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52-774: According to the De Administrando Imperio (DAI), the Serbs settled the Balkans under the protection of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (r. 610–41) and were ruled by a dynasty known in historiography as the Vlastimirović dynasty . Slavs had begun settling in the region in the early 6th century, after raiding deep into the Empire. They settled "baptized Serbia", which included Bosnia , and

104-468: A marriage with Anna Diogenissa , the granddaughter of Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes . On 1 March 1131, he married his daughter to King Béla II of Hungary . Béla II, being blind, relied entirely on Jelena who acted as a co-ruler. Jelena is sourced as having decided to massacre 68 aristocrats at the Arad assembly, due to their persuasion of Coloman to blind her husband earlier. In 1137, Ladislaus II ,

156-673: A new critical edition of this work and J.B. Bury later proposed to include this work in his collection of Byzantine Texts. He gave up the plan for an edition, surrendering it to Gyula Moravcsik in 1925. The first modern edition of the Greek text (by Gy. Moravscik) and its English translation (by R. J. H. Jenkins ) appeared in Budapest in 1949. The next editions appeared in 1962 (Athlone, London) then in 1967 and 1993 ( Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington D.C.). Ko%C4%8Dapar Kočapar ( Serbian Cyrillic : Кочапар )

208-497: A threat. Nemanja had monasteries built in Kuršumlija and near Kosanica , without the approval of Tihomir; Nemanja thought he had the freedom to do so, while Tihomir disagreed, thinking that Nemanja sought independence as he had close relations with Manuel I. Tihomir had Nemanja imprisoned, and his lands taken. Nemanja's supporters conspired to the church that Tihomir had done all this because of his disapproval of church building, thus

260-417: A year. De Administrando Imperio De Administrando Imperio ( lit.   ' on the governance of the Empire ' ; Greek : Πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Ῥωμανὸν lit.   ' to my own son Romanos ' ) is a Greek -language work written by the 10th-century Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII . It is a domestic and foreign policy manual for the use of Constantine's son and successor,

312-526: Is in essence reliable. The historical and antiquarian treatise, which the Emperor had compiled during the 940s, is contained in the chapters 12–40. This treatise contains traditional and legendary stories of how the territories surrounding the Empire came in the past to be occupied by the people living in them in the Emperor's times ( Saracens , Lombards , Venetians , Serbs , Croats , Magyars , Pechenegs ). Chapters 1–8, 10—12 explain imperial policy toward

364-412: Is the regular use of technical terms which – being in standard use at the time – may present prima facie hardships to a modern reader. For example, Constantine writes of the regular practice of sending basilikoí ( lit. "royals") to distant lands for negotiations. In this case, it is merely meant that "royal men", i.e. imperial envoys, were sent as ambassadors on a specific mission. In the preamble,

416-485: The Pechenegs and Turks . Chapter 13 is a general directive on foreign policy coming from the Emperor. Chapters 43—46 are about contemporary policy in the north-east ( Armenia and Georgia ). The guides to the incorporation and taxation of new imperial provinces, and to some parts of civil and naval administration, are in chapters 49–52. These later chapters (and chapter 53) were designed to give practical instructions to

468-600: The count palatine of Hungary. By 1150, Hungarian troops played an active role in Serbia. In 1150, Desa was mentioned in a charter as dux of Duklja, Travunija and Zahumlje. In 1150, Uroš II swore loyalty to the Byzantine Emperor and demanded that Desa be put in prison. He recovered his title and lands, and Desa also swore loyalty, and was recognized as ruler of the Dalmatian lands . The two brothers were to rule

520-481: The strategos of Dyrrhachium , which was defeated by Vukan in 1092. Alexios then mobilized a much larger army, led by himself, and marched onto Serbia; Vukan sent envoys, seeking peace, which Alexios quickly accepted as problems arose at home with Cumans plundering as far as Adrianople . Immediately after the Emperor's departure, Vukan broke the treaty and began to expand along the Vardar, obtaining much booty and taking

572-559: The "On the Themes of East and West" ( Περὶ θεμάτων Ἀνατολῆς καὶ Δύσεως , known in Latin as De Thematibus ), concerning recent events in the imperial provinces. To this combination were added Constantine's own political instructions to his son, Romanus. The book content, according to its preface, is divided into four sections: As to the historical and geographic information, which is often confusing and filled with legends, this information

