Early Ruling Families in the Balkans
This is a series of sections attempting to account
for the genealogy of some of the medieval rulers of the Balkans. There are lots
of uncertainties about these lines, since many records have not survived. Source
materials for most things in the medieval Balkans are usually not from
contemporary writers, and the few contemporary sources existing are usually
from Byzantine writers, not writers from the various states themselves. The
information listed here is based largely on Europäische Stammtafeln, but
modified by some recent scholarship by John V. A. Fine in his two books,
"The Early Medieval Balkans" and "The Late Medieval
Balkans".
Section 1. The Kings of
The first native prince to rule as Duke of
1a) Petar, d.ca 879
2a) Zdeslav, succeeded his father as Duke of
Croatia, but was overthrown the same year by his cousin Demagoj; Zdeslav later
succeeded Demagoj's son Iljiko, ca 878; he was overthrown in 879 by a nobleman
named Branimir
3a) Mutimir, Duke of Croatia ca 892-910; he was
probably, though not certainly, the father of these two sons:
1b) Tomislav,
recognized in 925 as King of
2b) Trpimir II
1c) King Kresimir I of
Craotia, reigned ca 935-944
1d) King Miroslav,
reigned ca 944-9, murdered by the Ban Pribina
2d) King Mihail
Kresimir II, reigned 948-69; m.Jelena N
1e) Stjepan Drzislav,
King of
1f) Svetoslav, Duke of
2f) King Kresimir III
of
1g) King Stjepan I of
Craotia and
1h) King Petar Kresimir
IV of
2h) [probably] Castimir
1i) King Stjepan II of
Croatia and Dalmatia, d.1090/1
3f) Gojislav, Regent ca
1000
2e) [probably] Trpimir
III, King 986-995
1f) King Mucimir
995-1000
2f) Suronja
1g) Stjepan; m.Hicela Orseola,
dau.of Pietro Orseolo, Doge of
NOTE: Duke Demagoj of Croatia, who overthrew
Zdeslav in 864, was probably a first cousin of Trpimir I; he had a son, Iljiko,
who was Duke 976-8; Iljiko was ancestor of Zvonimir Dmitar, who reigned as King
of Croatia and Dalmatia 1075-187/8; m.ca 1063 Helena, Queen of Croatia
1088-1091, dau.of King Bela I of Hungary; Zvonimir and Jelena had 2 daughters:
1.Claudia;
m.Vonick, of the family Lapcani
2.Radova, d.young
after 1083
Part 2. The Kings
of
The first of this family was one Uban Prijezda,
who in 1254 became Great Ban of
1a) Prijezda, Zupan of Zemunik 1267, Great Ban of
Bosnia 1287, d.ca 1295
2a) Stjepan Kotroman, Ban of Bosnia as a vassal of
the Nemanjiden family of Serbia and of the Counts of Bribir, d.ca 1314; m.after
1283 Jelisaveta (d.1331) dau.of King Stephan Dragutin of Serbia
1b) Stjepan Kotromanic,
Ban of Bosnia, he won the
1c) Jelisaveta (drowned
in prison in
2b) Vladislav
Kotromanic Knez, Regent of
1c) Stjepan Tvrtkoi,
Ban and then King (Kralj) of
1d) [illegitimate]
Stjepan Tvrtko II, King of
2d) [illegitimate, and
there is not complete certainty about his exact relationship to this house]
Stjepan Ostoja, King of
1e)
[by 2nd m.]Stjepan Ostrojic, King of Bosnia 1418 to
1420, when he was overthrown; he was dead by 1422
