 | The accessibility of this article is in question. The specific issue is: screen readers can not read colors. Ensure that colors in tables are not the only method used to communicate important information. Words as the primary means of communication should be given greater precedence over colors.. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. (August 2023) |
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" | ? | He was an archon of Duklja in the 10th or 11th 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.
Kočapar was the knez or župan of Duklja, a Serbian state, briefly in 1102–03 under the suzerainty of Vukan, Grand Prince of Serbia. He was the son of Branislav, the Prince of Duklja. Following Bodin's death in 1101, Bodin's half-brother Dobroslav II succeeded him as king of Doclea. Kočopar, Bodin's first cousin once removed, travelled from Dyrrhachium to Serbia, forging an alliance with Vukan. This alliance would prove worthy in their successful invasion of Duklja in 1102. The battle that ensued at the Morača led to the overthrow of Dobroslav II and the coronation of Kočapar to the throne. Dobroslav was subsequently banished to Serbia and a large part of Dalmatia was pillaged in the process. Vukan gave Kočapar Duklja as a fief. The two would soon brake, with Vukan, sending a squad to Doclea (city), forcing Kočapar to flee to Bosnia and then Zahumlje where he also died.
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.
The Archdiocese of Bar is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Montenegro. It is centred in the city of Bar. It was erected as a diocese in the 9th century and elevated to an archdiocese in 1089. The Archbishopric was by the Pope's decree abolished some time after 1140, until it was restored by the Serbian medieval Nemanjić dynasty in 1199.
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.
Mihailo II was the King of Duklja from 1101 to 1102. He was the eldest son of King Constantine Bodin of Duklja and Queen Jaquinta. He succeeded his father on the throne of Duklja, but soon lost ground to cousins, pretenders to the throne. Left without support, he abdicated and retreated to monastery.
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.
Gradinja or Gradihna was the ruler of Duklja, from either 1131 to 1142 or 1135 to 1146. Gradinja is one of many persons mentioned only in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja (CPD), not found in Byzantine sources as the other Serbian rulers and royalty. Gradinja was the son of Dukljan prince Branislav, and the brother of Grubeša, the former ruler.
Pomorje, also known as the Lands of Pomorje, is a medieval term, used in Byzantine title, and at end of the 12th century, during the reign of Stefan Nemanja (1166–1196), inherited by Serbian monarchs, thus becoming part of the Serbian title, whose rulers were styled with the title: "crowned king and autocrat of all Serbian and coastal lands".
The Vukanović dynasty, was a medieval Serbian dynasty that ruled over inner Serbia, centered in the Raška region, during the 11th and 12th century. Several members of the Vukanović dynasty also ruled in some other regions. The house may have descended from the Vojislavljević dynasty of Duklja. Vukanović dynasty was later succeeded in Serbia by the closely related Nemanjić dynasty.
Prosigoj was a Serbian ruler believed to have ruled prior to c. 830. Serbia was a Slavic principality subject to the Byzantine Empire, located in the western Balkans, bordering with Bulgaria in the east. Mentioned in the De Administrando Imperio (DAI) from the mid-10th century, he succeeded his father Radoslav and was succeeded by his son Vlastimir.
Dragimir or Dragomir (Драгомир) was Serbian ruler of Travunia and Zachlumia, medieval Serbian principalities located in present-day regions of Herzegovina and south Dalmatia, from an unknown date before 1000 to 1018.
The Catepanate of Ras was a province (catepanate) of the Byzantine Empire, established around 971 in central regions of early medieval Serbia, during the rule of Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes (969–976). The catepanate was named after the fortified town of Ras, eponymous for the historical region of Raška. The province was short-lived, and collapsed soon after 976, following the Byzantine retreat from the region after the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.
Tihomir of Raška was a Serbian nobleman, mentioned in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, who served as the Grand Prince of Raška, from around 960 to 969. Raška is anachronistic reference to the Principality of Serbia.
Administrative divisions of medieval Serbia refer to regional administrative divisions of Medieval Serbia, from the 7th to the 15 the century.
Tibor Živković was a Serbian historian and Byzantinist who specialised in the period of the Early Middle Ages.