Zaharija Pribislavljević
Encyclopedia
Zaharija Pribislavljević or Zaharija of Serbia was Prince of the Serbs from 922 to 924. He defeated his cousin Pavle in 922, ruling Serbia for two years.
Zaharija was the son of Pribislav, the eldest son of Mutimir
(r. 851-891) of the first Serbian dynasty
(ruling since the early 7th century).
, returns from exile and defeats him in battle, ruling Serbia from 892 to 817. Pribislav fled to Croatia with his brothers Bran
and Stefan. Bran later returned and led an unsuccessful rebellion against Petar in 894. Bran was defeated, captured and blinded (blinding
was a Byzantine tradition that meant to disqualify a person to take the throne
). Pribislav lived in Constantinople
.
The Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars made de facto the First Bulgarian Empire
the most powerful Empire of Southeastern Europe. The Bulgarians won after invading at the right time, they met little resistance in the north because of the Byzantines
fighting the Arabs in Anatolia
and after several battle victories Simeon I of Bulgaria
ends winning. Petar switches sides to the Byzantines and is deposed and sent to Bulgaria, Pavle Branović
is instated by the Bulgarians in 917, ruling until 920-921.
, where Symeon besieged cities. In 921, Pavle is won over to the Byzantines, he begins to prepare an attack on Bulgaria. Symeon was interrupted during the campaign and was warned, he spares a few troops, sending them with Zaharija, promising the throne if he would defeat Pavle. The intervention was successful; Zaharija gains hold of Serbia by spring 922. Once again, a Bulgarian ally was at the Serbian throne, but not for long.
Zaharija, who had long lived in Constantinople where he had been heavily influenced by the Byzantines, he probably resented the Bulgarians after his capture, and was not truly won over. It was natural that the Serbs were pro-Byzantine and anti-Bulgarian; the Byzantines were distant and offered greater independence, while the powerful Bulgaria interfered with its neighbour. Zaharija resumed his original alliance with the Byzantine Empire.
Zaharija started to unite several Slavic tribes along the common border to rebel against Bulgaria. In 923, Symeon sent an insufficient number of troops to quell the rebels; several Bulgarian generals were killed, their heads and weapons were sent by Zaharija as gifts to the Byzantines. After Symeon had failed to attract the Fatimids to ally him in a naval siege on Constantinople, and lost the battle against Zaharija, he decided to meet with Romanus. In September 923, Symeon arrived at Constantinople, demanding a meeting with the Emperor. During the meeting Romanus managed to stir up Symeon, asking how the Bulgarian could live with so much blood on his hands. Peace was discussed, but Symeon left before any terms were signed or sweared. Presumably Symeon wanted keep the Greeks at peace so that he could tackle the Serbian problem in Zaharija.
In 924, a large Bulgarian army is sent into Serbia, led by Časlav
, his second cousin. The army ravages a good part of Serbia, forcing Zaharija to flee to Croatia. Symeon summoned all Serbian dukes, to pay homage to their new Prince, but instead of instating Časlav, he takes them all captive, annexing Serbia. Bulgaria now considerably expands its borders; neighbouring ally Michael of Zahumlje and Croatia, where Zaharija is exiled. Croatia at this time had its most powerful leaders in history, Tomislav.
Časlav takes the throne with Byzantine aid in 927, ruling Serbia until 950s. No more is heard of Zaharija.
Zaharija was the son of Pribislav, the eldest son of Mutimir
Mutimir of Serbia
Mutimir of Serbia was Prince of the Serbs from ca 850 until 891. He defeated the Bulgar Army, allied himself with the Byzantine Emperor and ruled the First Serbian Principality when the Christianization of the Serbs took place and the Eparchy of Ras was established.He was the eldest son of Knez...
(r. 851-891) of the first Serbian dynasty
House of Vlastimirovic
The Vlastimirović Dynasty was the first Serbian royal dynasty, named after Prince Vlastimir , who was recognized by the Byzantine Empire.The dynasty starts with the Unknown Archont, who ruled during Emperor Heraclius ....
(ruling since the early 7th century).
Early
His father, Pribislav, ruled Serbia 891-892 until his nephew, Petar, the son of GojnikGojnik
Gojnik Vlastimirović or Gojnik of Serbia was a Serbian Župan who was subject to his elder brother Mutimir, the Grand Župan of the Serbian lands from ca. 850-860 with his brother Strojimir...
, returns from exile and defeats him in battle, ruling Serbia from 892 to 817. Pribislav fled to Croatia with his brothers Bran
Bran Mutimirović
Bran Mutimirović was a Serbian royalty, son of Serbian ruler Mutimir.He and Stefan escorted Khan Boris to the Rascian-Bulgar border after the Serbs successfully fought off the Khan's army in an attempted revenge to the defeat of Presian years earlier by their grandfather Vlastimir...
and Stefan. Bran later returned and led an unsuccessful rebellion against Petar in 894. Bran was defeated, captured and blinded (blinding
Blinding
Blinding can refer to:*The act of making someone blind**Metaphorical and extended uses of same: see blindness#Metaphorical uses*Blinding , a technique by which an agent can provide a service to a client in an encoded form without knowing either the real input or the real output*Blinding , a novel...
was a Byzantine tradition that meant to disqualify a person to take the throne
Political mutilation in Byzantine culture
Mutilation in the Byzantine Empire was a common method of punishment for criminals of the era but it also had a role in the Empire's political life. The mutilation of political rivals by the Emperor was deemed an effective way of sidelining from the line of succession a person who was seen as a...
