Rascia

{{dablink|For the first Serbian Principality (610-960), see [[Principality of Serbia (medieval)]]. For the Serbian Principality (1101-1217), see [[Serbian Grand Principality]]. For other uses, see '''[[Raška, Serbia|Raška]]'''.}} '''Rascia''' ({{lang-sr|Рашка; '''''Raška'''''}}) was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the [[Serbia]]n realm. It was an [[administrative division]] under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages. It was the [[crownland]], seat or [[appanage]] of the following states: *[[Principality of Serbia (medieval)|Serbian Principality]] (768-960), crownland; seat of state and religious see ([[Eparchy of Raška and Prizren]]) *[[Catepanate of Serbia]] and [[Theme of Sirmium]] (960-1043), Byzantine province *[[Grand Principality of Duklja]] (1043-1101), crownland; appanage *[[Serbian Grand Principality]] (1101-1217), crownland *[[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Serbian Kingdom]] (1217-1345), crownland *[[Serbian Empire]] (1345-1371), crownland *[[Serbian Despotate]], crownland It had parts of present-day southern Serbia (with [[Kosovo]]), northern [[Montenegro]], eastern [[Herzegovina]]. ==Name== {{main|Names of Serbia}} The state(s) anachronistically called Raška were first known collectively as ''Serbia''. The name ''Rascia'' is used by modern historiography to refer to the mainland region (known in Serbian as the ''hinterlands'', in contrast to [[Pomorje|the maritime regions]] of the [[Adriatic]] coast) of the Principality of Serbia inhabited and ruled by Serbs; the seat of the early medieval state of Serbia. It may be used to describe the Serbian realm from 610-960. It is mainly used to describe Serbia from 1101 up to [[Stefan Nemanja]] (1166–1196) and the forming of [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|the Serbian Kingdom]] in 1217. "Rascia" continued to serve as an [[exonym]] for Serbia in [[Western Europe]]an sources since late 12th century, along with other names such as ''Servia'' and ''Slavonia''. The name is derived from the name of the region's most important fort, '''[[Stari Ras|Ras]]''' which first appears in the work ''de aedificiis'' of Byzantine [[Procopius]] as ''Arsa'' prior to the forming of Serbia. Ras eventually became the [[capital district]] and seat of the first [[Diocese|bishopric]] of Serbia ([[Eparchy of Raška and Prizren|Bishopric of Ras]], ''Raška episkopija''). The name of the bishopric eventually started to denote the entire area under jurisdiction and later, under [[Stefan Nemanja]], Ras was re-generated as state capital and the name spread to the entire land. The first attested appearance of the name Raška is in a charter from [[Kotor]] dated to 1186, in which Stefan Nemanja is mentioned as ''[[župan]] of Rascia'' (Prince of Serbia). Soon after Rascia became one of the common names for Serbia in western sources ([[Papacy]], German, Italian, French etc.) often in conjunction with, Serbia (''Servia et Rascia''). However, ''Rascia'' appears scarcely in Serbian and never in Byzantine works to denote the state. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, the term ''Raška'' (''Rascia'', ''Ráczság'') was used to designate the southern [[Pannonian Plain]] inhabited by Serbs (''[[Raci]]''), who settled there during the Great Serb migrations from [[medieval Serbia]], "''[[Rác (surname)|Rácz]]''" has survived as a common surname in [[Hungary]]. ===In "''Administration of the Empire''"=== In [[Constantine Porphyrogenitus]]' ''[[De Administrando Imperio]]'', Ras is mentioned as an important town of Serbia under [[Časlav of Serbia|Časlav Klonimirović]] (927–960) near its border with the [[First Bulgarian Empire]]. Constantine's Serbia is often identified as Raška by modern historiography to differentiate it from the other provinces ruled by the Serbs: [[Zachlumia|Zahumlje]], [[Travunia]], [[Duklja]], [[Bosnia (region)|Bosna]] and [[Pagania]]. Porphyrogenitus uses ''Serbia'' as a name for the mainland regions of Rascia; and Bosnia, although the name comes to denote "all of Serbian lands". ===Sources=== * Vladimir Ćorović, Ilustrovana istorija Srba, knjige 1–6, Beograd, 2005–2006. * Sima M. Ćirković, Srbi među evropskim narodima, Beograd, 2004. * Tim Judah, ''The Serbs'', Belgrade, 2000/2003 {{refend}} {{Serbian states}} {{coord missing|Serbia}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Rascia, Raska}}