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624-525: The 12th and 13th centuries the Republic of Ragusa benefited greatly by becoming a commercial outpost of the rising and prosperous Serbian state, especially after the signing of a treaty with Stefan the First-Crowned . Later, in 1268, Uroš signed a treaty with Ragusa imposing the, so-called, St. Demetrious Revenue (Svetodimitarski dohodak), by which Ragusans were to pay to Serbian king 2,000 hyperperi

676-567: The Byzantines when Manuel was in Avlona planning an offensive across the Adriatic, and this revolt posed danger to the Emperor if he would attack Italy, as the Serbs could strike at the Adriatic bases. Uroš II and Desa next undertook an offensive against Radoslav of Duklja , who was a loyal Byzantine vassal. Radoslav was pushed to the southwestern corner of Duklja, to Kotor, and retained only

728-612: The Emperor Romanos II . It is a prominent example of Byzantine encyclopaedism . The emperor Constantine VII "Porphyrogenitus" (905–959) was only surviving son of the emperor Leo VI the Wise (886–912). Leo VI gave the crown to young Constantine VII in 908 and he became the co-emperor. Leo VI died in May 912, and his brother and co-emperor Alexander became the ruler of Constantinople, but Alexander died in 913. Constantine VII

780-530: The Empire . This edition was published six years later with no changes. The next edition – which belongs to the A. Bandur (1711) – is collated copy of the first edition and manuscript P . Banduri's edition was reprinted twice: in 1729 in the Venetian collection of the Byzantine Historians , and in 1864 Migne republished Banduri's text with a few corrections. Constantine himself had not given

832-575: The Hungarians taking over Belgrade, then penetrating to Niš, Sofia, and Philippopolis, after which John defeated them with infantry and navy on the Danube. The Serbs, who had in the meantime recognized Byzantine rule, expelled the Byzantine governor at Ras, Kritopl, who fled to Constantinople where he was ridiculed. Uroš I had three sons, Uroš II, Desa and Beloš , and one daughter, Jelena , from

884-567: The King whenever necessary. Since 1142 Beloš served as the Ban of Croatia . Uroš I was succeeded by his son, Uroš II. Beloš had close ties with Uroš II, and they were able to count on each other in times of trouble. In ca. 1148, the political situation in the Balkans was divided by two sides, one being the alliance of the Byzantines and Venice, the other the Normans and Hungarians. The Normans were sure of

936-462: The Morača led to the overthrow of Dobroslav II and the coronation of Kočapar to the throne. Dobroslav was subsequently banished to Serbia and a large part of Dalmatia was pillaged in the process. Vukan gave Kočapar Duklja as a fief . The two would soon brake, with Vukan, sending a squad to Doclea (city) , forcing Kočapar to flee to Bosnia and then Zahumlje where he also died. This biography of

988-506: The Serbian church turned against him; Nemanja managed to escape, and returned to his lands. Now, Nemanja mobilized an army, possibly with Byzantine help (Manuel I might have been displeased with Tihomir's acting), and headed for the crown. Tihomir, Stracimir and Miroslav were defeated, and expelled to Byzantium in 1167. As Nemanja had now become very powerful, and the Byzantines had wanted to see Serbia weak by dividing it, Manuel I now turned to

1040-542: The Themes) and finished a biography of his grandfather, Basil I . The text known as De Administrando Imperio was written by emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, but he had at least one educated "Anonymous Collaborator". Constantine VII's direct appeals to his son Romanus II and Constantine's first-person commentaries are located both at the beginning of the treatise in the Proem and in chapter 13, as well as at

1092-487: The appointed regions as Manuel's vassals. The event was part of what would become a competition between the Byzantine Emperor and Holy Roman Emperor that would soon move into Hungary. In 1151, Manuel I declared war on Hungary. This was because Hungary had aided Serbia in its revolts against Byzantine rule. Byzantine troops were sent into Syrmia and across the Danube . The Byzantines caused great destruction and then withdrew,

