Editing List of Serbian monarchs (section)

==Early medieval Serbian states (7th century–1166)==
{{further|Serbia in the Middle Ages}}

===Vlastimirović dynasty (7th century–960)===
{{main|Vlastimirović dynasty|Principality of Serbia (early medieval)}}
{|class="wikitable" align="right" |
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|[[File:Seal of Strojimir.gif|100px]] 
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! [[Vlastimirović dynasty|Vlastimirović]] 
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The [[Vlastimirović dynasty]] was the first royal dynasty of the [[Serb people]]. [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Constantine VII|Constantine VII ''Porphyrogenitus'']] (r. 913–959) mentions that the Serbian throne is inherited by ''the son'', i.e. the first-born,<ref name=Zivkovic11>{{harvnb|Živković|2006|p=11}}</ref> though in his enumeration of Serbian monarchs, on one occasion there was a [[triumvirate]].<ref name=Zivkovic21>{{harvnb|Živković|2006|p=21}} ,, {{harvnb|Fine|1991|p=141}}</ref> The Serbs established several polities by the 10th century: ''Serbia'' or ''Zagorje'' (''hinterlands'') which consisted of Serbia and small land of [[Bosnia (early medieval)|Bosnia]]; and ''[[Pomorje]]'' (''maritime'') which consisted of [[Duklja|Dioclea]], [[Zahumlje|Zachlumia]], [[Pagania]], [[Travunia]] (including [[Kanalites|Kanalitai]]). The Serbian ruler was titled ''[[knyaz]]'' or ''archon'' by the [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantines]], "prince".

The history of the dynasty starts with the eponymous founder [[Vlastimir]]. This era is marked by the [[Christianization#Christianization|Christianization of Serbs]], the many internal and external wars ([[Bulgars]], [[Magyars]]), and the power struggle between the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] and the [[Byzantine Empire]] in which [[Principality of Serbia (early medieval)|Serbia]] found itself in the middle. The history of this dynasty ends with the annexation of Serbia in 969.

