Časlav Klonimirović

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Časlav Klonimirović Vlastimirović (Serbian Cyrillic: Часлав Клонимировић) was the ruler (Knez/Župan) of Serbia. He ruled from 927 until his death in 950.

Časlav was the son of Klonimir, grandson of Strojimir, and the last and the most powerful of the descendants of the Unknown Archont.

He liberated the central Serbian tribes from Bulgarian empire, after the death of Simeon I in 927. He concluded a voluntary confederation with the chiefs of Bosnia that brought them out of Croatia's control. Together with Zahumlje, Pagania, Travunia, Zeta (Duklja) and Raška, Časlav established a Serb state that encompassed the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the Sava river and the Morava river valley as well as today's northern Albania. Česlav was, hovewer, obliged to defend the dependent banat, or district, of Bosnia from an incursion of the Magyars. According to Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, Časlav was killed in battle against Magyars.

After Časlav's death, the Bulgars and Byzantium took advantage of the discord caused by the power vacuum, and restored their control of most of Časlav's domain, while the chiefs of Bosnia declared independence and dissolved into independent statelets.