Serbian History: First Serbian States

The Slavs are said to originate from the Carpathian Mountains in present day Ukraine. Approximately 6th century, the Slavic Migration occured. Slavs living in present day Ukraine and Russia supposedly began migrationg southwards towards the Balkan Peninsula. These people included the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. At first, the Serbs settled in present day Serbia and Montenegro and formed tribes. In mid 7th the Serbian tribes (under the house of Vlastimirovic) began unifying and formed the first Serbian state known as Raska. Raska, though the largest and most powerful state,
was not the only Serbian Kingdom at the time. There were four other Serbian Kingdom located in present day Montenegro and parts of Croatia. The Serbian state continued. The most prosperous era of the Serbian state was perhaps Knez Caslan Klonimirovic's reign from 927-950 AD. He secured a voluntary cofederation with the states of Zahumlje, Pagania, Neretva, Travunia, Zeta and Raska. Thus, the unified state had sea borders on the Adriatic sea, an excellent position on the Danube, and encompassed present day Bosnia, Serbia, Northern Albania, and Montenegro. When Knez Caslav died, the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria took advantage of the situation and attempted to take land from Serbia. The Bosnian element of the Serbian state dissolved into tiny statelets and they were conquered by Croatia. The rest of Serbia was incorporated into Bulgaria and Byzantuim. Rascia was constantly warring with the Bulgarian and Byzantine empires and was by far the most successful Serbian state. It propspered and Rascia held great influence over the 4 Dalmatian Serb states.However, many believe that infact Zeta is the most important state to the history of Serbian statehood.

Duklja/Zeta: Duklja was the southermost Serbian state with territories roughly encompassing Lake Skadar, Zeta River, and the Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska). The state was populated mainly by Serbs migrating under the leadership of the Unkown Archont. At first, Duklja was a semi indepndnet statelet within the Grand Prinicpalty of Rascia. Along with the rest of the Serbian states with the exculsion of Pagania, Duklja became Christianized in the 9th Century. In the 10th century, a long series of wars errupted between Travunia and Duklja. Travunia ended up winning the war and the two nations became united under one ruling family. After Rascia was conquered by the Byzantine Empire, King Predimir fled the country. Later however ,he returned and instigated a rebellion in the occupied Serbian states and eventually ousted the Byzantine from Serbian land. After Predimir's death, the land was divided like this:Predimir's sons from the marriage with the Rascian Princess Prechvala split his land after his death: the oldest son, Chlavimir ruled Zeta and the Zhupanates of: Lusca, Podlugaie, Gorsca, Cupelnich, Obliquus, Prapratna, Cermenica and Budva with Cuceva and Gripuli. Second son, Boleslav, got the Zhupanates of: Libomir, Vetanica, Rudina, Crusceviza, Vrmo, Rissena, Draceviza, Canali, and Gernovizia. Dragoslav ruled in Zahumlje and got the following Zhupanates: Santantia, Papava, Yabsko, Luca, Vellica, Gorimita, Vecenike, Dubrava and Debre. The youngest son, Svevlad, ruled Submontana (Podgoria ) and got the following Zhupanates: Onogost, Moratia, Comerniza, Piva, Gerico, Netusini, Guisemo, Com, Debreca, Neretva and Rama. The system of the tetrarchy was adopted in the realm. The 11th century was characterized with a long series of successive wars and rebellions Stefan Voislav led his people into a full scale geurilla war with the Byzantines in order to free his people. After the death of King Stefan, his son, Mihaljo immdeiately took the helm and for 20 years, he had co-existed with the East Roman Empire (Byzantine). However, later he attempted to annex Rascia into his realm and in 1072, he dispatched his son, Bodin (who was later to become the Bulgarian emperor) and his finest troops into Sopkje and annexed it, along with Ohrid and Prizen. However, after the Byzantines succesfully quelled a rebellion in Macedonia, they began advancing on his territory and Bodin attempted to flee into Duklja but his army was defeated along the way. In 1077, Prince Mihaljo incorporated Pagania into Dulklja and was proclaimed King of the Slavs by the Pope and he himself wore the title King of Tribals and Serbs. Bodin inherited his father's realm and in around 1081, he placed his sons at the heam in Rascia and Bosnia. In around 1089 and 1091, Bosnians kingdom survived however, Zahumlje, Rascia, and Bosnia seceeded their own governors. Throughout Duklja's history, Skadar was the main capital with Kotor being the capital only for a brief period of time. Below is a short timeline.

• mid-late 10th century- Travunian Princes defeat the Ban of Doclea and absorb his realm
• 22 May 1060 - Jovan Vladimir loses his life in a plot by the Bulgarian Czar, Ivan Vladislav
  
• 1018 - the denizens of Kotor corner and lynch Prince Dragomir
• 1034 - the beginning of a rebellion led by a Travunian nobleman by the name of Stefan Voislav against Byzantine rule or
• winter 1039/1040 - a Byzantine Galley loaded with Gold crashes on the Doclean coast
• 1042 - Stefan Voislav I Dobroslav decisevly defeats the Byzantine Army at the Battle of bar, keeping Duklja's independence
• 1047-1050- Travunian rebellion under Domenec
• 1054 - the Great Schism
  
