.gif)
Constantin Bodin (Peter III)
Encyclopedia
Constantine Bodin was the Serbian
King and titular King of Duklja. He was titled Prince (Knez), but was self-proclaimed King (as his father). He was emperor of Bulgaria
by name Peter III in 1072. He was member of the Serbian Vojislavljević dynasty.
n King and his wife Neda Monomachos. His paternal grandparents were Stefan Vojislav, Prince of Duklja and Theodora Kosara
, granddaughter of Emperor Samuel of Bulgaria
. His mother was a niece of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos
(1042-1055).
planned a revolt against Byzantine
rule under the leadership of Georgi Voiteh
, the exarchos of Skopje
. The rebel chieftains (proechontes) asked King Michael I of Zeta
for help in exchange to provide one of his sons, as descendant of the House of the Cometopuli, to assume the Bulgarian throne and end the opression made by the Byzantines.
In the fall of 1072, Michael I gladly sent Bodin with 300 troops, he arrived at Prizren
and met with Voiteh and other magnates. At Prizren
they crowned him "Emperor of the Bulgarians" and gave him the name 'Peter III', recalling the names of the Emperor-Saint Peter I
(died in 970) and of Peter II Delyan (who had led the first major revolt against Byzantine rule in 1040–1041).
In the meantime, the Byzantine doux of Skopje, Nicephorus Carantenus, marched towards Prizren
with an army, but was replaced prior to the battle with Damian Dalassenus, who destroyed the morale of the army that would fight the Serbs
. The rebel army was grouped in two, the first was led by Bodin and headed for Niš
, while his second-in-command Vojvoda Petrilo
headed for Kastoria
via Ochrid.
Petrilo, headed south and took Ohrid
(without a battle) and Devol
, but suffered a defeat at Kastoria
, where Byzantine Slavic Boris David commanded a Bulgarian contingent and defeated Petrilo, sending him fleeing "through inaccessible mountains".
The troops of Bodin-Peter took Niš
and started plundering the region, abusing his 'subjects', this was seen by Vojteh as Bodin being greedier than Michael VII
, and when the Byzantines under Saronites marched onto Skopje
, Bodin showed no concern, making Vojteh surrender without resistance. A Byzantine garrison was installed at Skopje, and Saronites headed for Niš. Subsequently, Bodin was captured and sent to Constantinople
, then Antioch
, where he spent several years. Vojteh died en route.
When Michael I had heard of his sons capture, he sent captured Byzantine general Langobardopoulos, whom he had married with one of his daughter, to rescue him. Langobardopoulos, however, defected to the Byzantines.
sailors rescued Constantine Bodin from captivity and returned him to his father Michael I of Duklja. Shortly afterwards, in 1081, Michael died, and Constantine Bodin succeeded his father as king.
By 1085, he and his brothers had suppressed a revolt by their cousins, the sons of Michael's brother Radoslav
in the župa
of Zeta, and Constantine Bodin ruled unchallenged. In spite of his earlier opposition to the Byzantine Empire
, Constantine Bodin at first supported the Byzantines against the attack of Robert Guiscard
and his Norman
on Durazzo in 1081, but then stood idle, allowing the Normans
to take the city.
At about this time, Constantine Bodin married the daughter of a pro-Norman nobleman from Bari
. Constantine Bodin's relations with the west included his support for Pope Urban II
in 1089, which secured him a major concession, the upgrading of his Bishop of Bar to the rank of an Archbishop.
Constantine Bodin attempted to maintain the enlarged realm left him by his father. To do so, he campaigned in Bosnia
and Raška
, installing his relative Stefan in Bosna
and his nephews Vukan and Marko as župan
s in Raška. The two brothers were sons of Constantine Bodin's half-brother Petrislav, who had governed Raška in about 1060–1074. However, after the death of Robert Guiscard
in 1085, Constantine Bodin was faced by the hostility of the Byzantine Empire, which recovered Durazzo and prepared to punish the king of Duklja for siding with the Normans.
The Byzantine campaign against Duklja is dated between 1089 and 1091 and may have succeeded in taking Constantine Bodin captive for the second time. Although the kingdom survived, outlying territories including Bosna, Raška
, and Hum
seceded under their own governors. Exactly what happened in Duklja is unknown, and there may have been a civil war during Constantine Bodin's possible captivity. Queen Jakvinta ruthlessly persecuted possible claimants to the throne, including Constantine Bodin's cousin Branislav and his family. After a number of these persons were killed or exiled by Constantine Bodin and his wife, the church managed to keep the impending blood feud from sparking off a full-blown civil war.