2e) [illegitimate]Radivoj of Komothyn, pretender to the throne 1431-43,
murdered by the Turks 1463; m.before
1f) Trvitko, murdered
by the Turks 1463
2f) Djuradj (George),
d.shortly after 1455
3f) Matija, living 1465
3e) [illegitimate]
Stjepan Tomas Ostojic, King of
[by
1st m.]:
1f) Stjepan Tomasevic,
Despot of Raska 1459, King of Bosnia 1461-3, beheaded bythe Turks 1463; m.1459
Mara (d.in Hungary after 1498) dau.of Lazar Brankovic, Despot of Raska
2f) a son, d.aged 14
before 1460
[by
2nd m.]:
3f) Zilmunt, in 1463 he
went to
4f) Stipana=Katharina,
b.1460, captured by the Turks 1463, and became a Moslem
2c) Stjepan Vuk,
usurped the throne 1463-4, d.after 1374
3c) Katarina; m.1362 Ct
Hermann I von Cilli
3b) Ninoslav
Kotromanic; m.NN
1c) [parentage not
certain] Marija (ca 1333-1403, bur Bad Überkirchen); m.before
2c) [illegitimate]
Stjepan Dabis, King of
4b) Katarina, d.ca
1355; m.before 1338 Knez Nikola, Zupan of Zahumlje
5b) Marija
3a) Vuk, living 1287
Part 3. The Zupans
of Trebinje and Kings of Diocleia of the house of St.Vladimir
This house started with two brothers, who may have
been sons of Predimir Knez of Diocleia and Trebinje (regions in southern
1a) Petrislav, Knez of Diocleia and Trebinje
sometime during the period 971-998
1b) [
2a) Dragomir, Knez of Diocleie and Trebinje,
d.1018; m.a dau.of Ljutomir Velji, Knez of Srpsko Zagorje
1b) Stephan Dobroslav,
Knez of Diocleia, freed himself from Byzantine suzerainty ca 1043; d.ca 1052,
bur in his capital, Prapratna; m.before 1015 a dau.of Tsar Gavriil Radomir of
1c) Gojislav,
k.a.1054/5
2c) Mihai, recognized
by the pope in 1077 as King of Diocleia; he added Zahumlje (a large Bosnian
territory) to his lands; d.ca 1082; m.1st NN; m.2nd NN, a
niece of an undetermined Byzantine emperor
1d) Konstantin
Bodin=Petar, Tsar of
1e) Dobroslaw, King of
Diocleia 1101-2, he was overthrown, blinded and banished to a monastery
2e) Djordje, King of
Diocleia 1114-8 and again 1125-31, d.in Byzantine imprisonment after 1131
3e) Markus, living 1114
4e) Arcisius, living
1114
5e) Mihailo
6e) Tomas
2d) Vladimir, King of
Diocleia 1115, d.of poisoning at the orders of Queen Jakvinta; he married a
dau.of Vukan, Grand Zupan of Srpsko Zagorje; J.Fine says that this Vladimir was
son of another Vladimir, who was son of King Mihail
3d) Petrislav, Zupan of
Srpsko Zagorje, d.ca 1082; he had a known son, Kocopar; J.Fine suggests that he
was also father of Marko, Zupan of Diocleia, and Vukan, Zupan of Raska
(Serbia); other sources list these two men as uncles of Uros, the ancestor of
the Nemjaniden family
4d) Nicephoros
5d) Theodoros
3c) Saanec, b.before
1025
4c) Radoslav, Knez of
Zahumlje
1d) Branislaw, d.1101
1e) Grubesa, Knez of
Diocleia 1118-25, k.a.Antivari 1125
1f) Radoslav Gradisnic,
Knez of Diocleia
2f) Jovan
3f)
2e) Gradinha, Knez of
Diocleia ca 1135-46
3e) Predinha, beheaded
by Konstantin Bodin ca 1101 at
4e) Predislav
5e) Tvardislav
6e) Dragello
2d) Dobroslav, King of
