Domagoj of Croatia

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Domagoj
Duke of Croatia

Statue Archers of Duke Domagoj in Vid, Croatia
Reign 864–876
Died 876
Predecessor Zdeslav of Croatia
Successor Domagoj's unnamed son then Zdeslav of Croatia
Royal House House of Domagojević
Croatia (top left) during Domagoj's reign

Domagoj (died 876) was a duke (knez) of Dalmatian Croatia in 864–876.[1] Domagoj was a powerful Croatian nobleman, with lands around Knin and the founder of the House of Domagojević.

Wars with Venetians and Arabs

Following the death of Trpimir I in 864, Domagoj usurped the throne of Zdeslav in a civil war. Domagoj became the Duke of Dalmatian Croatia and Trpimir's sons, Petar, Zdeslav and Muncimir, were forced into exile and fled to Constantinople.[2] During Domagoj's reign piracy was a common practice, which caused bad relations with the Venice. Since the Croats were occupied with fighting over Trpimir's inheritance, Doge Orso I Participazio broke the long lasting peace treaty signed with Duke Mislav and attacked Croatia.[3] In 865 Domagoj was forced to make an unfavourable peace with the Venetian Republic, giving hostages to Venice as a guarantee for safe passage of Venetian ships in the Adriatic Sea.[4]

In the meantime, the Arabs were attacking the Dalmatian coast. The Arabs also held several cities on the Italian coast, including Bari and Taranto. After ravaging Kotor, Kišan and Budva, in 866 the Arabs started besieging Dubrovnik, which resisted the attacks for 15 months and was finally defended by the help of Byzantium.[3] The Byzantines regained initiative in the Adriatic and attacked Bari in 868 together with the Franks, but soon recalled their forces blaiming Franks for inactivity. Domagoj helped the Franks, as their vassal, to seize Bari from the Arabs in February 871. Ships from Dubrovnik also participated in the attack. Although the Arabs were still dangerous with their raids in the Adriatic, the Venetians were the main enemy of Domagoj. In the meantime, Byzantium restored control over several Dalmatian cities and the Narentines, while the Venetians renewed their attacks on Croats. An attempt to overthrow Domagoj, possibly from the Trpimirović dynasty, forced Domagoj to a temporary peace in order to deal with the rebels. Domagoj dealt with them quickly and cruelly.[5]

Relations with the Papal States

During Domagoj's rule in the second half of the 9th century Roman interventions became more intense in Moravia, Bulgaria and Dalmatia. The strategies of the Apostolic See were to maximize its influence in Southeastern Europe and to lower the influence of Constantinople.

In a letter addressed to Domagoj between December 872 and May 873,[6] Pope John VIII complained to Domagoj about the obstinacy of Patriarch Ignatius from Constantinople, who had denied Roman jurisdiction over Bulgaria and appointed a "schismatic" as the Archbishop of Bulgaria.[6] The reason for the pope's sharing such concerns with Domagoj is that Bulgaria apparently bordered Croatia in some part of present-day Bosnia.[2] At the same time the Pope had regular conversation with Boris I of Bulgaria, warning him of a treatchery of the Byzantine priests and bishops working in Bulgaria. The papal project could have been to incorporate Croatian Christianity into the Bulgarian Church under the jurisdiction of Rome, thus encouraging the pro-Roman politics of Boris I of Bulgaria who then ruled much of the Balkans.[7] Another letter was sent in 874 or at the beginning of 875, this time to the Croatian clergy, in which the pope condemned the capital punishment inflicted on the conspirators who were under the protection of Pope's legate, priest John. The Pope also stated that the priest had nothing to do with the conspirators so he could continue his duties normally.[8]