In the winter of 1096-1097 the Crusaders
under Raymond of Toulouse met Bodin at Scutari
, the Crusaders were hospitably received and entertained.
On Constantine Bodin's death in 1101 or possibly 1108, Duklja was engulfed in the conflict caused by the dynastic strife that had begun to develop during his reign.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
King and titular King of Duklja. He was titled Prince (Knez), but was self-proclaimed King (as his father). He was emperor of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
by name Peter III in 1072. He was member of the Serbian Vojislavljević dynasty.
Biography
Bodin was the seventh son of Mihailo Vojislavljević, the first SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n King and his wife Neda Monomachos. His paternal grandparents were Stefan Vojislav, Prince of Duklja and Theodora Kosara
Theodora Kosara of Bulgaria
Theodora Kosara of Bulgaria was the daughter of Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria and Kosara of Bulgaria.Theodora Kosara fell in love with Jovan Vladimir of Doclea who was prisoner of her father Samuil...
, granddaughter of Emperor Samuel of Bulgaria
Samuil of Bulgaria
Samuel was the Emperor of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 980 to 997, he was a general under Roman I of Bulgaria, the second surviving son of Emperor Peter I of Bulgaria, and co-ruled with him, as Roman bestowed upon him the command of the army and the effective royal...
. His mother was a niece of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos, Latinized as Constantine IX Monomachus , c. 1000 – January 11, 1055, reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 11, 1042 to January 11, 1055. He had been chosen by the Empress Zoe as a husband and co-emperor in 1042, although he had been exiled for conspiring...
(1042-1055).
Emperor of Bulgaria
In 1072, the Bulgarian noblemen in SkopjeSkopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
planned a revolt against Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rule under the leadership of Georgi Voiteh
Georgi Voiteh
Georgi Voiteh was a 11th century Bulgarian aristocrat from Skopje and the organizer of a major uprising against the Byzantine rule. He was from a Kavkhan family....
, the exarchos of Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
. The rebel chieftains (proechontes) asked King Michael I of Zeta
Mihailo I Vojislav
Mihailo I Vojislavljević was the Grand Prince of Duklja from 1050 to 1081. He alienated himself from the Byzantines, and sought to improve relations with the West, and in 1077 he was recognized as King by controversial Pope Gregory VII, in the aftermath of the Church schism of 1054...
for help in exchange to provide one of his sons, as descendant of the House of the Cometopuli, to assume the Bulgarian throne and end the opression made by the Byzantines.
In the fall of 1072, Michael I gladly sent Bodin with 300 troops, he arrived at Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
and met with Voiteh and other magnates. At Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
they crowned him "Emperor of the Bulgarians" and gave him the name 'Peter III', recalling the names of the Emperor-Saint Peter I
Peter I of Bulgaria
Peter I was emperor of Bulgaria from 27 May 927 to 969.-Early reign:Peter I was the son of Simeon I of Bulgaria by his second marriage to Maria Sursuvul, the sister of George Sursuvul. Peter had been born early in the 10th century, but it appears that his maternal uncle was very influential at...
(died in 970) and of Peter II Delyan (who had led the first major revolt against Byzantine rule in 1040–1041).
In the meantime, the Byzantine doux of Skopje, Nicephorus Carantenus, marched towards Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
with an army, but was replaced prior to the battle with Damian Dalassenus, who destroyed the morale of the army that would fight the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
. The rebel army was grouped in two, the first was led by Bodin and headed for Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, while his second-in-command Vojvoda Petrilo
Vojvoda Petrilo
Vojvoda Petrilo was a 11th-century Serbian voivod of the Serbian King Constantine Bodin.Bodin was crowned as Emperor of Bulgaria in 1072 and was set to conquer the Byzantine territories of Bulgarian interest together with Georgi Voiteh Vojvoda Petrilo (Војвода Петрило) was a 11th-century Serbian...
headed for Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
via Ochrid.
Petrilo, headed south and took Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
(without a battle) and Devol
Devol
Devol can refer to:*George Devol, inventor of the first industrial robot*Frank Denny De Vol, sometimes known simply as DeVol, was an American arranger, composer and actor*Devol, Oklahoma*Devoll or Devolli, a river in southern Albania...
, but suffered a defeat at Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
, where Byzantine Slavic Boris David commanded a Bulgarian contingent and defeated Petrilo, sending him fleeing "through inaccessible mountains".
