This is a list of rulers of Duklja.
Contents |
The following rulers are mentioned only in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja (CPD), written by a Catholic monk of the Cistercian order by the name of Roger (Rudger) for political motif at the request of Croatian Ban Paul Šubić. It was written in two versions - the first one in Split in 1298 while Roger was handling the Archbishop of Split's finances, and the second ca. 1300, while he was the Archbishop of Antivari (Bar).
The chronicle, built round a core written in Slavonic, but added to by a bishop of Bar intent on demonstrating his diocese' superiority over that of Split, is one of the oldest known written sources, but only Latin redactions[1] from the 16th and 17th centuries have been preserved.
Historians have largely discounted it, even though the Chronicle contains material on the early history of the South Slavs. The work describes the Slavs as a peaceful people imported by the rulers of the Goths, who invaded the area in the 5th century, but it doesn't attempt to elaborate on how and when this happened. This information contradicts the information found in the Byzantine text De Administrando Imperio.
Further, it mentions Bosnia (Bosnam) and Rascia (Rassa) as the two Serbian lands, while describing the southern Dalmatian Hum/Zahumlje, Travunia and Dioclea (most of today's Herzegovina, Montenegro, as well as parts of Croatia and Albania) as Croatian lands, which is a description considered inconsistent with other historical works from the same period.
Various inaccurate or simply wrong claims in the text make it an unreliable source. This work is, as the majority of modern historians think, mainly fictional, or wishful thinking however, it does give us a unique insight into the whole era from the point of view of the indigenous Slavic population. One of the prime controversies of the Chronicle, lies in the fact that the Antivari Archepiscopate did not exist between 1142 and 1198 - and that is the time Grgur is supposed to have been the Archbishop.
Name | Notes | Geneaology |
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Hvalimir | He held the region of Zeta with its cities and the following županijas: Lusca, Podlugiae, Gorsca, Cupelnich, Obliquus, Prapratna, Cermenica and Budva with Cuceva and Gripuli. | |
Petrislav | He ruled only Duklja, while his younger brother Dragomir ruled Travunia. Duklja consisted of two distinct territories: Zeta in the south, and Podgoria in the north. Initially, Petrislav ruled Zeta, and Podgoria belonged to his youngest brother Miroslav, but after the latter died, Petrislav took over his land. | |
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Dragomir | he ruled Travunia and Hum. At the death of Vladimir, he ruled Duklja for two years, being murdered in 1018 by locals of Kotor. | |
Dobroslav II | ||
Mihailo II | ||
Dobroslav III | ||
Mihailo III |
Byzantine Empire | First Bulgarian Empire | Holy Roman Empire | Grand Principality of Serbia | Independent |
Picture | Name | Reign | Notes | Geneaology |
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archon Peter |
? | He was an archon of Duklja in the 10th or 11th century. The only information on him is from a seal found in the 19th century, which is decorated on the observe with a bust of the Virgin Mary holding a medallion of Christ and flanked by two cruciform invocative monograms. The text is in Greek letters, saying "Petrou, Archontos Diokleias, Amin" (ΠΕΤΡ(Ο)Υ ΑΡΧΟΝΤΟΣ ΔΙΟΚΛ(Ε)ΙΑ(Σ) ΑΜΗΝ) - Peter, archon of Dioklea, Amen. The seal shows that although Duklja underwent turmoil in the 9th century, the region still continued under Byzantine rule, or if not authority, influence.[2] | ||
Knez Jovan Vladimir |
fl. 1000-1016 | Jovan fought to protect Duklja from Bulgarian expansion, making an alliance with Byzantium; Bulgaria however conquered Duklja in 997 and took Jovan Vladimir prisoner. Jovan ruled Duklja as a vassal of the Bulgarian empire until 1016. | CPD: Petrislav | |
Knez (Archont) Stefan Vojislav |
1018–1034 1040-1043 |
Overthrew the Byzantine supremacy over Serbs in Duklja; founder of the House of Vojislavljević; in 1035 rebelled against the Byzantine Empire, but forced to sign an armistice; went to war again in 1040, which would be continued by his heir and son, Mihailo. Except Duklja, his realm included Travunija with Konavli and Zahumlje. | CPD: Dragomir | |
Grand Prince, King Mihailo I |
1050–1077 1077-1081 |
Crowned King by the pope in 1077. | Stefan Vojislav | |
King, Tzar Constantine Bodin |
1081-1085 1085-1091 |
Tsar of Bulgaria as Peter III in 1072. | ||
King Dobroslav II |
1101–1102 | Overthrown by Vukan of Rascia and Kočopar. | ||
King Kočapar |
1102–1103 | Brought to power by Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. Killed in battle against Zachlumoi. | ||
King Vladimir |
1103–1113 | Married daughter of Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. He was poisoned by his cousin Đorđe. | ||
King Đorđe |
1113-1118 | Son of Constantine Bodin. Đorđe was overthrown by Uroš I of Rascia in 1118. | ||
King Grubeša |
1118-1125 | Overthrew Đorđe with the help of the Byzantines. | ||
King Đorđe |
1125-1131 | Second rule. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. | ||
King Gradinja |
1131-1146 | Appointed to Doclean throne by Byzantines after Đorđe's defeat in the second Doclean-Byzantine War. | ||
Prince Radoslav |
1146-1148 | Byzantine vassal. Only dynastic member to be mentioned as Prince of Doclea. |
Duklja continues as a crownland of Grand Principality of Serbia.