary . Despite being outnumbered, the Serbs subsequently defeated the Austro-Hungarians at the Battle of Cer , which marked

15290-415: The throne of the Serbian Archbishopric. Domentijan says that Sava chose Arsenije through his "clairvoyance", with Teodosije stating further that he was chosen because Sava knew he was "evil-less and more just than others, prequalified in all, always fearing God and carefully keeps His commandments". This move was wise and deliberate; still in his lifetime he chose himself a worthy successor because he knew that

15429-566: The top chief of the Orthodox Christian world – the Byzantine Emperor". Conditions in Serbia for autocephaly were largely met at the time, with a notable number of learned monks, regulated monastic life, stable church hierarchy, thus "its autocephaly, in a way, was only a question of time". It was important to Sava that the head of the Serbian church was appointed by Constantinople, and not Rome. On 15 August 1219, during

15568-528: The two, although this must not be the case. Venice, after the Fourth Crusade , tried to exert control of the Dalmatian ports, and managed in 1205 to submit Ragusa – Đorđe submitted to prevent that Venice claimed his ports of southern Dalmatia. Đorđe promised Venice military aid in case of a revolt by another theoretical Venetian vassal, Dhimitër Progoni , the Prince of Albania and Lord of Kruja . This

15707-613: The use of Teodosije's service. The unknown author of the Service of the Assumption of Saint Sava , a monk of Mileševa, speaks to him: "Father of Fathers – [of] clergy rules, wholewised model, virtue of monks, fortification of the church, lighthouse of love, seat of feelings, source of mercifulness, fire-inspired tongue, mouth of sweet words, a church vessel of God, intellectual heaven become – God-good hierarch of Christ". There are many temples ( hramovi ) dedicated to St. Sava. As early as

15846-577: The way back he visited Nicaea and the Byzantine Emperor John Vatatzes (r. 1221–1254), where he remained for several days. From there, he continued his journey to Mount Athos, Hilandar, and then via Thessaloniki to Serbia. While visiting Mar Saba , he had been gifted the Trojeručica (the "Three-handed Theotokos"), an icon of Nursing Madonna , and the crosier of Sabbas the Sanctified , which he brought to Hilandar. After

15985-594: The whole Constantinopolitan assembly" he received the blessing that Serbian archbishops receive consecration from their own bishops' assemblies without consenting with the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople . Sava had thus secured the independence of the church; in the Middle Ages, the church was the supporter and important factor in state sovereignty, and political and national identity. At the same time, both Laskaris and Manuel were delighted that Serbian policy

16124-650: The works of St. Sava have survived. Apart from the Karyes Typikon, of which copy, a scroll, is today held at Hilandar, it is believed that there are no original manuscript ( authograph ) of St. Sava. The original of the Charter of Hilandar (1198) was lost in World War I. St. Sava is regarded the founder of the independent medieval Serbian literature . Sava founded and reconstructed churches and monasteries wherever he stayed. While staying at Vatopedi, even before

16263-547: The youngest son of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja and his wife Ana , prince Rastko belonged to the first generation of the Nemanjić dynasty , alongside his brothers Vukan and Stefan . His biographers mention that he was born after a hiatus in the couple's childbearing and was therefore especially dear. At the Serbian court the brothers received a good education in the Byzantine tradition, which exercised great political, cultural and religious influence in Serbia. He grew up in

16402-470: Was Anna Dandolo , granddaughter of Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo . They had one son and one daughter: He built many fortresses including Maglič . At the end of his life, Stefan took the monastic vow under the name Symeon and died soon after. He was canonized as his father was. Local tradition, related to the Reževići Monastery claims that it was king Stefan who built (in 1223 or 1226) the Church of

16541-496: Was also here that he found models on which he would organize monastic and church life in Serbia. Stefan Nemanja took his son's advice – he summoned an assembly at Studenica and abdicated on 25 March 1196, giving the throne to his middle son, Stefan . The next day, Nemanja and his wife Ana took monastic vows. Nemanja took the monastic name Simeon and stayed in Studenica until leaving for Mount Athos in autumn 1197. The arrival

