Duklja (Zeta) is neither the beginning of Serbian statehood nor the cornerstone of the Nemanjić empire, nor did the Nemanjićs claim this, and Duklja was a separate state that the Nemanjićs conquered, said historian Dragutin Papović.
In an author's text, which was submitted to the media by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), he referred to the claims of Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić, who, among other things, said that the history of "not only Zeta, but also the very core of Serbian statehood" was conceived in the Zeta plain.
Papović also pointed out that, given that Stefan Nemanja was not of Duklja origin, his birth in Ribnica has no significance for the history of Duklja (Zeta), or rather, Montenegro.
"Andrija Mandić, in his congratulatory message on the occasion of the Day of the Municipality of Zeta, stated that the Zeta plain 'was the birthplace of history – not only of Zeta, but of the very core of Serbian statehood'. This is incorrect. Serbia or the Serbian state was not founded in Zeta, but in the area that was named Raška after the city and bishopric of Ras. It was founded in the first half of the 200th century, as evidenced by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in his work 'De administrando imperio', which was composed in the mid-XNUMXth century. According to the Byzantine emperor's record, the first Serbian rulers in the XNUMXth century were named Višeslav, Radoslav, Prosigoj and Vlastimir. Their descendants ruled Serbia until the mid-XNUMXth century, when the last member of this family, Časlav Klonimirović, was killed. From then until almost the mid-XNUMXth century, or for almost XNUMX years, Serbia did not exist as a separate state. Emperor Constantine VII wrote that at that time there was a state (archontium) of Duklja, that it was located in the hinterland of Lješ, Ulcinj and Bar, that It included the coastal strip up to Kotor, that it bordered Serbia on the mountainous sides and that its people were called Dukljani. These data undoubtedly testify that in the XNUMXth and first half of the XNUMXth centuries Serbia and Duklja were separate and neighboring states. Unlike Serbia, Duklja strengthened in the second half of the XNUMXth century, and in the XNUMXth century under the rule of Stefan Vojislav (Dobroslav) and his descendants (Vojislavljević) it developed into a powerful kingdom.
"Mandić or the one who wrote the greeting card incorrectly states that the state was called Zeta from the beginning. During the time of the Vojislavljevićs, the state was called Duklja. This is also evidenced by the name of the state church - the Archdiocese of Duklja (Archbishopric). The central region of the state of Duklja in that period was Zeta, which is identical to today's Zeta or Zeta Plain only in name. The Zeta region at that time covered a significantly larger territory. According to the Chronicle of the Priest of Dukljan, the Zeta region (Latin Zenta) had 11 counties: Luška, Podlužje, Gorska, Kupelnik, Barezi, Oblik, Županja, Prapratna, Crmnica, Budva with Kučevo and Grbalj. Luška covered today's Bjelopavlići from Glava Zeta and Lješkopolje to the Morača River and Mali Blato. Podluška stretched between Morača in the west, to Hot and Grude in the east, to the south to Lake Skadar, and to the north to today's Kuče. It is possible that Podluška had two parts. The Upper one with its center in Ribnica (Podgorica) and the Lower one with its center in the later Žabljak of Crnojević. This means that today's Zeta (Zeta Plain) was the former Duklja County of Podluška. According to the records of the Dubrovnik chronicler Jakov Lukarević from the XNUMXth century, the Duklja ruler Tuđ(g)emir fortified Podgorica in the XNUMXth century.
"The Gorska County extended from Kuče with its center in Medun towards the lower Morača and the source of the Tara River. Historian Konstantin Jireček states that Gorska was located in the Montenegrin hills. The territory of the Kupelnik (Kuprelvik) County today almost entirely belongs to Albania. It extended between Hot (Hotske virovi) and the Vraka region. From Vraka towards Shkodra was the Barezi County with the town of Baleč on the Rijola River, north of Shkodra. The Kupelnik and Barezi counties were later part of the Pilot region. Around the Taraboš hills, Skadar Lake, Svača and Bojana and in the area of today's Anamali region (possibly also Mrkojevića), the Oblik County extended. The part of this county towards Lake Skadar was called Krajina. In Krajina was the court and cult place of the holy king Vladimir of Duklja. Prapratna extended along the southern shore of Lake Skadar, on the slopes of Rumija and towards Virpazar. Oblik extended from the Krajina Mountains towards Lake Šas and the town Svača, and Prapratna from the Krajina Mountains towards Lake Skadar, so Oblik was more of a coastal county, and Prapratna a lake county. Crmnica was located between Lake Skadar, Vrsuta and Paštrovačka Gora. Budva with Kučevo was actually today's Budva with Paštrovići, while the Zeta county Grbalj was located between Budva, Tivat and Kotor. It has not been determined where the county of Županja (lat. Iuppanam) was located.
"Zeta was the site of a decisive battle for the independence of Duklja. The priest of Duklja states that Stefan Vojislav defeated the Byzantine army in the Zeta Plain (lat. planitiem Zentae) near Vranje (lat. Vuranie) and Vranjska Gora near present-day Mataguža. This news was confirmed by the Byzantine chronicler Jovan Skilica, who stated that the Byzantine commander Georgios Provatas suffered a heavy defeat. The battle took place in 1040 and after it Duklja gained independence from Byzantium. This data shows that both today's and then Zeta were the historical and geographical center and core of Duklja (Montenegrin), not Serbian, statehood.
