Stefan Vojislav

Stefan Vojislav
Prince of the Serbs (ὁ τῶν Σέρβων ἄρχων)[1] Prince of Serbia[2] toparch of the Dalmatian kastra of Zeta and Ston
Prince of Duklja / Prince of the Serbs[1]
Reign	1018–1043
Successor	Mihailo I
Died	1043
Burial	Church of St. Andrew in Prapratna
Issue	Gojislav, Predimir, Mihailo I, Saganek, Radoslav
Dynasty	Vojislavljević
Religion	Eastern Christianity

Stefan Vojislav (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Војислав, Greek: Στέφανος Βοϊσθλάβος^[A]; fl. 1034–d. 1043) was the Prince of Duklja from 1040 to 1043. He had since 1018 been a Byzantine governor, until 1034 when he led an unsuccessful revolt that landed him in a prison at Constantinople. He managed to escape and returned home, this time successfully gaining the independence of his statelet and expanding his rule over southern Dalmatia and its hinterland, which he would rule as Prince of the Serbs, a title signifying supreme leadership among Serbs.

He is the eponymous founder of the Vojislavljević dynasty.

Origin and early life

The contemporary writers call him a Serb, but do not mention his genealogy, while the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, a later, more dubious source, calls him a cousin to previous ruler Jovan Vladimir (r. 990-1016).^[B]

Having reached its pinnacle during the long reign of emperor Basil II, the Byzantine empire entered a steady decline following his death in 1025. This was particularly evident in the Balkans, where the elimination of the perennial Bulgarian threat combined with an insensitive taxation policy helped spur liberation movements.

Vojislav held the title of archon, and toparch of the Dalmatian kastra of Zeta and Ston.^[3][4]

The affairs of the Dalmatians, Croats, Serbs and others were overseen by strategoi in Niš, Skopje, Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and Dyrrhachium. Vojislav had regular meetings with Katakalon Klazomenites (Catacalon), the strategos of Ragusa, and at one occasion, kidnapped him and his party because Vojislav's wanted him to be the Godfather to his son Katakalon at his baptism.^[4] This shows a close relationship between native leaders and Byzantine officers in the peripheral zone of the Empire after Basil's "reconquest".^[3]

Revolts

“	...Stefan Vojislav, arhon of Serbs, who not long ago escaped from Constantinople and took the land of the Serbs, banishing Theophilos Erotikos.	”
— -John Scylitzes

Around 1034 (according to John Skylitzes), the Serbs renounced Byzantine rule. Stefan Vojislav, cousin of the murdered Jovan Vladimir, organized a rebellion taking advantage of the death of the emperor Romanos III Argyros. He was defeated and imprisoned in Constantinople in 1035/1036^[5] while his realm was put under the control of the strategos Theophilos Erotikos. In late 1037 or early 1038, he managed to break out of the prison and returned to Duklja, where he organized a new rebellion, also targeting the Serb allies of the Emperor in the neighbouring regions.^[6][7]

By means of guerilla tactics and the distracting effects of other uprisings, he staved off several punitive expeditions and asserted partial control over the principalities of Travunija and Zahumlje. Thus, by 1040 his state stretched in the coastal region from Ston in the north, down to his capital, Skadar, set up along the southern banks of the Skadar Lake, with other courts set up in Trebinje, Kotor and Bar.^[8]

Wars with Byzantines

Victory over Byzantines.

Rumija, where Vojislav defeated the Byzantine armies.

1039–42

In 1039, the Byzantine Emperor Michael IV the Paphlagonian was waiting in Thessaloniki for a shipment of 10 kentenars of gold (7,200 gold nomismata^[9]) coming from his provinces in Southern Italy, but the cargo ship (galley) was wrecked off the Doclean coast due to stormy weather in the winter and the goods were taken by Vojislav, who refused to return it upon Michael's requests.^[1][8] The emperor, who had already retaken Dyrrhachium, became furious and sent general George Probatas to tackle Vojislav, but the Byzantine army, unfamiliar with the terrain, was ambushed in the gorges and totally defeated. Vojislav's son, Radoslav, is noted as having killed a Byzantine military commander on the battlefield. Kekaumenos, a strategos sent for Vojislav, ended up imprisoned by Vojislav and taken to Ston.

The Uprising of Peter Delyan in 1040-42, who crowned himself Czar Peter II of Bulgarians, made another Byzantine incursion against Duklja unlikely as the Byzantines were now occupied by the Bulgarian advance.

1042

In 1042, the new emperor Constantine IX decided to attack Duklja with an army based in Dyrrhachium and the neighbouring themes. The Byzantine army under Michaelus Anastasii was defeated and Vojislav ensured a future for Duklja without imperial authority.^[10]

Serbs massacre the Byzantines in the mountain passes, Madrid Skylitzes.

The battle took place on the mountainous area between Bar and Crmnica after midnight, on October 7 in 1042. Prior to the battle a man entered the Byzantine camp and spread false information about a huge enemy army, causing panic among the Byzantines. Stefan Vojislav, along with three of his sons, led the Serbs into battle. The Serbs slowly moved down the hills along with shouting and blowing horns and trumpets so it would exaggerate their appearance. The Byzantines were trapped in the mountainous area, as the Serbs blocked the passage. They caught the Byzantines unprepared and managed to cause chaos among their ranks and after heavy fighting routed the remaining Byzantine forces. Some historical records claim that two thirds of the Byzantine army had been killed. Byzantine historian John Skylitzes (1040–1101) claimed that 60,000 Byzantines participated in the battle, but these records are considered inaccurate. Most historians agree that there were about 40,000 Byzantines. Numbers of the Serb army are unknown, but are considered to be largely inferior to the Byzantines. Voislav dispatched 50 Greeks to tell the rest about the huge victory.