16680-828: Was an expression of deep devotion and sincere loyalty to Christian ideals. And many other churches across Serbia, as well. And many other donations in Jerusalem and Serbia . History of the Serbs Overseas The History of the Serbs spans from the Early Middle Ages to present. Serbs, a South Slavic people, traditionally live mainly in Serbia , Montenegro , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia and North Macedonia . A Serbian diaspora dispersed people of Serb descent to Western Europe, North America and Australia. Slavs settled in

16819-494: Was confirmed. Stefan Nemanjić received the title of sebastokrator . Throughout the 12th century, Serbs were at the center of war events between Byzantium and Hungary for dominance. In such circumstances, Serbs had no chance of gaining independence. Their only chance was to look for an ally on third side. In 1190, the German Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa drowned in the river Calycadnus . At

16958-478: Was continuously looking towards Constantine the Great 's legacy – Byzantium – rather than Rome. From Nicaea, Archbishop Sava returned to Mount Athos, where he profusely donated to the monasteries. In Hilandar, he addressed the question of administration: "he taught the hegumen especially how to, in every virtue, show himself as an example to others; and the brothers, once again, he taught how to listen to everything

17097-602: Was crowned as emperor, thus creating the Serbian Empire . In the same time, Serbian Orthodox Church was raised to the Patriarchate (1346). Territory of the Empire included Macedonia , northern Greece, Montenegro, and almost all of Albania. When Dušan died, his son Stephen Uroš V became Emperor. With Turkish invaders beginning their conquest of the Balkans in the 1350s, a major conflict ensued between them and

17236-455: Was crowned by Sava. The contradiction led some Serbian historians to conclude that Stefan underwent two coronations, first by the legate and in 1219 by Sava, but modern scholars tend to agree that only the former took place. The disagreements surrounding Stefan's coronation were definitively resolved in 2018 by finding evidences that the papal legate never came to Serbia and that Stefan was actually crowned by his brother Sava in 1219. Stefan

17375-597: Was defeated and crossed the Neretva, continuing to rule the west and north of the Neretva, which had in 1203 been briefly occupied by Andrew II of Hungary . Stefan gave the titular and supreme rule of Hum to his son Radoslav, while Andrija held the district of Popovo with the coastal lands of Hum, including Ston . By agreement, when Radoslav died, the lands were bound to Andrija. Đorđe of Zeta, in order to secure his lands from Stefan, accepted Venetian suzerainty, possibly in 1208. Đorđe may have done this due to tensions between

17514-540: Was engaged in the organization of the Serbian church, especially regarding the structure of bishoprics, those that were situated on locales at the sensitive border with the Roman Catholic West. At the assembly in Žiča in 1219, Sava "chose, from his pupils, God-understanding and God-fearing and honorable men, who were able in managing by divine laws and by the tradition of the Holy Apostles , and keep

17653-501: Was entitled to the governance of Hum, as the heir of Miroslav of Hum , the uncle of Stefan II, but the Hum nobles chose his brother Petar as Prince of Hum. Petar exiled Andrija and Miroslav's widow (the sister of Ban Kulin of Bosnia), and Andrija fled to Serbia, to the court of Stefan II. In the meantime, Petar fought successfully with neighbouring Bosnia and Croatia. Stefan sided with Andrija and went to war and secured Hum and Popovo field for Andrija sometime after his accession. Petar

17792-473: Was finalized. Early medieval Serbian areal was also attested by the Royal Frankish Annals , that note, under the entry for 822, that prince Ljudevit left his seat at Sisak and went to the Serbs. According to Živković, the usage of the term Dalmatia in the document to refer both to the land where Serbs ruled as well as to the lands under the rule of Croat duke, was likely a reflection of

17931-433: Was greatly pleasing to Sava and the Athonite community, as Nemanja as a ruler had donated much to the community. The two, with consent of hegumen (monastery head) Theostyriktos of Vatopedi, went on a tour of Athos in late autumn 1197 in order for Simeon to familiarize with all of its churches and sacred places; Nemanja and Ana donated to numerous monasteries, especially Karyes, Iviron and the Great Lavra. When Sava visited

