House of Vojislavljevic
Encyclopedia
The Vojislavljević was the second Serb
medieval dynasty, named after archon Stefan Vojislav, who wrestled the region from Byzantine hands in the 1040s. It ruled Duklja with the surrounding territories; including Zahumlje
, Rascia
and Bosnia
, where the dynasty's cadet branches became rulers.
n Serb", Stefan Vojislav, who was possibly kin to Jovan Vladimir
. According to the Chronicle, Vojislav was a son of Dragomir, himself the uncle of Jovan Vladimir
.C Dragomir had held Travunija and Zahumlje
, then ruled Doclea for two years after the death of Jovan Vladimir (1016).C In 1018, Dragomir was killed by locals of Kotor
.C
Mihailo I became Grand Prince around 1050/1055. He restored independence and maintained it from the Byzantine Empire
. It sought closer relations with other greater powers, such as the Pope and the Normans. Mihailo installed his son Petrislav as Prince of Rascia. After the aborted rebellion in Bulgaria, the military governor of Dyrrhachium, Nicephorus Bryennius, restored Byzantine rule to Rascia in 1073. Mihailo reportedly received royal insignia in 1077 from Pope Gregory VII
, although this is still a matter of debate. An image of King Mihajlo with his crown is still found in the Church of St. Mihajlo in Ston
, a town in the Pelješac
peninsula (in present-day Croatia). Mihajlo's rule ended in 1080.
His successor was his son Constantin Bodin, who ruled from 1080 to 1101. Bodin fought Byzantium and Normans
further to the south, and took the town of Dyrrachium. He established vassal states in Bosnia
(under Stefan) and Raška
(under Vukan and Marko), which recognized his supremacy. Vukan and Marko, the new princes of Raška were probably sons of the aforementioned Petrislav. Vukan (1083–1115) was the Grand Župan while Marko headed administration of a part of the land. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios
later forced Vukan to acknowledge Byzantine suzerainty in 1094. After Bodin died in 1101, incessant struggles for power among his heirs weakened the state. Bodin had previously exiled Dobroslav, his younger brother, together with their cousin Kočapar. In 1101 they returned, and vied for power together with another grandson of Mihajlo's, Vladimir. Vladimir at one point married the daughter of Vukan of Raška.
One of the sons of Uroš I was Zavida, Prince of Zahumlje. His four sons would eventually bring order to the Rascian lands and found the House of Nemanja.
In these struggles, the pro-Raška rulers eventually managed to rise to power in Duklja, culminating in the rise of Stefan Nemanja
, one of Zavida's sons (around 1166). His son Stefan Nemanjić restored the old Doclean crown in 1217 by receiving from the Pope regal insignia as "King of all Serbs and Maritime Lands".
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...
medieval dynasty, named after archon Stefan Vojislav, who wrestled the region from Byzantine hands in the 1040s. It ruled Duklja with the surrounding territories; including Zahumlje
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
, Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
and 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...
, where the dynasty's cadet branches became rulers.
History
Its eponymous founder was a "TravuniaTravunia
Travunia was a medieval region, administrative unit and principality, which was part of Medieval Serbia , and in its last years, the Bosnian Kingdom . The county became hereditary in a number of noble houses, often kin to the ruling dynasty. The region came under Ottoman rule in 1482...
n Serb", Stefan Vojislav, who was possibly kin to Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir or John Vladimir was ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire...
. According to the Chronicle, Vojislav was a son of Dragomir, himself the uncle of Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir
Jovan Vladimir or John Vladimir was ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire...
.C Dragomir had held Travunija and Zahumlje
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
, then ruled Doclea for two years after the death of Jovan Vladimir (1016).C In 1018, Dragomir was killed by locals of Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
.C
Mihailo I became Grand Prince around 1050/1055. He restored independence and maintained it from 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...
. It sought closer relations with other greater powers, such as the Pope and the Normans. Mihailo installed his son Petrislav as Prince of Rascia. After the aborted rebellion in Bulgaria, the military governor of Dyrrhachium, Nicephorus Bryennius, restored Byzantine rule to Rascia in 1073. Mihailo reportedly received royal insignia in 1077 from Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII
Pope St. Gregory VII , born Hildebrand of Sovana , was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death. One of the great reforming popes, he is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, his dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal...
, although this is still a matter of debate. An image of King Mihajlo with his crown is still found in the Church of St. Mihajlo in Ston
Ston
Ston is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...
