Grand, Great or Chief Župan (Serbian: Велики жупан, Veliki župan, Latin: magnus iupanus, Greek: ζουπανος μεγας, romanized: zoupanos megas) is the English rendering of a South Slavic title which relates etymologically to Župan (originally a pater familias, later the tribal chief of a unit called a župa). It was most commonly attested among the Serbs.
Bulgaria
Further information: Bulgars § Social structure, and First Bulgarian EmpireA decorated silver cup with a Medieval Greek inscription attests to the use of the title zoupanos megas in 9th-century Bulgaria. The inscription refers to a certain Sivin (Bulgar name), who appears to have held that position at the time of Kniaz Boris I (852–889). Sivin was among the Bulgarian boyars who supported the official Christianization, as the subsequently added line "May God help" suggests. The title zoupan tarkanos was also interpreted as having same or similar meaning.
Serbia
See also: Serbian royal titles and Serbian noble titlesIn the Middle Ages, the Serbian veliki župan (велики жупан) was the supreme chieftain in the multi-tribal society. The title signifies overlordship as the leader of lesser chieftains titled župan. It was used by the Serb rulers in the 11th and 12th centuries. In Greek, it was known as archizoupanos (ἄρχιζουπάνος), megazoupanos (μεγαζουπάνος) and megalos zoupanos (μεγάλος ζουπάνος).
In the 1090s, Vukan became the veliki župan in Grand Principality of Serbia. Stefan Nemanja expelled his brother Tihomir in 1168 and assumed the title of veliki župan, as described in the Charter of Hilandar (и постави ме великог жупана). A Latin document used mega iupanus for King Stefan the First-Crowned (Stephanus dominus Seruie siue Rasie, qui mega iupanus). Afterward, it was a high noble rank with notable holders such as Altoman Vojinović (fl. 1335–59).
Yugoslavia
It was used in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1922–29) as a governmental title for the head of the oblast (an administrative division), the state was divided into 33 oblasts.
References
- ^ Petkov, Kiril (2008). The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century: The Records of a Bygone Culture. Brill. p. 37. ISBN 9789004168312.
- Бешевлиев, Веселин (1981). Прабългарски епиграфски паметници [Bulgar Epigraphic Records] (in Bulgarian). София: Издателство на Отечествения фронт. pp. 160–162. OCLC 8554080.
- Андреев, Йордан; Лазаров, Иван; Павлов, Пламен (1999). Кой кой е в средновековна България [Who is Who in Medieval Bulgaria] (in Bulgarian). Петър Берон. p. 338. ISBN 978-954-402-047-7.
- Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge University Press. p. 164. ISBN 9780521815390.
- Pohl, Walter (2018). The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. p. 367. ISBN 978-1501729409.
- Francis William Carter; David Turnock (1999). The States of Eastern Europe. Ashgate. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-85521-512-2.
- ^ Сима Ћирковић; Раде Михальчић (1999). Лексикон српског средњег века. Knowledge. p. 73. ISBN 9788683233014.
ВЕЛИКИ ЖУПАН - 1. Титула српског владара у XI и XII веку. Гласила је велнм жупднк и била превођена одговарајућим терминима, грчки арџ- ^огтагот, игуа^огтауге, цеуаХа? ^огтожх, латин- ски те^ајирапиз, та§пиз ...
- John Van Antwerp Fine (1991). The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. University of Michigan Press. pp. 225–. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
- Paul Stephenson (29 June 2000). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204. Cambridge University Press. pp. 267–. ISBN 978-0-521-77017-0.
- Jovo Radoš (2000). Počeci filozofije prava kod Srba. Prometej. ISBN 9788676394906.
- Radovi. Vol. 19. 1972. p. 29.
- Yugoslavia. (1922). Stenografske beles ke Narodne skups tine Kraljevine Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca: Redovan saziv. p. 29.
Further reading
- Ćirković, S. (1999) Veliki župan 1. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73
- Mihaljčić, R. (1999) Veliki župan 2. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73