Diocleia 1102, he was deposed, castrated and blinded; J.Fine suggests that he
may have been a son of King Mihail's 2nd marriage
5c) Predimir, k.a.1054/5
Part 4. The Zupans
of
One Uros became Zupan of
1a) Uros, Zupan of
2a) Desa, Zupan ofDiocleia, Trebinje and Zahumlje
before 1151, Zupan of
1b) a dau., m.Leonardo
Michiel, a Venetian noble
3a) Jelena, b.after 1109, d.after 1146; m.1127
King Bela II of
4a) Marija, d.after 1190; m.1132 Konrad of
Moravia, Pr of Znaim
5a) a dau., m.Bjelos, Ban of Croatia, Regent of
Hungary, may have reigned briefly in Serbia; J.Fine suggests that Bjelos was
son, not son-in-law, of Uros
Part 5.The Nemanjiden. It is unknown where this
family came from or how they so quickly acquired their prominence in Serbia,
but some scholars suggest that they may have been related to or part of the
family shown in Part 4. What is certain is that they descended from one Zupan
Zavida, whose 4 sons divided
1a) Tihomir, Duke of
1b) Stefan Prvoslav,
Zupan
2a) Stracimir, ruled in northern
3a) Miroslav, Duke of Zahumlje (Hercegovina),
d.1190/9; m.a sister of Ban Kulin of
1b) Toljen; m.[though Fine says he was engaged but never married to] a
dau.of Duke Berthold of Meran, Margrave of
1c) Toljen, Duke of
North Zahumlje, d.1239
2b) Petar, Duke of
Zahumlje 1198-1227, Ct of
3b) Andrija, Knez in
Primorje, Duke in southern Zahumlje, d.ca 1250
1c) Bogdan, Zupan of
Zahumlje 1249, d.after 1252
2c) Djordje, living
1280
3c) Radoslav, Zupan of
Zahumlje 1249, d.after
4c) Vukoslava; m.Barbo
di Crossio, patrician of
5c) Dragoslava; m.Drago
de Mare
4a) Stefan Nemanja, Duke of all Serbia 1195,
including Zahumlje and Diocleia, b.1113, d.as the monk Simeon on Holy
1b) Vukan, King of
Diocleia and
1c) Djordje, Knez of
Diocleia 1242, d.after
2c)
Bladinus. living 1208
3c) Stefan
4c) Demetrius, a monk
2b) Stefan Prvovencani
("the First-Crowned"), crowned by papal legate as King of Raska [
[by
1st m.]:
1c) Stefan Radoslav
Dukas, King of Raska 1224-34, d.as the monk Jovan after 1235; m.1219/20
(separated 1234) Anna (d.in Serbia ca 1258) dau.of Byzantine emperor Theodoros
Angelos
2c) Kominia; m.1st
Dimitri Progonovic, Archon of
3c) a dau., m.Alexander
N, an official related to the Tsar of
[by
2nd or 3rd m.]:
4c) Predislav,
Archbishop of
5c) Stefan Vladislav,
King of Raska, d.ca 1269; m.ca 1233 Beloslava (d.after 1285) dau.of Tsar John
Asen II of
1d) Stefan
2d) Desa, living 1285
3d) a dau., m.Djure Kacic, Knez of Omis
[by
3rd m.]:
6c) [St.] King Stefan
Uros I "the Great" of Raska [Serbia] 1243, abdicated 1276, d.as the
monk Simon 1280, bur Sopocani; m.ca 1250 Jelena (d.as a nun at Skodra 1314)
believed to be related to the Kings of Naples
1d) Stefan Dragutin,
King of Serbia 1276-82, Ban of Macva-Bosnia, d.as a monk 1316; m.before 1271
Katalin, dau.of King Stephen V of Hungary
1e) Vladislav; he spent
his life trying to gain the thrones of Serbia and Hungary, but was unsuccessful
in both quests; d.in Hungary after 1326; m.1st ca 1293 Constanza,