{| class="wikitable"
|--
! Ruler
! Reign
! Notes
|--
| {{center|''[[Unknown Archon]]''}} || {{floruit}} 610–641 || One of the two sons of an unnamed "king" of [[White Serbia]] (assumed to be [[Dervan (duke)|Dervan]]),<ref>{{cite book|author=Sava S. Vujić, Bogdan M. Basarić|title=Severni Srbi (ne)zaboravljeni narod|location=Beograd|year=1998|page=40}}</ref> he led "half of his folk" to the Balkans and was given land by [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Heraclius]] (r. 610–641), upon receiving his protection (most likely before 626). He is said to have died long before the [[Bulgars|Bulgar]] invasion (681).
|--
| colspan=4 style="text-align:center;" | Two or three generations pass without any information.
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| {{center|[[Višeslav of Serbia|Višeslav]]}} || {{circa}} 780 || A descendant of the Unknown Archon, he lived during the rule of [[Frankish King]] [[Charlemagne]], and ruled the hereditary lands, ''[[župe]]'' ("counties, districts") around [[Tara (mountain)|Tara]], [[Piva, Montenegro|Piva]], and [[Lim (Croatia)|Lim]]. He united some Slavic tribes, forming the [[Principality of Serbia (early medieval)|first Serbian principality]].
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| {{center|[[Radoslav of Serbia|Radoslav]]}} || rowspan=2 | <830 || rowspan=2 | Son of Višeslav, he or his son Prosigoj are believed to have ruled during the time in which the [[Royal Frankish Annals]] speak of [[Ljudevit Posavski]] revolting against the [[Franks]] (ca. 819–822), during which time is said that the Serbs held a great part of [[Dalmatia (Roman province)|Dalmatia]].<ref name=ECM>''Eginhartus de vita et gestis Caroli Magni'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=kDrP2Y1lH-sC&pg=PA192 p. 192]: footnote J10</ref><ref name=SS29>{{cite book|title=Serbian Studies|volume=2-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IXVpAAAAMAAJ&q=sorabos|year=1982|publisher=North American Society for Serbian Studies|page=29|quote=...the Serbs, a people that is said to hold a large part of Dalmatia}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dutton |first=Paul Edward |date=1993 |title=Carolingian Civilization: A Reader |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tNFnAAAAMAAJ |publisher=[[Broadview Press]] |page=181 |isbn=9781551110035 |quote=...who are said to hold a great part of Dalmatia}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Djokić |first=Dejan |author-link=Dejan Djokić (historian)|date=2023 |title=A Concise History of Serbia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3k6hEAAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |page=61 |isbn=9781107028388 |quote='a people that is said to hold a large part of Dalmatia'. This was a reference to the ancient Roman province of Dalmatia, which extended deep into the western Balkan interior, from the eastern Adriatic coast to the valleys of the Ibar and Sava Rivers.}}</ref> At this time, there was peace with the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]].
|--
| {{center|[[Prosigoj]]}}
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| {{center|[[Vlastimir]]}} || {{circa}} 830&ndash;850 || Son of [[Prosigoj]]. He is the eponymous founder of the [[Vlastimirović dynasty]]. He defeated the Bulgars in a [[Bulgar–Serb War (839–842)|three-year war]] against [[Khan (title)|Khan]] [[Presian of Bulgaria|Presian]]. Vlastimir had three sons (Mutimir, [[Strojimir]] and [[Gojnik]]) and one daughter. His daughter married [[Krajina Belojević|Krajina]], who received the [[fief]] of [[Travunia]].
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| {{center|[[Mutimir of Serbia|Mutimir]]}} || 850&ndash;891 || Eldest son of Vlastimir. Mutimir was the supreme ruler, with his two younger brothers (Gojnik and Strojimir) being subordinate to him. They successfully fought off an attack by Bulgarian Prince [[Vladimir of Bulgaria|Vladimir-Rasate]] sent by Vladimir's father [[knyaz]] [[Boris I of Bulgaria]] (r. 852–889) during the [[Bulgar–Serb War (853)|Bulgar-Serb war of 853]]. Gojnik and Strojimir later revolted against Mutimir, who exiled them to Boris in [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] in 855–856, securing brief peace between the two nations. Byzantine emperor [[Basil I the Macedonian]] sent missionaries to Serbia by 869. The [[Eparchy of Ras]] was established by 871, as the bishopric of Serbs.