The troops of Bodin-Peter took Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
and started plundering the region, abusing his 'subjects', this was seen by Vojteh as Bodin being greedier than Michael VII
Michael VII
Michael VII Doukas or Ducas , nicknamed Parapinakēs , was Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078.- Life :...
, and when the Byzantines under Saronites marched onto Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Bodin showed no concern, making Vojteh surrender without resistance. A Byzantine garrison was installed at Skopje, and Saronites headed for Niš. Subsequently, Bodin was captured and sent to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, then Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, where he spent several years. Vojteh died en route.
When Michael I had heard of his sons capture, he sent captured Byzantine general Langobardopoulos, whom he had married with one of his daughter, to rescue him. Langobardopoulos, however, defected to the Byzantines.
King of Duklja
In about 1078 VenetianRepublic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
sailors rescued Constantine Bodin from captivity and returned him to his father Michael I of Duklja. Shortly afterwards, in 1081, Michael died, and Constantine Bodin succeeded his father as king.
By 1085, he and his brothers had suppressed a revolt by their cousins, the sons of Michael's brother Radoslav
Radoslav
-People:* Radoslav Bachev , Bulgarian footballer* Radoslav Batak , Serbo-Montenegrin football defender* Radoslav Brđanin , Serbian war criminal* Radoslav Hecl , Slovak ice hockey defenceman...
in the župa
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
of Zeta, and Constantine Bodin ruled unchallenged. In spite of his earlier opposition to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Constantine Bodin at first supported the Byzantines against the attack of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
and his Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
on Durazzo in 1081, but then stood idle, allowing the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
to take the city.
At about this time, Constantine Bodin married the daughter of a pro-Norman nobleman from Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
. Constantine Bodin's relations with the west included his support for Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
in 1089, which secured him a major concession, the upgrading of his Bishop of Bar to the rank of an Archbishop.
Constantine Bodin attempted to maintain the enlarged realm left him by his father. To do so, he campaigned in Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and Raška
Raška (region)
Raška is a region in south-central Serbia and northern Montenegro. It is mostly situated in the Raška District. The southern part of Raška is also known as Sandžak and is divided between Serbia and Montenegro....
, installing his relative Stefan in Bosna
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and his nephews Vukan and Marko as župan
Zupan
Żupan was a long garment, always lined, worn by almost all males of the noble social class in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, typical male attire from the beginning of the 16th to half of the 18th century, still surviving as a part of the Polishnational dress.- Derivation :The name żupan has...
s in Raška. The two brothers were sons of Constantine Bodin's half-brother Petrislav, who had governed Raška in about 1060–1074. However, after the death of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
in 1085, Constantine Bodin was faced by the hostility of the Byzantine Empire, which recovered Durazzo and prepared to punish the king of Duklja for siding with the Normans.
The Byzantine campaign against Duklja is dated between 1089 and 1091 and may have succeeded in taking Constantine Bodin captive for the second time. Although the kingdom survived, outlying territories including Bosna, Raška
Raška
-Places:* Serbian Principality or Raška, a medieval Serbian state 610-960* Catepanate of Rascia, a Byzantine province 969-976* Grand Principality of Serbia or Raška, a medieval Serbian state 1101-1217...
, and Hum
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
seceded under their own governors. Exactly what happened in Duklja is unknown, and there may have been a civil war during Constantine Bodin's possible captivity. Queen Jakvinta ruthlessly persecuted possible claimants to the throne, including Constantine Bodin's cousin Branislav and his family. After a number of these persons were killed or exiled by Constantine Bodin and his wife, the church managed to keep the impending blood feud from sparking off a full-blown civil war.
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
under Raymond of Toulouse met Bodin at Scutari
Scutari
Scutari may refer to:*Üsküdar , in Anatolia, Turkey*Scutari Barracks in Üsküdar; former hospital where Florence Nightingale worked*Shkodër, in Albania; also known as Scutari in antiquity...
, the Crusaders were hospitably received and entertained.
On Constantine Bodin's death in 1101 or possibly 1108, Duklja was engulfed in the conflict caused by the dynastic strife that had begun to develop during his reign.
Family
By his wife Jakvinta of Bari, Constantine Bodin had several children, including:- Michael IIMichael IIMichael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
(Mihajlo II), king of Duklja c. 1101-1102 - George (Đorđe), king of Duklja c. 1118 and 1125–1127
Further reading
- Kosovo And Metohia In The Middle Ages - Archaeological Research Belgrade Philosophical Faculty, 1999]
- The Serbian question in the Balkans Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, 1995
- Books.google.com