"Mandić pointed out that 'almost a thousand years ago a Byzantine chronicler first wrote down its [Zeta's] name'. This is correct and that chronicler was called Kekavmen. It is assumed that his work 'Strategikon' (gr. Στρατηγικόν) was written between 1075 and 1078. Kekavmen stated that Stefan Vojislav's country was called Duklja (gr. Διοϰλεία). He pointed out that Stefan Vojislav had the Byzantine title of toparch (gr. τοπάρχης). This title was awarded to independent rulers in the period from the 1042th to the XNUMXth century. In the XNUMXth century it was equated with the title of king, and in the Chronicle of the Priest of Dukljan, Vojislav (Dobroslav) is titled as king. Kekavmen stated that Vojislav was toparch in the cities of Dalmatia, in Zeta and in Ston (gr. τὰ κάστρα Δαλματίας εἰς τὴν Ζένταν ϰαὶ εἰς τὴν Στάμνον). Under In the Kekavmen's record, Dalmatia refers to the Byzantine theme of Upper Dalmatia. It stretched between Ston and Kotor, with its center in Dubrovnik. Vojislav's title as toparch of cities in Dalmatia means that he managed to capture at least one of these cities. It was probably Kotor, where the court of Vojislav's son Mihailo was located. Ston was the capital of Zahumlje, which Vojislav ruled after his victory over the Zahumlje prince Ljutovid, shortly after the Battle of Bar (Battle of Tuđemil) in XNUMX. The mention of Zeta, as a narrower part of the Duklja state, is the first known mention of this area in foreign sources. However, at that time, the state of Serbia did not exist, so the Kekavmen's record referred to by Mandić testifies that Zeta was an integral part and central region of the Duklja, not the Serbian state.
"Mandić pointed out that Zeta 'was the cornerstone of the magnificent Nemanjić empire', because 'Stefan Nemanja was born in old Ribnica'. The information that Stefan Nemanja was born in Ribnica was first recorded by his youngest son Rastko (Sava) in the 'Life of St. Simeon' around 1207. Sava stated that Nemanja was born 'in Zeta on Ribnica' and that he was baptized by 'Latin priests'. There is no other evidence for Sava's claim, but it is dominantly assumed in historiography that it was around 1113 when Nemanja's father Zavid and his family emigrated from Raška to Duklja. Duklja was ruled at that time by King Vladimir, grandson of King Mihailo Vojislavljević. At that time, a struggle was taking place in Raška over the position of county governor, and Zavida, as one of the pretenders, was defeated and took refuge in Duklja. Zavida was of humble origin. Even the historian Vladimir Ćorović in 'History of the Serbs' concluded for Zavid that 'he was not a person of great importance'. Given that Nemanja was not of Duklja origin, his birth in Ribnica has no significance for the history of Duklja (Zeta), or rather Montenegro.
"Several historians have tried to connect Nemanja's ancestors with the Vojislavljević dynasty in order to justify his conquest of Duklja. Historian Sima Ćirković analyzed these attempts and concluded that "the Serbian grand-prefect family does not have its origins in the Duklja dynasty" and that there is a missing link between Nemanja's father Zavid and the Duklja rulers. All theses about the connections of the Nemanjićs with the Duklja dynasty and the previous Raska prefects are actually constructions of Serbian biographers from the 1166th century, created with the intention of connecting the Nemanjićs, who were obviously of humble origin, with older ruling families. The fact that Nemanja's sons Stefan and Sava do not state the name of Nemanja's father in their lives, or that they did not know or did not want to write the name of their grandfather, indicates that the origin of Stefan Nemanja is unreliable. That Nemanja was Zavid's son was concluded only on the basis that Nemanja's brother Miroslav in the foundation record at the church of St. Peter near Bijelo Polje stated that he was the son of Zavid. There is no other evidence. Stefan and Sava also kept quiet about how Nemanja came to power. In 1168, the Byzantine emperor Manuel I appointed Tihomir as a vassal grand prefect in Serbia. Tihomir shared power with his brothers Miroslav, Stracimir, and Nemanja. Nemanja went to war against his brother. Tihomir and Nemanja clashed in the Battle of Pantin near Zvečan in XNUMX. Tihomir was killed, and Nemanja became grand prefect. Thus began the 'magnificent empire of the Nemanjićs'.
"Mandić tried to poetically portray the connection between Nemanja and Zeta, stating that Nemanja was 'the one who would light the torch of Serbian freedom, turning the flame of Zeta into a fire that would illuminate the entire Middle Ages'. In reality, Nemanja returned to Duklja as a foreign conqueror between 1180 and 1186, and then, as his son Stefan states, the Serbian army destroyed the cities of Duklja: Danj, Sard, Skadar, Svač, Ulcinj and Bar. It is possible that there were torches and flames that Mandić tells about at that time, but they were fires of destruction, not freedom. Duklja (Zeta) is neither the beginning of Serbian statehood nor the cornerstone of the Nemanjić empire. The Nemanjićs did not claim this either. Duklja was a separate state that the Nemanjićs conquered. It was the first to regain its independence after the collapse of the Nemanjić state in the mid-1360th century. The Balšićs became independent around 1496, and from then on the state was called "Zeta. At the end of the XNUMXth century, the Crnojevićs changed its name to Montenegro. Mandić claims that it lost its statehood in XNUMX. This is incorrect. It lost its independence, but it never lost its statehood or the idea of a state," Papović writes in his text.
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