1043

In 1042, the župan of Rascia (a renewed subordinate title, showing Byzantine overlordship^[8]), Ban of Bosnia and Prince of Hum Ljutovid, received a large sum of imperial gold and silver for their support to overthrow Vojislav.^[11] Ljutovid led the army against Duklja in 1043 but his army was ambushed at the Klobuk hill^[12] of Konavli (then part of Travunia), by Vojislav, and defeated.

Last years

Vojislav spent the rest of his rule in peace and died in 1043. He was succeeded by his widow and their five sons - Gojislav, Predimir, Mihailo, Saganek and Radoslav.^[13] He was buried in the Church of St. Andrew in Prapratna, a town between Bar and Ulcinj.

Duklja stayed the center of the Serbian state which had earlier replaced (in terms of leadership) Rascia; it held this position for a few years, under the rule of his son Mihailo I in Duklja while the other principalities were unified with Rascia under Vukan of Serbia.

Titles

• "archon, and toparch of the Dalmatian kastra of Zeta and Ston", his Byzantine title, according to the Strategikon of Kekaumenos (1075–78).^[4]
• "Prince of the Serbs" (ὁ τῶν Σέρβων ἄρχων), according to John Skylitzes (fl. 1057–59).^[1]
• "Prince of Serbia", according to George Kedrenos (fl. 1050s).^[2]

See also

• List of Serbian rulers

Annotations

1. ^ Name: His name is Vojislav (Greek: Βοϊσθλάβος), he added the self-styled title Stefan, originating from the Greek word Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crowned". Kekaumenos also calls him "Vojislav the Diokletian"^[14] and "Tribounios the Serb" (Τριβούνιος ό Σέρβος).^[15] His name is transliterated in Latin as Stephanus Boisthlabus, and in English as Stephen Voislav. In the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, he is called Dobroslav, although this is the only source that calls him with that name.^[16]
2. ^ Origin and Genealogy:
   • Skylitzes,^[1] Zonaras,^[17] Cedrenus,^[2] Glykas,^[18] Kekaumenos^[15] call him a Serb (Σέρβος).^[16]
   • According to the Chronicles of the Priest of Doclea (of somewhat dubious historical value^[19]), Vojislav was born in the month of April, in Brusno, to the uncle of Jovan Vladimir, Prince Dragomir (r. 1016-1018), and the daughter of Rascian župan Ljutomir (possible fabrication of Ljutovid^[20]) and was raised in Bosnia by his mother.^[6] His father had succeeded Jovan Vladimir in 1016, and ruled until his murder by Kotor locals in 1018.^[21]

References

1. Scylitzes, 408-9
2. Cedrenus, ed. Bonn, II, p. 526
3. Paul Magdalino (January 2003). Byzantinum in the Year 1000. BRILL. p. 124. ISBN 90-04-12097-1.
4. Kekaumenos, ed Litavrin, 170-2
5. Vizantološki institut SANU, „Vizantijski izvori za istoriju naroda Jugoslavije (III tom)“ (fototipsko izdanje originala iz 1967), Beograd 2007 ISBN 978-86-83883-09-7
6. Fine 1991, p. 203
7. Sima M. Cirkovic (15 April 2008). The Serbs. John Wiley & Sons. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4051-4291-5.
8. Fine 1991, p. 206
9. Tibor Živković, „Portreti srpskih vladara (IX-XII)“, Beograd 2006 ISBN 86-17-13754-1
10. Cedrenus II, col. 275.
11. Paul Stephenson (7 August 2003). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer. Cambridge University Press. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-521-81530-7.
12. Marko Vego (1957). Naselja bosanske srednjevjekovne države. Svjetlost.
13. Fine 1991, p. 213
14. Kekaumenos 108.11-12
15. Kekaumenos 104.14
16. Sofija Božić (1 April 2014). Istorija i geografija: susreti i prožimanja: History and geography: meetings and permeations. Институт за новију историју Србије,Географски институт "Јован Цвијић" САНУ, Институт за славистку Ран. p. 434. ISBN 978-86-7005-125-6.
17. Zonaras 17.20.7
18. Glykas 594.3-7
19. Slovo. 47-49. 1999. p. 22. a text of somewhat dubious value as a historical source
20. http://www.scribd.com/doc/18757181/Tibor-Zivkovic-Forging-Unity. Missing or empty |title= (help)
21. Fine 1991, p. 202

Sources

• Skylitzes, John (1973). Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis historiarum. De Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-002285-0.
• Stephenson, Paul (November 2006). "Partial Translation of Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja". .Mac. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
• Ćorović, Vladimir (2005). "Срби између Византије, Хрватске и Бугарске". Илустрована историја Срба (in Serbian) 1. Belgrade: Politika: Narodna knjiga. ISBN 86-331-2521-8.
• Fine, John Van Antwerp (1991) [1983]. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
• M. Jeffreys; et al. (2011). "Voislav Stefan, ruler of the Serbians". Prosopographical Reading of Byzantine Sources, 1025-1150. Prosopography of the Byzantine World.