Piracy was also a big concern for the Pope. Domagoj was accused of attacking a ship which was bringing home the papal legates who had participated in the Eighth Catholic Ecumenical Council.[7] In 874, Pope John VIII intervened by requesting Duke Domagoj as a Christian to restrain the Pirates who were in his name ravaging the Adriatic assaulting Christian sailors and that exile would be a more suitable punishment for the rebels instead of death penalties,[9] but his request wasn't successful.[5] Pope John VIII referred to Domagoj in letters as "Famous duke" (Latin: Domagoi duci glorioso), but also wrote that he won't find Domagoj innocent if piracy was not dealt with.[9]

Conflict with Franks and decline

In 875 the Franks under the leadership of Louis the German, King of the Eastern Franks, tried to reassert their authority in Dalmatia, worried by the increased Byzantine influence in the area, reflected in the establishment of Theme of Dalmatia. After the death of Louis the German, Carloman of Bavaria succeeded to the throne and Duke Domagoj decided to raise a rebellion and free Dalmatian Croatia from Frankish rule.[10] The rebellion could have been continued by his unnamed son, who ruled as Prince of Croatia with his brothers. The Croatian forces razed four Frankish Cities in Istria in 876, Umag, Novigrad, Sipar and Rovinj.[11][12] These actions also disrupted the temporary peace treaty with the Venetians. Finally, the Croatian army was defeated by the Venetian navy. This war liberated the Croats from supreme Frankish rule with Byzantine help from the Eastern Roman Emperor Basil I. Soon after eliminating the Frankish suzerainty Domagoj died in 876. After Domagoj's death, Venetian's chronicles named him "The worst duke of Slavs" (Latin: pessimus dux Sclavorum). Two years later, in 878, Zdeslav returned from Constantinople where he fled from Domagoj's purges and, with Byzantine help, deposed Domagoj's sons and forced them into exile, thus finally restoring order to Dalmatian Croatia,[13] no longer under Frankish rule. After the death of Domagoj peace was restored between Croatia and Venice.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Hrvatski leksikon (1996–1997) (Croatian)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Florin Curta: Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250, p. 139-140
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Neven Budak - Prva stoljeća Hrvatske, Zagreb, 1994., page 15 (Croatian)
  4. ↑ Iohannes Diaconus, Istoria Veneticorum, p. 130 (Latin) "Prelibatus quidem Ursus dux adversus Dommagoum Sclavorum principem cum navali
    expedictione properavit, sed cernente eo Veneticorum multitudinem proibuit pugnam, pacem requisivit. Deinde acceptis obsidibus dux ad Venetiam    "
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Neven Budak - Prva stoljeća Hrvatske, Zagreb, 1994., page 16 (Croatian)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Codex Diplomaticus Regni Croatiæ, Dalamatiæ et Slavoniæ, Vol I, p. 8-9
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maddalena Betti: The Making of Christian Moravia (858-882), 2013, p. 128-130
  8. ↑ Codex Diplomaticus Regni Croatiæ, Dalamatiæ et Slavoniæ, Vol I, p. 10
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Monumenta Historiam Slavorum Meridionalium, Vol. VII, Acta, 3, p. 6-7
  10. ↑ John Van Antwerp Fine: The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century, 1991, p. 261
  11. ↑ Nada Klaić: Povijest Hrvata u ranom srednjem vijeku, II Izdanje, Zagreb 1975., p. 247 (Croatian)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Iohannes Diaconus, Istoria Veneticorum, p. 136 (Latin)
  13. ↑ Iohannes Diaconus, Istoria Veneticorum, p. 140 (Latin)

Further reading

  • Klaić V., Povijest Hrvata, Knjiga Prva, Zagreb 1982. (Croatian)
  • Neven Budak - Prva stoljeća Hrvatske, Zagreb, 1994. (Croatian)
  • John V.A. Fine, Jr., The Late Medieval Balkans, Ann Arbor, 1987.
  • Hrvatska opća encikopedia (1999–2009) (Croatian)
  • Hrvatski leksikon (1996–1997) (Croatian)
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Zdeslav		 Duke of Littoral Croatia
864–876 		Succeeded by
Iljko
then Zdeslav
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