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1144-512: The cities of Vranje , Skopje and Tetovo . In 1094 or 1095, Alexios marched out and met Vukan, who offered peace and gave twenty hostages including his cousin Uroš and son Stefan (it was usual for relatives of rulers to stay at the Imperial court as hostages of peace). At this time, Vukan acted entirely on his own, no longer a vassal of Duklja, which because of its civil war did not involve itself in

1196-547: The coastal area, with the brothers holding much of inland Duklja and Trebinje – over two-thirds of Duklja. Radoslav sought help from the Emperor, who sent aid from Dyrrhachium. At this moment, the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja ends, presumably because the author of the original text had died. A major war was about to erupt in the Balkans; Uroš II and Desa, in light of Byzantine retaliation, sought aid from their brother Beloš,

1248-481: The conflicts. Following Bodin's death in 1101, Vukan took advantage of the dynastic civil wars in Duklja, and allied with Kočapar , with whom he invaded Duklja in 1102. Kočapar's reign was short-lived, as he fell in battle during a conflict with Zahumlje; Vukan installed another member of the dynasty, Vladimir , to whom he married his daughter. Upon spreading his influence in Duklja, Vukan invaded Byzantium once more in

1300-603: The danger that the battlefield would move from the Balkans to their area in Italy. Emperor Manuel I Komnenos also allied himself with the Germans after defeating the Cumans in 1148. The Serbs, Hungarians and Normans exchanged envoys, being in the interest of the Normans to stop Manuel's plans to recover Italy. In 1149, Beloš's Hungarian army aided Uroš II against the Byzantines. The Serbs under brothers Uroš II and Desa revolted against

1352-479: The dispute between Uroš II and Desa. The Emperor restored Uroš II in 1155 or 1156 and gave Desa the appanage of Dendra near Niš . In 1161–62, Uroš II was briefly replaced by Beloš, who then returned to his office in Hungary and Croatia. Uroš II seems to have died in 1165 or 1166. Manuel I now put Tihomir at the Serbian throne; he was the son of Zavida , a close relative to Uroš II who had held Zahumlje . The rule

1404-421: The emperor Romanus II, and are probably added during the year 951–52, in order to mark Romanus' fourteenth birthday (952). There are four surviving copies: The Greek text in its entirety was published seven times. The editio princeps , which was based on V , was published in 1611 by Johannes Meursius , who gave it the Latin title by which it is now universally known, and which translates as On Administering

1456-452: The emperor makes a point that he has avoided convoluted expressions and "lofty Atticisms " on purpose, so as to make everything "plain as the beaten track of common, everyday speech" for his son and those high officials with whom he might later choose to share the work. It is probably the extant written text that comes closest to the vernacular employed by the imperial palace bureaucracy in 10th-century Constantinople. In 1892 R. Vari planned

1508-465: The end of the text, in chapter 51. In this text his son Romanus II is never designated as a self-sustained ruler. Thus, the whole De Administrando Imperio must have been written while Constantine VII was still alive. It is said that De Administrando Imperio was written between 948 and 952. Chapters 27, 29, and 45 of the work support that view. Chapter 29 says, "now (today) is the VII indiction,

1560-461: The expelled brothers. Tihomir, provided with an army, was dispatched from Skopje and met Nemanja's large army near Zvečan . Nemanja decisively defeated him at Pantino , with Tihomir drowning in the Sitnica river, and then proceeded to capture his other brothers with whom he made peace and offered their former lands in return for recognizing him as the only ruler of Serbia. Although not recorded in

1612-539: The following decades, members of the dynasty fought succession wars, and Serbia became a matter of Byzantine-Bulgarian rivalry. The written information regarding the dynasty ends with the DAI and Prince Časlav 's death (ca. 950), after which the realm crumbled into pieces. The Byzantines established a short-lived catepanate at Ras , with military governorship ending soon thereafter with the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria , and

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1664-618: The heterogeneous empire as well as fighting foreign enemies. The work combines two of Constantine's earlier treatises, "On the Governance of the State and the various Nations" ( Περὶ Διοικήσεως τοῦ Κράτους βιβλίον καὶ τῶν διαφόρων Ἐθνῶν ), concerning the histories and characters of the nations neighbouring the Empire, including the Hungarians , Pechenegs , Kievan Rus' , South Slavs , Arabs , Lombards , Armenians , and Georgians ; and

