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Revision as of 12:51, 24 September 2006 by 89.172.239.85 (talk) (rv, removed serbian propaganda)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Zahumlje, also known as the Land of Hum and Chelm, was a medieval South Slavic principality located in today's Herzegovina (modern day Bosnia and Herzegovina), and southern Dalmatia (modern day Republic of Croatia).
Zahumlje bordered the lands of Pagania (Paganoi) to the west and southwest, Travunia (Terbounia) to the east and southeast, Croatia to the west-northwest and Serbia to the north.
Earliest written mentions
The Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja mentions Zahumlje as a part of Red Croatia and states a source from 753, De Regno Sclavorum.
The book De Administrando Imperio from the 10th century, written by the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos, mentions the land of the Zachlumoi or Zahumlje as a one of the lands given to the Serbs that came unsatisfied from Servia in the Byzantine theme of Serbia (thema Servia) to inhabit in the first half of the 7th century.
Name, Geography and People
Zachlumia (native: Zahumlje) got its name from the mountain of Hum (Za+Hum => bellow the Hum), above Bona, at the mouth of Buna. The Archonty of Hum had two major cities: Bona and Hum. The main settlements in Zachlumia were Ston, Ošlje, Dobar, the towns of Mokriski and Glumainik. The Principality sprang from Dalmatia (Croatia) to the northwest and Pagania to the west; to the mountain of Kalinovik and the Field of Gatak, where it bordered Travunia. The most eastern border of Zahumlje went along the line Popovo-Ljubinje-Dabar and met with the Travunian border at the City of Ragusa, which had to pay the annual tax mogorish of 36 pieces of gold to the Zachlumian rulers and at times accept their rule. Zachlumia was split on 9 Zhupanates: that of Ston, that of Popovo, Dubrava's, Luka, Dabar, Žapska, goričku and Večenik around Neretva. Zahumlje had access to the Adriatic Sea with the Peninsular of Rat and faced Serbia northwards. In the later stages, Zahumlje was split into two Duchies: Upper Zahumlje at the west and Lower Zahumlje at the east.
The people were Slavic migrants who colonized migrated to the regions since as early as the 6th century and mixed with the local Romanized populace. Zachlumia's hereditery dynasty, the House of Višević, is a tribe from the Slavic tribes populating the upper streams of Visla in White Croatia.
History
In 869 Byzantine Empero Basil I's (of the Macedonian dynasty) Imperial Admiral Nikita Orifas in his missions to ally with the Slavs in the Ragusan hinterland and the Croats convinced the Zachlumians to join them and the Travunians (and Konavlians) in an allience against the Saracens.
Rascian Grand Prince Petar Gonjikovic of the House of Vlastimirović started to expand his reign at the expense of Zachlumia at the end of the 9th century, calling upon his old Grand Princely right of Zachlumia being historicly only a Serbian fief. He pressed greatly the Zachlumian native hereditary Great Prince Mihailo Višević, who was pushed from the land and fell back to the islands. Grand Prince Petar was negotiating in Pagania with the Byzantines regarding an allience against the Bulgarians at the beginning of the 10th century, and Prince Mihailo reported this to the Bulgar Khan Simeon. In 912 Mihailo kidnapped the Venetian Doge's son Peter Badoari that was returning to Venice from Constantinople and sent him to Czar Simeon as a sign of loyalty; he generally maintained a pro-Bulgarian foreign policy hoping that that will hep him to restore power in his realm. After the Bulgarians under Pavle Branović deposed Petar, Great Prince Mihailo was able to restore the majority of control. In the following several years Mihailo Višević reigned peacefully and carefully watched the throne turbolence in the neighbouring Rascia. In 925 Prince Mihailo attended the Ecclesiastical Council in Split, together with Tomislav of Croatia. Zahumlje fell under Croatian infuence; it became subjected to the Archbishopric of Split and Mihailo recognized Croatian-Dalmatian Duke Tomislav's authority upon his crowning as King of Croatia. After the Italian city of Siponte was heavily jeoperdized by the raiding Arabs and Langobards, Mihailo ousted a magnificent military victory by taking the city upon the recommendations from Constantinople and orders from his liege, King Tomislav Trpimirović, but didn't keep it permanently. Mihailo Višević later loossened his relations with Bulgaria went into closer relations with the Byzantine Empire and gained the title patrikios and hypatos, a. k. a. viceroy, officially recognizing him as the ruler of his land in Byzantine name.
Serbian Prince Desa took over Zahumlje in the 12th century and it was subsequently incorporated into the Serbian state. It became the spiritual center of the Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church and gave numerous medieval Serbian dynasties. The realm was lost to the Bosnian conquest in 1322-1326, and in the 15th century it became part of the Duchy of Herzegovina.
List of rulers
The native House of Višević from Upper Visla ruled Zachlumia throughout the Early Middle Ages:
- Prince Viš
- Great Prince Mihailo Višević (910-930/40)
- brothers Prince Dragislav and Prince Boleslav of Zahumlje
- Desa, the župan of Duklja/Zeta, Travunia and Zahumlje before 1151 and the župan of Serbia from 1155-1162
- Zavida, the Prince of Zahumlje
- Miroslav, the Great Prince of Zahumlje 1162-1190. He was the brother of Stefan Nemanja, Tihomir and Stracimir. He married a sister of Ban Kulin of Bosnia. In 1166 he ruled in Tihomir's name and since 1166 in the name of Duke of All Serbia, Grand Prince of Rascia Stephen I Nemanya's name
- Rastko of Nemanja 1190 - 1192 rulling in the name of Stefan Nemanja
- Toljen, son of Miroslav 1192 - 1198
- Petar, son of Miroslav, Duke of Zahumlje 1198-1227 and a count of the city of Split 1222-1225. He married a daughter of Duke Berthold von Meran, Margrave of Istria
- Toljen II, son of Toljen, Duke of Upper Zahumlje up to 1239
- Nikola, Prince of Zahumlje. He married Katarina Kotromanić in 1238
- Andrija, son of Miroslav, Prince of the Seaside and Duke of southern Zahumlje up to 1250
- Bogdan, son of Andrija, Prince of Zahumlje up to 1249, died 1252
- Radoslav, son of Andrija, Prince of Zahumlje in 1249 - 1255
- Bogdan II 1285 - 1312
The recorded rulers of Zahumlje in the 14th century include:
- Stefan Konstantin, Prince of Zahumlje, pretender to the Serbian throne in 1323.
- Jovan Uglješa, a descendant of the Serbian House of Mrnjavčević governed Zahumlje from approx. 1370 until his death in 1404.
- Sandalj Hranić Kosača, knez of Zahumlje and one of the Dukes of Saint Sava, rose to become became Grand Vojvoda of Bosnia until his death in 1435
- Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, Grand Vojvoda of Bosnia, a Knez of Zahumlje and Primorje until his death in 1466