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| {{center|[[Pribislav of Serbia|Pribislav]]}} || 891&ndash;892 || He was the eldest son of [[Mutimir]]. Pribislav ruled briefly until 892 when [[Petar Gojniković]], his cousin, returned and defeated him in battle. Pribislav fled with his two brothers ([[Bran Mutimirović|Bran]] and [[Stefan Mutimirović|Stefan]]) and son, [[Zaharije Pribisavljević|Zaharije]], to [[Duchy of Croatia|Croatia]].
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| {{center|[[Petar of Serbia|Petar]]}} || 892&ndash;917 || Son of [[Gojnik]], born in ca. 870. His name (Peter) symbolizes [[Christianization#Christianization|Christianization of the Serbs]]. He returned from exile and deposed Pribislav in 892. He later caught Bran in 895 under an attempted coup and blinded him, and then in 897 he killed [[Klonimir]], the son of Strojimir, in yet another attempted coup. Petar re-gained [[Bosnia]] and annexed [[Pagania]]. He was in conflict with [[Mihailo Višević]], the ruler of Zahumlje (917&ndash;935), who would warn [[Simeon I of Bulgaria]] of a possible alliance between Serbia and the [[Byzantine Greeks|Byzantines]]. Petar defeated Pavle, the son of Bran, who was sent by Simeon I of Bulgaria. In 917, Simeon's generals tricked and captured Peter, sending him to prison in [[First Bulgarian Empire]], where he died within a year.
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| {{center|[[Pavle of Serbia|Pavle]]}} || 917&ndash;921 || Son of [[Bran Mutimirović]], born in ca. 870–874. He was sent with an army to Serbia in 917, but was defeated by Petar. After Petar was deposed, Pavle took the throne. He defeats Zaharija, the son of Pribislav, sent by the Byzantines in 920. He was initially vassal to Simeon I of Bulgaria, later he switched to the [[Byzantine Empire]]. Zaharija, now sent by the [[Bulgarians]], defeats him in 921.
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| {{center|[[Zaharija of Serbia|Zaharija]]}} || 921&ndash;924  || Son of Pribislav. Zaharije was sent in 920 by the Byzantines to retake the throne, but was captured by Pavle and handed over to Simeon I of Bulgaria who held him hostage for future tactics. In the meantime, Pavle switched sides to the Byzantines; Simeon dispatched Zaharija who managed to defeat Pavle and then betrayed Simeon by supporting the Byzantines. Zaharija defeated the Bulgarian army in 923, when he sent two heads and weapons of Bulgarian generals as trophies to [[Constantinople]]. In 924, a much larger army was sent by the Bulgarians, led by [[Časlav Klonimirović]], Zaharija's second cousin. Časlav won the battle and Zaharija fled to Croatia. Simeon gathered all Serbian counts, and instead of instating Časlav, he arrested them and sent them as captives to Bulgaria, [[Bulgarian–Serbian wars of 917–924|annexing Serbia]].
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| colspan=4 | {{center|[[Principality of Serbia (early medieval)|Serbia]] was annexed by the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] (924&ndash;927)}}
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|{{center|[[Časlav of Serbia|Časlav]]}} || 933&ndash;943/960 || Born to [[Klonimir]]. Defeated Zaharija in 924, after which he was attacked by Simeon I of Bulgaria who annexed the Serbian tribes. He returned and liberated and united the tribes from Bulgaria. According to the semi-mythical account from the ''[[Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja]]'', certain Ciaslavus [[Hungarian-Serbian War (c. 960)|defeated the Magyars]], but was later captured and drowned by them. His son-in-law [[Tihomir of Rascia|Tihomir]], who had held the [[Drina]] county, succeeded him as ruler of Serbia (the relation with Ciaslavus and those events remains disputable). The state is believed to have disintegrated, and becoming annexed by the Byzantines and Bulgaria.
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|{{center|[[Tihomir of Raška|Tihomir]]}} || 960&ndash;969 ||
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| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| [[Principality of Serbia (early medieval)|Serbia]] was annexed by the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] ([[Catepanate of Ras]] fl. 969–976), and ruled by [[List of strategoi of Serbia|strategoi]].<br>The Serbian principality was succeeded by the principality of [[Duklja]].
|}