, a town in the Pelješac
Pelješac
Pelješac is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia...
peninsula (in present-day Croatia). Mihajlo's rule ended in 1080.
His successor was his son Constantin Bodin, who ruled from 1080 to 1101. Bodin fought Byzantium and 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...
further to the south, and took the town of Dyrrachium. He established vassal states 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...
(under Stefan) and Raška
Raška (state)
Principality of Serbia or Serbian Principality was an early medieval state of the Serbs ruled by the Vlastimirović dynasty, that existed from ca 768 to 969 in Southeastern Europe. It was established through an unification of several provincial chiefs under the supreme rule of a certain Višeslav,...
(under Vukan and Marko), which recognized his supremacy. Vukan and Marko, the new princes of Raška were probably sons of the aforementioned Petrislav. Vukan (1083–1115) was the Grand Župan while Marko headed administration of a part of the land. The Byzantine Emperor Alexios
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
later forced Vukan to acknowledge Byzantine suzerainty in 1094. After Bodin died in 1101, incessant struggles for power among his heirs weakened the state. Bodin had previously exiled Dobroslav, his younger brother, together with their cousin Kočapar. In 1101 they returned, and vied for power together with another grandson of Mihajlo's, Vladimir. Vladimir at one point married the daughter of Vukan of Raška.
Decline
In 1114, Đorđe, son of Constantin Bodin, came to power in Duklja. The next year Vukan was replaced in Raška by his nephew Uroš I. (ca. 1115-1131). Đorđe's rule lasted until 1118.One of the sons of Uroš I was Zavida, Prince of Zahumlje. His four sons would eventually bring order to the Rascian lands and found the House of Nemanja.
In these struggles, the pro-Raška rulers eventually managed to rise to power in Duklja, culminating in the rise of Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
, one of Zavida's sons (around 1166). His son Stefan Nemanjić restored the old Doclean crown in 1217 by receiving from the Pope regal insignia as "King of all Serbs and Maritime Lands".
Rulers
- Prince Stefan Vojislav (1034 - ca. 1050), archonArchonArchon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
, and toparch of the kastra of DalmatiaDalmatiaDalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, ZetaZeta-Science:* Zeta functions, in mathematics** Riemann zeta function* Zeta potential, the electrokinetic potential of a colloidal system* Tropical Storm Zeta , formed in December 2005 and lasting through January 2006* Z-pinch, in fusion power...
and StonStonSton is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...
. - Grand Prince/King Mihailo I (ca. 1050 - 1081)
- King Konstantin BodinConstantin Bodin (Peter III)Constantine Bodin was the Serbian King and titular King of Duklja. He was titled Prince , but was self-proclaimed King . He was emperor of Bulgaria by name Peter III in 1072...
(1081–1101) - King Dobroslav IIDobroslav IIDobroslav II was King of Duklja 1101–1102. Dobroslav was the son of Dioclean King Mihailo I and his second wife. According to the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, Dobroslav II was selected by the people to become king...
(1101–1102) - King Mihailo IIMihailo II VojislavMihailo II Vojislav was the catholic King of Duklja from 1101-1102. He ruled Duklja with his brother, Dobroslav II. Mihajlo was the son of King Constantin Bodin of Duklja and Queen Jakvinta....
(1101–1102) - King Dobroslav III (1102)
- King KočoparKocoparKočapar Branislavljević was a 12th-century Serb Prince that ruled Duklja 1102-1103, under the rule of Grand Prince Vukan of Rascia. He was the son of Branislav, Prince of Duklja....
(1102–1103) - King VladimirVladimir of DukljaVladimir was a King of Duklja 1103 - 1113. He was son of Vladimir, who was King Mihailo's son and King Constantin Bodin's oldest brother....
(1103–1114) - King ĐorđeGeorge of DukljaGeorge was a King of Duklja in 1113–1118 and again from 1125 to 1131.With his mother, Jaquinta, he opposed the rule of his cousin, Vladimir, and Raškan influence on Duklja. Jaquinta and George had Vladimir fatally poisoned in 1118 and George was crowned king that same year...
(1114–1118, 1125–1131) - Prince GrubešaPrince GrubešaGrubeša Branislavljević was the prince and ruler of Duklja and Bar from 1118 to 1125. After the Byzantines defeated King George in 1118, Grubeša assumed the Doclean throne as a Byzantine protégé. The Byzantines entitled Grubeša the rule in Duklja, as well as an army that he would command against...