• 1067 - an autocephalous branch of the Serbian Catholic Church in the new Bishopric of Bar
• 1072 - He Slavic rebellion in Macedonia and the central balkans under Constantine Bodin (Peter III)
• 1074 - end of the hard Byzantine aggression on Doclea
• 1077- Duklja becomes a Kingdom, with Mihajlo Voislav as its first King; Mihailo captures Ragusa
• 1081 - Battle for Dyrrachion
• 1089 - Autocephalous Serbian Archbishopric of Barfounded under Constantine BOdin
• winter 1906- the Crusaders of Raymond of Toulouse pass through Skadar
• 1150 - Battle of Tara
• 1185 - Prince Stracimir raided Korcula and Vis
• 1186 - Stefan Nemanja's annexation of Duklja and establishment of Duklja as a Serbian Province
• 1189 - Duke Stefan Nemanja's annexation of Duklja is finished

Pagania: Pagania was settled by unbaptised Serbs who were unsatisfied with their first homeland in Macedonia. The previous inhabitants (Latins and Greeks) were quicly overwhelmed and assimilated into the Slavic Serbian majority. Their cherished the Slavic pagan religion until the 12th century when they were Christianized. The Paganians (also called Narentines) were perhaps the most sea faring Slavs of the time. They were excellent ship builders and terrorized the Italian coast and much of the Italian naval power was spent attempting to battle the Narentines for supremacy of the seas. Thnigs got much worse for Italy when the Arabs were heavily attacking them. The Paganians utilized this and their pirating attacks become more brazen and they sacked a neighbouring city of Venice. However, the Arabs soon ransacked a Paganian town and they had naval supremacy until the Byzantine Empire ousted them form the Adriatic. After 917 when the Bulgarians destroyed the Serbian ralm, the last of the House of Vlastimirovic re-built Serbia and after civil war errupted in Croatia, the Narentines captured outlying islands on the Dalmatian coast. This period was marked also by the attack of 33 Venetaina galleys to oust the Paganians from the Adriatic. However, the attacks miserably failed and he Narentine continued their naval supremacy. When the Slavic Czardom in Macedonia was destoryed, Pagania accepted Byzantine rule. Pagania, in the 12 century was absorbed into Zahumlje and later the unified Serbain state under Stefan Nemanja.

Zahumlje: Zahumlje was a medival serbian state located in Herzegovina and the south Dalmatian coast. In 869 Byzantine Empero Basil I's (of the Macedonian dynasty) Imperial Admiral Nikita Orifas in his missions to ally the Serbina tribes in the Ragusian hinterland and the Croats convinced the Zachlumians to join them and the Travunians (and Konavlians) in an allience against the Saracens. Rascian Grand Prince Petar Gonjikovic of the House of Vlastimirovic started to expand his reign at the expense of Zachlumia at the end of the 9th century, calling upon his old Grand Princely right of Zachlumia being historicly only a Serbian fief. He pressed greatly the Zachlumian native hereditary Great Prince Mihailo Višević, who was pushed from the land and fell back to the islands. Grand Prince Petar was negotiating in Pagania with the Byzantines regarding an allience against the Bulgarians at the beginning of the 10th century, and Prince Mihailo reported this to the Bulgar Khan Simeon. In 912 Mihailo kidnapped the Venetian Doge's son Peter Badoari that was returning to Venice from Constantinople and sent him to Czar Simeon as a sign of loyalty; he generally maintained a pro-Bulgarian foreign policy hoping that that will hep him to restore power in his realm. After the Bulgarians under Pavle Branovic deposed Petar, Great Prince Mihailo was able to restore the majority of control. In the following several years Mihailo Višević reigned peacefully and carefully watched the throne turbolence in the neighbouring Rascia. In 925 Prince Mihailo attended the Ecclesiastical Council in Split, together with Tomislav of Croatia. Zahumlje fell under Croatian infuence; it became subjected to the Archbishopric of Split and Mihailo recognized Croatian-Dalmatian Duke Tomislav's authority upon his crowning as King of Croatia. After the Italian city of Siponte was heavily jeoperdized by the raiding Arabs and Langobards, Mihailo ousted a magnificent military victory by taking the city upon the recommendations from Constantinople and orders from his liege, King Tomislav Trpimirovic, but didn't keep it permanently. Mihailo Višević later loossened his relations with Bulgaria went into closer relations with the Byzantine Empire and gained the title patrikios and hypatos, a. k. a. viceroy, officially recognizing him as the ruler of his land in Byzantine name. The dynasty of Višević lost its importence, and with the reuniting of the Serb People under Prince Ceslav Klonimirovic, last of the House of Vlastimirovic, the Serbian character and authority is preserved.

Serbian Prince Desa took over Zahumlje in the 12th century and it was subsequently incorporated into the unified Serbian state. It became the spiritual center of the Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church and gave numerious medieval Serbian dynasties; and as the most Serbian-populated part of medieval Serbia the valley of Neretva gave many Serbs.

Travunia: Travunia was a medival Slavic Serbian state loaced in eastern Herzegovina, Western Montenegro, and Southern Dalmatia. Until the 10th century, it was a part of the Grand Principality of Rascia, but later on, it was incorporated into an independent Dukljan state. One of the greatest Serbian leaders, Jovan Vladimir, helped Travunia flourish but was killed due to a Bulgarian ploy. Travunia remained a part of the state of Duklja until it was incorporated into the unified Serbian state.