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This is a list of monarchs of Duklja .
| Byzantine Empire | Bulgaria | Holy Roman Empire | Rascia | Independent |
| Picture | Name | Title | Reign | Notes | Genealogy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Peter | "archon of Dioklea" | 971-1000 | He was an archon of Duklja in the 10th century. The only information on him is from a seal found in the 19th century, which is decorated on the obverse 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. [1] | |
 | Jovan Vladimir | Prince | 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 |
 | Stefan Vojislav | "Prince of the Serbs" [2] or "of Serbia" [3] toparch of the Dalmatian kastra of Zeta and Ston | 1018–1034 1040–1043 | Overthrew the Byzantine supremacy over Serbs in Duklja; founder of the Vojislavljević dynasty; 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 |
| Neda | Queen | As queen, she co-ruled with her sons, the princes. | |||
 | Mihailo I | "Prince of Tribals or Serbs" "King of Slavs" | 1050–1077 1077–1081 | Crowned King by the pope in 1077. | Stefan Vojislav |
 | Constantine Bodin | " protosebastos and executor of Dioklea and Serbia" [4] King (titular) | 1081–1085 1085–1091 | Tsar of Bulgaria as Peter III in 1072. | |
 | Dobroslav II | King (titular) | 1101–1102 | Overthrown by Vukan of Rascia and Kočopar. | |
| Kočapar | Unknown | 1102–1103 | Brought to power by Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. Killed in battle against Zachlumoi. | ||
| Vladimir | Unknown | 1103–1113 | Married daughter of Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. He was poisoned by his cousin Đorđe. | ||
| Đorđe | Unknown | 1113–1118 | Son of Constantine Bodin. Đorđe was overthrown by Uroš I of Rascia in 1118. | ||
| Grubeša | Unknown | 1118–1125 | Overthrew Đorđe with the help of the Byzantines. | ||
| Đorđe | Unknown | 1125–1131 | Second rule. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. | ||
| Gradinja | Prince | 1131–1146 | Appointed to Doclean throne by Byzantines after Đorđe's defeat in the second Doclean-Byzantine War. | ||
| Radoslav | Prince | 1146–1148 | Byzantine vassal. Only dynastic member to be mentioned as Prince of Doclea. | ||
| Mihailo III | Prince | 1148–1186 | Byzantine vassal. | ||
Duklja continues as a crownland of Grand Principality of Serbia, under Vukan Nemanjić and Đorđe Nemanjić.
The following monarchs 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) 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).[ citation needed ] 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 from the 16th and 17th centuries have been preserved. [5]
Historians have largely discounted it, though it contains material on the early history of the South Slavs. The work describes the Slavs as a peaceful people imported by the monarchs of the Goths, who invaded the area in the 5th century, but it doesn't attempt to elaborate on how and when this happened. Furthermore, it mentions Bosnia (Bosnam) and Rascia (Rassa) as the two Serbian lands, while describing the southern Dalmatian Zahumlje, Travunia and Duklja (most of today's Herzegovina, Montenegro, as well as parts of Croatia and Albania) as Croatian lands in the Early Middle Ages. These claims contradict the Byzantine work De Administrando Imperio and other contemporary sources.
Various inaccurate or simply false claims 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 Rudger is supposed to have been the Archbishop.
| Name | Notes | Genealogy |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Some historians identify him with Peter of Diokleia (whose seal belong to the 10th or 11th century) which would make Petrislav the earliest ruler whose existence is confirmed by primary historical sources. [6] According to the chronicle, after his father's death, the rule was divided among his three sons: Petrislav ruled Zeta, while Dragimir ruled Travunia and Zachumlia (to the west), and Miroslav ruled Podgoria (to the north). After the youngest brother Miroslav died, Petrislav, as the oldest, inherited his land, thus bringing the whole of Duklja (Zeta and Podgoria) under his rule. [7] Petrislav was buried in the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Krajina. He was succeeded by his son Jovan Vladimir. [6] | |
| After Jovan Vladimir (fl. 998) | ||
| 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 | ||
The House of Vlastimirović was the first Serbian royal dynasty, named after Prince Vlastimir, who was recognized by the Byzantine Empire. The dynasty was established with the Unknown Archon, who ruled during the reign of Emperor Heraclius (610–641). The Vlastimirović dynasty ruled in Serbia until the 940s/960s, when some of the Serbian lands were annexed by the Byzantine Empire.
Časlav was Prince of the Serbs from c. 933 until his death in c. 943/960.
The House of Vojislavljević was a Serbian medieval dynasty, named after archon Stefan Vojislav, who wrested the polities of Duklja, Travunia, Zahumlje, inner Serbia and Bosnia from the Byzantines in the mid-11th century. His successors, kings Mihailo I Vojislavljević and Constantine Bodin expanded and consolidated the state. During the 12th century, the main line of the Vojislavljević family was ousted by their cadet branch, the Vukanović. (which became the Nemanjić dynasty), in the late 12th century.
Mihailo Vojislavljević was a medieval Serbian king and the ruler of Dioclea (Duklja), from 1046 to 1081 initially as a Byzantine vassal holding the title of protospatharios, then after 1077 as nominally serving Pope Gregory VII, addressed as "King of the Slavs". He had alienated himself from the Byzantines when he supported a Bulgarian Uprising of Georgi Voyteh, after which he then sought to gain support in the West. In 1077 he received a royal insignia by Gregory VII in the aftermath of the Church schism of 1054.
Dobroslav II was King of Duklja, between 1101 and 1102.
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Vladimir II was King of Duklja from 1103 to 1113. He was a son of prince Vladimir, the oldest son of King Mihailo I of Duklja, and thus a nephew of King Constantine Bodin. He married a daughter of Vukan, the Grand Prince of Serbia, thereby ending rivalries between the two polities. Vladimir had been appointed the rule of Duklja by his father-in-law Vukan, after the death of his uncle, former King Kočopar, in Zahumlje. He was poisoned in 1118 on the orders of Queen-Dowager Jaquinta, the widow of his uncle, Constantine Bodin. Jaquinta soon appointed her son, George, to the throne.
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Grubeša Branislavljević was a medieval king and the ruler of Duklja from 1118 to 1125. After the Byzantine Empire defeated King George I of Duklja in 1118, Grubeša assumed the throne as a Byzantine protégé. The Byzantines entitled Grubeša the rule in Duklja, as well as providing him with an army that he would command against George, who was backed by the Grand Principality of Serbia under the rule of the Vukanović dynasty. Grubeša reigned until his death in 1125, when he was defeated by George. He is buried at the Church of Saint George in Bar.
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Radoslav was the Prince of Duklja from c. 1146 to c. 1149. As the oldest son, he succeeded as ruler of Duklja after the death of his father, Gradinja in c. 1146. He was installed by Manuel I Komnenos upon a visit to Constantinople to pay homage to the Emperor. Unlike his father who was a titular king, Radoslav had the title of Prince (knez). Radoslav began his rule at a time when the Serbs of Raška had ambitions towards Duklja.
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