===Vojislavljević dynasty (1018–1186)===
{{main|Vojislavljević dynasty|Duklja}}
With the partial annexation of Serbia, the county around the city of [[Doclea (city)|Doclea]] emerges into a Principality, where the leaders adopt the title ''archon of Serbs'', signifying supreme leadership among Serbs, alongside their given offices under Byzantine overlordship. The first office-holder was [[Peter of Diokleia]], of which we only have a seal found in the 19th century. The next known is [[Jovan Vladimir]], who became a Bulgarian vassal. [[Stefan Vojislav]] succeeds in giving the realm independence, he is the eponymous founder of the Vojislavljevići that ruled [[Duklja]] from the early 11th century up to the 1180s.

{|class="wikitable"
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! Picture
! <sup>Title</sup>Name
! Reign
! Notes
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|[[File:Peter of Diokleia.jpg|80px]] || <sup>Archon</sup><br>[[Peter of Diokleia|Peter]] || 10th century || Peter 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 [[monogram]]s. 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 Empire|Byzantine rule]], or if not authority, [[Byzantine culture|influence]].<ref>{{Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art|volume=5|page=155}}</ref> 
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|[[File:JovanVladimirSlika.jpg|80px]] || <sup>Prince</sup><br>[[Jovan Vladimir]] || {{circa}}1000–1016 || Jovan fought to protect Duklja from Bulgarian expansion, making an alliance with Byzantium; [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgaria]] however conquered Doclea in 997 and took Jovan Vladimir prisoner. Jovan ruled Duklja as a vassal of the Bulgarian empire until his murder in 1016.
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| || <sup>Prince</sup><br>[[Stefan Vojislav]] || 1018–1043 || 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 Doclea, his realm included [[Travunia]] with [[Konavli]] and [[Zachumlia]].
|--
|<!-- [[File:|80px]] --> || <sup>Queen</sup><br>[[Neda (Princess)|Neda]] || 1043–1046 || As queen, she co-ruled with her sons, the princes.
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|[[File:Srpski kralj Mihajlo lik.jpg|80px]] || <sup>King<br>↑Prince</sup><br>[[Mihailo I of Duklja|Mihailo Vojislavljević]] || 1046–1081 || 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 [[Uprising of Georgi Voyteh|Byzantine Slavic revolt in 1071–72]], 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 [[East-West Schism|Church schism of 1054]].
<br><small>'''note:''' Serbia is liberated from Byzantine rule and restored into the Serbian realm of Doclea, with Duklja being the seat.</small>
|--
| || <sup>King (titular)</sup><br>[[Constantine Bodin]] || 1081&ndash;1101 || Son of Michael. He was crowned '[[Tsar of Bulgaria]]' as ''Peter III'' in 1072, after being chosen by Bulgarian nobles through his [[Cometopuli]] lineage, he was sent off with an army that would conquer parts of southern Serbia and Macedonia. He was captured and sent to Constantinople, where he spent several years. He was rescued in 1078 by Venetian sailors, and in 1081 he succeeds his father as King. He enlarged his influence, installing his nephews and other family in Bosnia and Serbia. He is captured by the Byzantines in the 1090s, and continues as a mere Byzantine vassal.
<br><small>'''note:''' Doclea is continued with a number of Byzantine and Serbian vassals (until 1146) - see [[List of rulers of Duklja]].</small>
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||| <sup>King (titular)</sup><br>[[Dobroslav II]] || 1101&ndash;1102 || Overthrown by [[Vukan, Grand Prince of Serbia|Vukan]] and [[Kočapar]].
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| || [[Kočapar]] || 1102&ndash;1103 || Brought to power by Vukan of Serbia. Killed in battle against [[Zachlumia]].
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| || [[Vladimir II of Duklja|Vladimir II]] || 1103&ndash;1113 || Married daughter of Vukan of Serbia. He was poisoned by his cousin [[Đorđe Bodinović|Đorđe I]].
|--
| || [[Đorđe Bodinović|Đorđe I]] || 1113&ndash;1118 || Son of Constantine Bodin. Đorđe was overthrown by [[Uroš I, Grand Prince of Serbia|Uroš I]] in 1118.
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| || [[Grubeša]] || 1118&ndash;1125 || Overthrew Đorđe with the help of the Byzantines.
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| || [[Đorđe Bodinović|Đorđe I]] || 1125&ndash;1131 || Second rule.
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| || <sup>Prince</sup><br>[[Gradinja]] || 1131&ndash;1146 || Appointed to Doclean throne by Byzantines after Đorđe's defeat in the second war against Byzantines.
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| || <sup>Prince</sup><br>[[Radoslav of Duklja|Radoslav]] || 1146&ndash;1148 || Byzantine vassal. Only dynastic member to be mentioned as Prince of Doclea.
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| || <sup>Prince</sup><br>[[Mihailo III of Duklja|Mihailo III]] || 1148&ndash;1186 || Byzantine vassal.
|}

===Vukanović dynasty (1091–1166)===
{{main|Vukanović dynasty|Grand Principality of Serbia}}
In the mid-11th century, [[Mihailo I of Duklja|Mihailo I]] had liberated Serbia from Byzantine rule, and appointed his son [[Petrislav of Rascia|Petrislav]] to rule as Prince, independently. In 1083, [[Constantine Bodin]] appoints brothers Vukan and Marko, sons of Petrislav, as rulers of Serbia. In 1089, the Byzantines capture Bodin, and Vukan retains independence, founding the Vukanović dynasty. The Vukanovići quickly claim the following Serbian domains in the following decades, and by 1148, the maritime possessions are united with the inland. The Byzantine Empire at times intervened in the political scene, and at times Serbia had Hungary as its main ally. The dynasty ruled until 1166, when a dynastic branch is instated by the Byzantines.

