| Stephen I | |
|---|---|
| King of Croatia | |
| Reign | 1030 – 1058 |
| Coronation | 1030 |
| Born | c. 988 |
| Died | 1058 |
| Buried | Church of St. Stephen, Solin |
| Predecessor | Krešimir III of Croatia |
| Successor | Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia |
| Consort | Mary of Venice |
| Royal House | House of Trpimirović, cadet line House of Krešimirović |
| Father | Krešimir III of Croatia |
Stephen I Krešimirović (Croatian: Stjepan I Krešimirović) (c. 988 – 1058) was a King of Croatia from c. 1030 until 1058 and a member of House of Trpimirović, first of the Krešimirović branch. Stephen I is actually not first Croatian king that bore the name "Stephen" ("Stjepan"), but second. Although, since Stephen Držislav took the name Stephen at his coronation, and it was not his native name, Stephen I was always referred as "the first".
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As the son of former King Krešimir III, Stjepan was born around 988.[1] He was married to Mary, possibly of Venetian descent, who bore him two sons: Peter Krešimir IV, who succeeded him as the King of Croatia and Častimir, the father of the future Croatian King Stephen II.
Stephen formally succeeded his father Krešimir III in 1030, although it is likely that he co-ruled with him from 1028. The King continued his predecessors' ambitions of spreading rule over the coastal cities and conducted activities in that course greatly, but it was all eventually in vain. He focused on rebuilding Croatia's military strength and in 1032 sent a large segment of his naval fleet to assist Byzantium in its war against the Arabs. Tensions between the Byzantines and Arabs had escalated after Muslims destroyed the Church of St. Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Stjepan used this to his advantage, utilizing the restored Croatian-Byzantine alliance as a method of pacifying the Byzantines and simultaneously frustrate Venetian desires to occupy Croatia's coastline.
Between 1038 and 1041, Stephen managed to successfully conquer Zadar from the Venetians for a short period, possibly with the help of the newly crowned Hungarian king Peter Urseolo, whose aunt Stephen was married to.[1]
In 1035, the Carinthian count Aldabero sought help in Croatia against the Holy Roman Emeror Conrad II, who he was in a feud with since he succeeded the throne. Aldabero was accused on 18 May 1035 during the Bamberg assembly for conspiring with Croatia.[1] Because of this, the Emperor strengthened the southeastern part of his state, where it bordered with Croatia. On the same year, Stjepan I. sent his cousin Dobronja to Contantinople, so he can meet the Byzantine Emperor. However, since Stjepan was in war with The Republic of Venice, a byzantine ally, Dobronja was imprisoned and there he eventually died.
The circumstances changed in 1046 when Peter I of Hungary, the son of the former Venetian Doge Oton Orseolo and the niece of the Hungarian king Stephen I, fled from the kingdom. The Croatian king used this to invade and pillage Hungary, and he expanded his domain all the way to the river Drina to the east. This provoked an attack by the doge Domenico I Contarini who took Zadar in 1050.
In an effort to keep the Roman influence over the Dalmatian cities, the Byzantine emperor appointed Stjepan Praska, previously a ban serving under king Stephen I, as an Imperial commander. Although he nominally worked for the Byzantine Empire from Zadar, he helped the king gain other littoral settlements.
Stephen I established the diocese of Knin in 1040, which stretched to the north until it met the river Drava.[2] The bishop of Knin had also the nominal title as the "Croatian bishop" (Latin: episcopus Chroatensis).
Trade and commerce flourished under Stephen I. A burgeoning aristocracy emerged in Zadar, Biograd, Knin, Split and other coastal cities. It is likely that urban centres in Slavonia also grew at this time (particularly along the Sava River) as people migrated northwards and eastwards in search of new farming land. The two largest towns in Slavonia at this time were Zagreb and Sisak.
In 1050, King Stephen I, ruler of Bosnia and Dalmatia, made a grant of land along the coast which extended the boundaries of Ragusa to Zaton, 16 km north of the original city, giving the republic control of the abundant supply of fresh water which emerges from a source vauclusienne at the head of the Ombla inlet.[3] Stephen's grant also included the harbour of Gruž, which is now the commercial port for Dubrovnik.[3]
Stephen I ruled until 1058 when his son, Petar Krešimir IV, took over.
c. 1008: Mary
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Stephen I of Croatia
Born: c. 988 Died: 1058/9 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Krešimir III of Croatia |
King of Croatia 1030–1058 |
Succeeded by Peter Krešimir IV |
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