Domaslava was a queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia in the first half of the 10th century. It is the oldest mention of a name of a Croatian queen found to date.
Domaslava was a queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia in the first half of the 10th century. It is the oldest mention of a name of a Croatian queen found to date.
The only known source of her existence is on the fragments of the dedication inscription on the altar partition in the Church of St. Vitus in Klis. [1]
According to Neven Budak, the Latin inscription of the fragment reads:
English translation:
It is theorized that Domaslava may have been the mother of King Michael Krešimir II (949–969), or of the other kings that preceded him, because they identities of later kings'-mothers are known. [2] We know, for instance that Queen Helen of Zadar (949–969) was the wife of Michael Krešimir II and the mother of King Stephen Držislav (969–997). [2]
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The Kingdom of Croatia, or Croatian Kingdom, was a medieval kingdom in Southern Europe comprising most of what is today Croatia, as well as most of the modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croatian Kingdom was ruled for part of its existence by ethnic dynasties, and the Kingdom existed as a sovereign state for nearly two centuries. Its existence was characterized by various conflicts and periods of peace or alliance with the Bulgarians, Byzantines, Hungarians, and competition with Venice for control over the eastern Adriatic coast. The goal of promoting the Croatian language in the religious service was initially introduced by the 10th century bishop Gregory of Nin, which resulted in a conflict with the Pope, later to be put down by him. In the second half of the 11th century Croatia managed to secure most coastal cities of Dalmatia with the collapse of Byzantine control over them. During this time the kingdom reached its peak under the rule of kings Peter Krešimir IV (1058–1074) and Demetrius Zvonimir (1075–1089).
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Neven Budak is a Croatian historian and professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
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