{|class="wikitable"
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! Ruler
! Reign
! Notes
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Vukan, Grand Prince of Serbia|Vukan]] || 1091–1112 || Vukan was the son of [[Petrislav of Rascia|Petrislav]], the Prince of Serbia and son of [[Mihailo I of Duklja|Mihailo I]], that held the office from ca 1060. In 1083, Constantine Bodin appoints Vukan to the supreme rule of Serbia, while Vukan's brother [[Marko Vojislavljević|Marko]] administrated a part of the land, most likely the frontier region in the north. After the Byzantine campaign against Duklja in 1089, and the subsequent civil war, Vukan asserted independence, ruling as ''Grand Prince'', becoming the most powerful Serb ruler as of ca 1091. He began raiding Byzantine territories in 1090, taking Kosovo, and defeated a Byzantine army in 1092. Vukan made peace with [[Alexios I Komnenos]], after the Emperor had threatened with a larger army. However, Vukan immediately broke the treaty as the Byzantines marched onto the dangerous Cumans in Adrianople. Vukan conquers the cities along the Vardar. In 1095, the Emperor meets Vukan and renews the treaty. Vukan again raided [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], as the [[First Crusade]] began. In 1106 he nominally recognized Alexios I.<br><small>'''Note:''' Serbia is elevated to an independent Grand Principality.</small>
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Uroš I, Grand Prince of Serbia|Uroš I]] || 1112–1145 || Uroš I was the son of either Vukan or Marko. In the treaty concluded between Vukan and Alexios I in 1095, Uroš I and Vukan became "guarantors of peace", as hostages to the Byzantines. Uroš succeeds the throne when Vukan dies. In ca 1130, he married his daughter, Jelena, to King [[Béla II of Hungary]]. Béla II, being blind, relied entirely on Jelena who acted as a co-ruler. In 1137, [[Ladislaus II of Hungary|Ladislaus II]], the son of Béla II and Jelena (the grandson of Uroš), becomes the ''Ban of Bosnia''.
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Uroš II, Grand Prince of Serbia|Uroš II]] || 1145–1162 || Replaced his father at 1131 or around 1140 and ruled until 1155.
<br><small>'''note:''' [[Duklja]] and [[Travunia]] is re-incorporated into the realm.</small>
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Beloš Vukanović|Beloš]] || 1162 || Instated by [[Manuel I Komnenos]].
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Desa of Serbia|Desa]] || 1150&ndash;1155<br>1162&ndash;1166 || Desa took Zeta (Duklja) and Travunia from [[Radoslav of Duklja]] and unified the coastal Serbian Principalities under his firm grip.
|--
| <sup>Grand Prince</sup><br>[[Tihomir of Serbia|Tihomir]] || 1166 || First son of [[Zavida]], exiled Župan of [[Zahumlje]].
|}

After Desa's revolt, in 1165 the Byzantium divided the Serb lands between the four sons of Zavida: Tihomir in Raška, Stracimir in [[Duklja]], Miroslav in [[Zahumlje]] and [[Travunia]], and [[Stefan Nemanja]] in Toplica (in today's central Serbia). Stefan Nemanja rebelled against his eldest brother Tihomir in 1166, who fled with his brothers Stracimir and Miroslav to Byzantium to seek help. But later on, Stefan Nemanja defeated his Greek army of mercenaries in the same year near the town of Pantino on Kosovo in which poor Tihomir drowned in the River of Sitnica. Nemanja captured his other brothers and made peace with them by giving them rule in their former parts of the land to recognise him as the only ruler of Rashka or Serbia. The Nemanjić dynasty was named after Stefan Nemanja and ruled over Serbia until 1371.