). Pribislav lived in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
.
The Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars made de facto the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
the most powerful Empire of Southeastern Europe. The Bulgarians won after invading at the right time, they met little resistance in the north because of the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
fighting the Arabs in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and after several battle victories Simeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
ends winning. Petar switches sides to the Byzantines and is deposed and sent to Bulgaria, Pavle Branović
Pavle Branović
Pavle Branović or Pavle of Serbia was Prince of the Serbs from 917 to 921. He was put on the throne by the Bulgarian Tsar Symeon I of Bulgaria, who had murdered the previous Prince Petar, who had become a Byzantine ally. Pavle ruled for 4 years, before being defeated by Prince Zaharija, his...
is instated by the Bulgarians in 917, ruling until 920-921.
Rule
Zaharija is sent in 920 by Romanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944) to retake the throne (as the rightful pretender) but is captured by Pavle, and sent to Symeon in Bulgaria. After this, the Byzantines sends envoys to Pavle, trying to make him a Byzantine ally, in the meantime, the Bulgarian starts to indoctrinate Zaharija. The Byzantines seem to have given much gold to Pavle in order to win him over, showing the danger of a strong Bulgaria against Serbia. The Bulgarian troops were concentrated in ThraceThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
, where Symeon besieged cities. In 921, Pavle is won over to the Byzantines, he begins to prepare an attack on Bulgaria. Symeon was interrupted during the campaign and was warned, he spares a few troops, sending them with Zaharija, promising the throne if he would defeat Pavle. The intervention was successful; Zaharija gains hold of Serbia by spring 922. Once again, a Bulgarian ally was at the Serbian throne, but not for long.
Zaharija, who had long lived in Constantinople where he had been heavily influenced by the Byzantines, he probably resented the Bulgarians after his capture, and was not truly won over. It was natural that the Serbs were pro-Byzantine and anti-Bulgarian; the Byzantines were distant and offered greater independence, while the powerful Bulgaria interfered with its neighbour. Zaharija resumed his original alliance with the Byzantine Empire.
Zaharija started to unite several Slavic tribes along the common border to rebel against Bulgaria. In 923, Symeon sent an insufficient number of troops to quell the rebels; several Bulgarian generals were killed, their heads and weapons were sent by Zaharija as gifts to the Byzantines. After Symeon had failed to attract the Fatimids to ally him in a naval siege on Constantinople, and lost the battle against Zaharija, he decided to meet with Romanus. In September 923, Symeon arrived at Constantinople, demanding a meeting with the Emperor. During the meeting Romanus managed to stir up Symeon, asking how the Bulgarian could live with so much blood on his hands. Peace was discussed, but Symeon left before any terms were signed or sweared. Presumably Symeon wanted keep the Greeks at peace so that he could tackle the Serbian problem in Zaharija.
In 924, a large Bulgarian army is sent into Serbia, led by Časlav
Caslav Klonimirovic
Časlav Klonimirović or Časlav of Serbia was Prince of the Serbs from ca. 927 until his death in 960. He significantly expanded the Serbian Principality when he managed to unite several Slavic tribes, stretching his realm over the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the Sava river and the Morava valley...
, his second cousin. The army ravages a good part of Serbia, forcing Zaharija to flee to Croatia. Symeon summoned all Serbian dukes, to pay homage to their new Prince, but instead of instating Časlav, he takes them all captive, annexing Serbia. Bulgaria now considerably expands its borders; neighbouring ally Michael of Zahumlje and Croatia, where Zaharija is exiled. Croatia at this time had its most powerful leaders in history, Tomislav.
Časlav takes the throne with Byzantine aid in 927, ruling Serbia until 950s. No more is heard of Zaharija.
Sources
- De Administrando Imperio by Constantine PorphyrogenitusConstantine VIIConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
, edited by Gy. Moravcsik and translated by R. J. H. Jenkins, Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, Washington D. C., 1993 - J. B. Bury, History of the Eastern Empire from the Fall of Irene to the Accession of Basil: A.D. 802-867. ISBN 1605204218, 9781605204215. Google Books
- Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-89452-4.
- Ćorović, VladimirVladimir CorovicVladimir Ćorović was a 20th-century Serbian historian, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts . He is best known for his many acclaimed works on the history of Serbs and Yugoslavia.-Early:...
, Istorija srpskog naroda, Book I, (In Serbian) Electric Book, Rastko Electronic Book, Antikvarneknjige (Cyrillic)- Drugi Period, IV: Pokrštavanje Južnih Slovena
- Istorija Srpskog Naroda, Srbi između Vizantije, Hrvatske i Bugarske
- The Serbs, ISBN 0631204717, 9780631204718. Wiley-Blackwell, 2004, Google Books.
- Tibor Živković, Portreti srpskih vladara (IX—XII), Beograd, 2006 (ISBN 86-17-13754-1), p. 11
- Forging Unity The South Slavs between East and West 550-1150
- Ferjančić, B. 1997, "Basile I et la restauration du pouvoir byzantin au IXème siècle", Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta, no. 36, pp. 9–30.