1716-759: The historical sources, somewhere in the second half of the 12th century, Stari Ras was conquered and came under full Serbian control, becoming the centre of defence and residency for a long period. The important Via de Zenta , a trade route connecting the Adriatic with Serbia started from the mouth of the Bojana , the Shkodër (Skadar) port, (alternatively Bar then Cetinje ) along the Drin Valley to Prizren , then to Lipljan , then through Novo Brdo to Vranje and Niš . The Republic of Venice and Ragusa used

1768-493: The internal affairs of their counties, but who obliged loyalty, and warfare support. It seems that the counts were hereditary holders, holding their land before Duklja annexed Serbia. Vukan began raiding Byzantine territory in the vicinity of Kosovo in ca. 1090, the Byzantines initially being unable to take counter-measures as they faced invading Pechenegs . After defeating the Pechenegs, Alexios I Komnenos sent an army with

1820-439: The maritime lands ( Pomorje ) of Travunija , Zahumlje and Paganija , while maritime Duklja was held by the Byzantines, it was presumably settled with Serbs as well. All of the maritime lands bordered "baptized Serbia" to the north. In the mid-9th century, the hitherto peaceful neighbour of Bulgaria invaded but was defeated in war. Serbia was Christianized in ca. 870, although missions had been made during Heraclius' reign. In

1872-501: The operation being strictly punitive, with no occupation of lands. Géza II soon signed a peace treaty. Over the next 20 years, there were to be 10 campaigns against Hungary. Manuel I was able to keep the Hungarians under control in the Balkans, at the expense of abandoning the Norman conflict. In 1153, Desa ousted Uroš II; the pro-Hungarian faction at the Serbian court was upset with the Byzantine overlordship. In autumn 1154, Manuel I settled

1924-439: The protection of Uroš and married his relative. The two led an army into Duklja in 1125, successfully retaining most of its territory. After a Byzantine invasion of the maritime, they nominally recognized Gradinja, resulting in a guerrilla war which ended with Đorđe's capture. Gradinja, however, only ruled a small portion of Duklja and subsequently strengthened ties with Serbia. In ca. 1127, a Byzantine–Hungarian war broke out, with

1976-591: The road for trade with Serbia and Bulgaria . John Kinnamos , writing about the Byzantine conquest of Galič near Kosovska Mitrovica in 1149, said that many barbarians were imprisoned "who were partly warriors and partly cattle breeders". William, the archbishop of Tyre , when crossing Serbia for the Holy Land in 1168, he described the Serbs: "They are rich in herds and flocks and unusually well supplied with milk , cheese , butter , meat , honey and wax " . In

2028-511: The son of Béla II and Jelena, became the titular Ban of Bosnia . When Béla II died on 13 February 1141, the eldest son Géza II ascended the throne, still a child. Therefore, Jelena and her brother Beloš, whom she had invited to the court, ruled the Kingdom of Hungary as regents until September 1146 when he came of age. In 1145 Beloš received the title of comes palatinus (count palatine), the highest court title — meaning he could substitute for

2080-545: The sons of Emperor Romanos I suddenly rebelled and cloistered their father. Constantine VII, with the help of his supporters, cloistered his brothers-in-law, and personally ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire from January 945 to his death in November 959. Constantine's father, Leo was known for his learning and writings, and, correctly or not, Constantine VII also believed that his mother, Zoe Karbonopsina ,

2132-584: The spring of 1106, taking advantage of the Norman campaign , defeating co-emperor John II Komnenos , but then sent hostages in return for peace in November. There is no written record of Vukan after this war, and he is believed to have died in ca. 1112, succeeded by his cousin Uroš . In 1113 or 1114, the Byzantine army of Dyrrhachium invaded Duklja and captured its capital of Scutari . They subsequently installed their protégé, while ruler Đorđe took refuge in Serbia under

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2184-696: The work a name, preferring instead to start the text with the standard formal salutation: "Constantine, in Christ the Eternal Sovereign, Emperor of the Romans, to [his] own son Romanos, the Emperor crowned of God and born in the purple ". The language Constantine uses is rather straightforward High Medieval Greek , somewhat more elaborate than that of the Canonic Gospels , and easily comprehensible to an educated modern Greek. The only difficulty

