Branimir of Croatia

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The inscription of duke Branimir, c. 880

Branimir (died in 892) was a Duke of Dalmatian Croatia, reigned 879–892. He was the recognized by Pope John VIII as the Duke of the Croats (Dux Chroatorum). Branimir was a member of the House of Domagoj. The name itself is an old Croatian name, and could be translated as "the one who protects peace".

Branimir was brought to the throne of Croatia by the Anti-Byzantine coalition under the Roman Pope. In 879 Branimir had Zdeslav, a supporter of the Byzantine Empire, killed near Knin in a rebellion that he led. Approval from the Holy See was brought about by Branimir's own actions to bring the Croats further away from the influence of Byzantium and closer to Rome. Duke Branimir wrote to Pope John VIII affirming this split from Byzantine and commitment to the Roman Papacy.
During the solemn divine service in St. Peter's church in Rome in 879, Pope John VIII gave his blessing to the duke and the whole Croatian people, about which he informed Branimir in his letters. Pope John VIII brought the very decision on May 21, 879, and confirmed it in his letter from June 7, 879.^[1] This was the first time that the Croatian state was officially recognized (at that time the international legitimacy was given by the Pope).
In Branimir's time Venetians had to pay taxes to the Croatian state for their ships traveling along the Croatian coast.

During Brainimir's reign, the Croatian Bishop of Nin recognized the supreme ecclesiastical authority of the Roman Bishop, unlike the Archbishop of Split, who recognized the supremacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Duke Branimir promoted the Croatian Bishop of Nin to the Archbishop of Split, after the Archbishop's death in the Patriarchate of Aquileia without knowledge of the Holy See, which worsened his relations with the Pope. Under the influence of Methodus' baptising missions in 882 who made a stop in Croatia on his way from Moravia to Constantinople, Branimir endorsed parallel usage of Latin and Slavic in the Ecclesiastical service, which was not like by the new Pope, Stephen V. Throughout his life, Duke Branimir worked on increasing Croatian independence.

Branimir died in 892. He was succeeded by Trpimir's third son, Muncimir.

An inscription found on a beam in a church near Benkovac holds an inscription of Branimir's name in Latin letters dating back to the 9th century (see picture.) Currently, Croatia's government presents the Order of Duke Branimir as one of its highest state honours.