18070-616: Was likely related to the Serbia-Zeta conflict. Stefan II married off his daughter, Komnena , to prince Dhimitër Progoni in 1208. The marriage resulted in close ties and an alliance between Stefan and Dimitri amidst these conflicts. Kruja is conquered by Epirote Despot Michael I Komnenos Doukas , and Dimitri is not heard of in any surviving sources. After Dhimitër's death, the lands are left to Komnena, who soon married Greek-Albanian Gregorios Kamonas , who took power of Kruja , strengthening relations with Serbia, which had after

18209-528: Was married, around 1186, to Eudokia Angelina , the youngest daughter of Alexius Angelus and Euphrosyne Doukaina Kamaterina . Eudokia was the niece of the current Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelus . Isaac II arranged the marriage. According to the Greek historian Nicetas Choniates , Stefan and Eudocia quarreled and separated, accusing one another of adultery, after June 1198. They had three sons and two daughters: Stefan remarried in 1207/1208, his second wife

18348-517: Was not recognized internationally until the Congress of Berlin in 1878. When the Principality of Serbia gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, Orthodoxy became crucial in defining the national identity, instead of language which was shared by other South Slavs ( Croats and Muslims). Serbia fought in the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, which forced the Ottomans out of the Balkans and doubled

18487-450: Was organized as an autocephalous archbishopric in 1219, through the efforts of Sava , who became the patron saint of Serbs. Over the next 140 years, Serbia expanded its borders. Its cultural model remained Byzantine, despite political ambitions directed against the empire. The medieval power and influence of Serbia culminated in the reign of Stefan Dušan , who ruled the state from 1331 until his death in 1355. and an empire In 1346, he

18626-771: Was painted, and two hermitages near Studenica were endowed. His most important architectural work was the Home of the Holy Saviour, called Žiča, the first seat of the Serbian Archbishopric. In Peć he built the Church of the Holy Apostles, and he was also involved in the building of the Mileševa monastery. In Palestine , on Mount Sinai , he founded the Monastery of St. John the Apostle, as a shelter for Serb pilgrims. Sava donated gold to many monasteries in Palestine, Thessaloniki, and especially Mount Athos. His ktetor activity

18765-409: Was stopped by the Serbs and his murder by one of his servants in 1214 or 1215. He was succeeded by his half-brother Theodore Komnenos Doukas . Theodore took on a policy of aggressive expansion, and allied himself with Stefan II. Stefan Radoslav married Anna Angelina Komnene Doukaina , the daughter of Theodore. Having long wanted to call himself king, Stefan set about procuring a royal crown from

18904-623: Was subsequently divided into many pieces, with Serbia being directly occupied by the Germans. Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) experienced persecution at the hands of the Croatian ultra-nationalist, fascist Ustaše , who attempted to exterminate the Serb population in death camps. More than half a million Serbs were killed in the territory of Yugoslavia during World War II. Serbs in occupied Yugoslavia subsequently formed

19043-548: Was the most instrumental in this period. Stefan the First-Crowned Stefan Nemanjić ( Serbian Cyrillic : Стефан Немањић , pronounced [stêfaːn němaɲitɕ] ), known as Stefan the First-Crowned ( Serbian : Стефан Првовенчани , romanized :  Stefan Prvovenčani , pronounced [stêfaːn prʋoʋěntʃaːniː] ; c.  1165 – 24 September 1228), was

19182-414: Was then still part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . The war in Croatia ended in August 1995, with a Croatian military offensive known as Operation Storm crushing the Croatian Serb rebellion and causing as many as 200,000 Serbs to flee the country. The Bosnian War ended that same year, with the Dayton Agreement dividing the country along ethnic lines. In 1998–99, a conflict in Kosovo between

19321-430: Was written by his successor, Archbishop Arsenije. The transcript is preserved in a manuscript on parchment dating to the 13th or 14th century. Domentijan (ca. 1210–after 1264), an Athonite monk, wrote the Life of St. Sava in 1253. He gifted it to Serbian king Stefan Uroš I (r. 1243–76). This biography describes Sava's life from his birth to his burial in Tarnovo. Teodosije (1246–1328), also an Athonite monk, wrote

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