(1118–1125) - King Gradihna/Gradinja (1131–1148)
- Prince RadoslavRadoslav of DukljaRadoslav Gradinjić was the Prince of Duklja, from 1146 to 1148.He succeeded his father, Gradinja, as ruler of Dioclea. However, Radoslav had to travel to Byzantine emperor Manuel Comenus in Constantinople to gain the authority to rule over Dioclea, which he did...
(1146–1148, 1162) - Prince DesaPrince DesaDesa Urošević Vojislavljević or Desa of Serbia was the Serbian Župan of Duklja , Co-ruler of Serbia 1149-1153, Grand Župan of Serbia 1153-1155 and 1162-1166...
(1148–1163)
Family tree
- Stefan Dobroslav I VojislavStefan Dobroslav I VojislavStefan Vojislav was the Prince of Duklja from 1040 to 1043. He had since 1018 been a toparch in Byzantine vassalage, and in 1034 he led an unsuccessful revolt that resulted in his incarceration at Constantinople, he however, managed to escape and return, this time successfully gaining independence...
- Gojslav
- Radoslav
- Branislav
- Kočapar Branislavljević
- Grubeša BranislavljevićPrince GrubešaGrubeša Branislavljević was the prince and ruler of Duklja and Bar from 1118 to 1125. After the Byzantines defeated King George in 1118, Grubeša assumed the Doclean throne as a Byzantine protégé. The Byzantines entitled Grubeša the rule in Duklja, as well as an army that he would command against...
- Gradinja (Gradinha) Branislavljević
- Radoslav GradišnićRadoslav of DukljaRadoslav Gradinjić was the Prince of Duklja, from 1146 to 1148.He succeeded his father, Gradinja, as ruler of Dioclea. However, Radoslav had to travel to Byzantine emperor Manuel Comenus in Constantinople to gain the authority to rule over Dioclea, which he did...
- Mihailo III
- Radoslav Gradišnić
- Gradislav
- Berinja
- Saganek
- Predimir
- Branislav
- Mihajlo IMihailo I VojislavMihailo 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...
- Dobroslav IIDobroslav IIDobroslav II was King of Duklja 1101–1102. Dobroslav was the son of Dioclean King Mihailo I and his second wife. According to the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, Dobroslav II was selected by the people to become king...
- VladimirVladimir of DukljaVladimir was a King of Duklja 1103 - 1113. He was son of Vladimir, who was King Mihailo's son and King Constantin Bodin's oldest brother....
- Konstantin Bodin
- Mihajlo IIMihailo II VojislavMihailo II Vojislav was the catholic King of Duklja from 1101-1102. He ruled Duklja with his brother, Dobroslav II. Mihajlo was the son of King Constantin Bodin of Duklja and Queen Jakvinta....
- ĐorđeGeorge of DukljaGeorge was a King of Duklja in 1113–1118 and again from 1125 to 1131.With his mother, Jaquinta, he opposed the rule of his cousin, Vladimir, and Raškan influence on Duklja. Jaquinta and George had Vladimir fatally poisoned in 1118 and George was crowned king that same year...
- Mihajlo II
- Petrislav, *Prince of RasciaRasciaRascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
(ca. 1050 - 1083)- Vukan (House of VukanovićHouse of VukanovicThe House of Vukanović was a medieval Serbian dynasty that reigned over Rascia and Zachlumia between late-11th century and mid-13th century. The house itself directly descended from the House of Vojislavljević, which ruled over medieval Serb lands. The dynasty was succeeded by its direct...
) - Marko
- Vukan (House of Vukanović
- Dobroslav II
Sources
- John V.A. Fine. (1991). The early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the 6th to the Late 12th Century. The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7
- John V.A. Fine. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08260-4
- Constantine PorphyrogenitusConstantine VIIConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
, De Administrando ImperioDe Administrando ImperioDe Administrando Imperio is the Latin title of a Greek work written by the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII. The Greek title of the work is...
, edited by Gy. Moravcsik and translated by R. J. H. Jenkins, Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, Washington D. C., 1993 - Chronicle of the Priest of DukljaChronicle of the Priest of DukljaThe Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja is a medieval chronicle originally written by a Catholic monk of the Cistercian order by the name of Roger for the Croatian Ban Paul Šubić because an order form by Ban Šubić and a quote of Catholic monk have been discovered...