2236-473: The work were written in the period 948-952 CE. According to other researchers, De Administrando Imperio was compiled at some point after 952 and before November 959 when Constantine VII died. Still others believe the book just an unfinished manuscript written between about 926 and November 959. In the beginning of the De Administrando Imperio , Constantine VII wrote that the work

2288-416: The year 6457 from the creation of the world," and Byzantine year 6457 from the creation of the world corresponds with 948/949 CE. Chapter 45 says, "now (today) is the X indiction, the year from the creation of the world 6460 in the reign of Constantine [VII] and Romanus [II] ," and Byzantine year 6460 from the creation of the world corresponds with 951/952 CE. From this, it would appear that some parts of

2340-624: Was a relative of the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor , one of the Middle Byzantine Historians. Constantine VII was a scholar-emperor, who sought to foster learning and education in the empire. He gathered a group of educated people and dedicated himself to writing books about the administration, ceremonies, and history of the empire. A circle of educated people formed around Constantine VII wrote three unfinished books ( De Administrando Imperio , De Ceremoniis and On

2392-500: Was a set of knowledge which his son Romanos II (born in 938, and ruled 959–963) will need. The intention of Emperor Constantine VII to write a manual for his successor, Romanos II, reduces the possibility that large untruths have been written. Therefore, De Administrando Imperio is one of the most important sources for the study of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and its neighbors. It contains advice on ruling

2444-500: Was divided between Tihomir and his three younger brothers: Tihomir held supreme rule, while Stracimir ruled West Morava , Miroslav ruled Hum and Travunija , and Stefan Nemanja ruled Toplica , Ibar , Rasina and Reke. The youngest of the brothers, Nemanja, was also given the county of Dubočica by Manuel I; he had aided the Byzantines against the Hungarians in Syrmia (1164). Tihomir most likely saw Nemanja's ties with Manuel I as

2496-452: Was given the nominal title King of Slavs by the Pope after having left the Byzantine camp and supported a Slavic uprising in the Balkans, in which his son Bodin played a central part. Having incorporated the Serbian hinterland and installed vassal rulers there, it emerged as the most powerful Serb polity, seen in the titles used by its rulers ("Prince of Serbia", "of Serbs"). However, its rise

2548-710: Was re-established only ca. 1018 with the short-lived Theme of Sirmium . Meanwhile, Duklja emerged as the dominant Serbian principality, that gradually also included Travunija, Zahumlje, Bosnia and Serbia proper. Initially a vassal of the Byzantine Empire, Stefan Vojislav ( fl. 1034–1043) rose and managed to take over the territories of the earlier Serbian principality, founding the Vojislavljević dynasty . Between 1043 and 1080, under Mihailo Vojislavljević ( r.   1050–1081), and his son, Constantine Bodin (r. 1081–1101), Duklja saw its apogee. Mihailo

2600-452: Was short-lived, as Bodin was defeated by the Byzantines and imprisoned; pushed to the background, his relative and vassal Vukan became independent in Serbia, which continued the fight against the Byzantines while Duklja was struck with civil wars. In 1091 or 1092, Vukan became independent, taking the title of Grand Prince ( veliki župan ). Subordinate to him were local counts (titled župan ), who seem to have been more or less autonomous in

2652-556: Was the knez or župan of Duklja , a Serbian state, briefly in 1102–03 under the suzerainty of Vukan, Grand Prince of Serbia . He was the son of Branislav, the Prince of Duklja. Following Bodin's death in 1101, Bodin's half-brother Dobroslav II succeeded him as king of Doclea. Kočopar, Bodin's first cousin once removed, travelled from Dyrrhachium to Serbia, forging an alliance with Vukan. This alliance would prove worthy in their successful invasion of Duklja in 1102. The battle that ensued at

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2704-473: Was too young to rule on his own, and the governorship was created. Later in May 919 Constantine VII married Helena Lekapene , daughter of Romanos Lekapenos. In December 920, Romanos I Lekapenos (920–944) was crowned a co-emperor, but he really took over the imperial reign in Constantinople . From 920, Constantine VII become increasingly distant from the imperial authorities; until December 944, when

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