dau.of Michele Morosoni; m.2nd 1309 a dau.of the Voivode Ladislaus
of Siebenbürgen; he had issue of whom I have no details
2e) Urosic, a monk,
d.ca 1306
3e) Jelisaveta, d.1331;
m.Stefan Kotroman, Ban of
2d) Stefan Uros II
Milutin, King of Serbia 1282-1331, b.ca 1253, d.Castle Nerodimlja 1321, bur
Sofia; m.1st 1273/6 (repudiated 1283) Helene Angelina, dau.of
Joannes Dukas Angelos, Sebastokrator in Neopatros; m.2nd 1284
(repudiated ca 1294) Ana, dau.of Tsar George Terter of Bulgaria; m.3rd
ca 1295 (repudiated 1298/9) Elizabeth, dau.of King Stephen V of Hungary; m.4th
ca 1300 Simonida Palaiologina (1292/3-after 1336) dau.of Emperor Andoronikos II
1e)
[by 2nd m.] Stefan Konstantin, Knez of Zahumlje,
pretender to the Serbian throne, k.a.1323
2e) [maternity
uncertain] Ana, d.after 1346; she was engaged 1308 to Charles, Cte de Valois,
but never married him; she m.after 1308 Tsar Mihailo Sisman of
3e) [illegitimate]
Stefan Uros III, King of Serbia (ca 1276-1331); m.1st ca 1293 Teodora (d.1322)
dau.of Tsar Smilec of Bulgaria; m.2d 1325/6 Maria Palaiologina (1313/4-1355)
dau.of Joannes Palaiolog, Despot of Macedonia
[by
1st m.]:
1f) Stefan Dusan, King
of
1g) Stefan Uros IV,
King of
2f) Dusica
[by
2nd m.]:
3f) Simeon Uros
Palaiologos, Tsar of the Serbs, Greeks and Albania 1356, b.1324/6, d.1369/72;
m.before 1349 Tomaida Orsini, dau.of Joannes Orsini, Despot of
1g) Jovan Uros Dukas
Palaiologos, Lord of the Thessalonians, b.ca 1349, d.1423
2g) Stefan Dukas, Lord
of Pharsalos and Domokos, d.1397; m.ca 1386 Maria (murdered 1395) dau.of Luiz
Fadrique de Aragon, Lord of Zituni, Cte di Salona
3g) Marija Angelina
Dukaina Palaiologina, Lady of Jannina (1350.1-1394); m.1st Toma
Preljubovic, Despot of Jannina (murdered 1384); m.2nd 1385 Isaul
Buondelmonti-Acciaiuoli, Despot of Jannina (d.1411)
4f) Teodora, b.1330,
d.after 1381; m.ca 1347 Dejan, Stattholder of
3d) Brnca; m.Zupan
Djordje
3b) Rastko; he became a
monk and the first Archbishop of the independent Serbian Church; he was called
Sava and was, soon after his death, recognized as St. Sava; b.1174, d.Trnovo
1235/6
4b) Efimija; m.ca 1216
Manuel Angelos Dukas, Regent of Thesaloniki (d.1241)
5b) a dau., m.Tich
Boljar of
Part 6.The Kings of
One Mrnja, a treasurer to Queen Jelena, was father
of:
1a) Vukasin Mrnjavcevic, a courtier who became
King of
1b) Marko Kraljevic,
King of Serbia 1371-94; b.ca 1335, k.a.1395; m.1st Jelena, dau.of Radoslav,
Voivode of Edessa; m.2nd Todora N; m.3rd his 1st
wife, whom he had repudiated for his 2nd wife
2b) Andrijas, d.after
1403
3b) Ivanis, k.a.against
the Turks at Berat 1385
4b) Dmitar Kraljevic,
who became an official in
5b) Olivera; m.Djuradj
Balsic, Lord of Zeta and Primorje (d.1378)
2a) Jovan Ugljesa, Zupan of Zahumlje, k.a.1371;
m.ca 1364 Jelena Voinovic, a poet (d.after 1404)
1b) Trvtko, d.1366/71
2b) Ugljesa, d.ca 1371
3b) Eupraxia, a nun
1405
3a) Jelena, d.ca 1365, bur Prodromoskl; m.ca 1350
Nikola Radonja Brankovic (d.after 1365 on