View source for Stefan Vojislav

{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Stefan Vojislav
| succession   = [[List of rulers of Duklja|Prince of Duklja]]
| reign        = 1018–1043
| predecessor  = [[Dragimir of Travunia and Zachlumia|Dragimir]]
| successor    = [[Neda (Princess)|Neda]]
| spouse       = [[Neda (Princess)|Neda]]
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* {{ill|Gojislav Vojislavljević|sr|Гојислав Војислављевић|lt=Gojislav}},
* Predimir,
* [[Mihailo I of Duklja|Mihailo I]],
* Saganek,
* Radoslav
}}
| title        = [[Prince of the Serbs]]<br />(ὁ τῶν Σέρβων ἄρχων)<ref name=Scylitzes408>Scylitzes, 408-9</ref><br>[[Prince of Serbia]]<ref name=CedrenusII526>Cedrenus, ed. Bonn, II, p. 526</ref><hr>{{nowrap|[[Toparch]] of the [[Dalmatia]]n kastra of [[Zeta (crown land)|Zeta]] and [[Ston]]}}
| dynasty      = [[Vojislavljević dynasty|Vojislavljević]] <small>(founded)</small>
| father       = [[Dragimir of Travunia and Zachlumia|Dragimir]]
| mother       = 
| birth_date   = 
| birth_place  = 
| burial_place = Church of St. Andrew, [[Prapratna]]
| death_date   = 1043
| religion     = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]]
}}

'''Stefan Vojislav''' ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|Стефан Војислав}}, {{langx|el|Στέφανος Βοϊσθλάβος}};{{Cref2|A}} {{floruit}} 1034–d. 1043) was the [[Prince]] of [[Duklja]] from 1018 to 1043. Beginning in the year 1018, he served as a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] governor, until 1034 when he led an unsuccessful revolt that landed him in a prison at [[Constantinople]]. He managed to escape and returned home, this time successfully gaining the independence of his statelet and expanding his rule over southern [[Dalmatia]] and its hinterland. He is the eponymous founder of the [[Vojislavljević dynasty]].

== Origin and early life ==
The contemporary Byzantine writers call him either a [[Serbs|Serb]] or a Dukljan (''Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός)'',<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GCOeXCOqw4MC&q=%CE%92%CE%BF%CF%8A%CF%83%CE%B8%CE%BB%E1%BD%B1%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82+%E1%BD%81+%CE%94%CE%B9%CE%BF%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BD%E1%BD%B9%CF%82&pg=PA27|title=Cecaumeni Strategicon Et Incerti Scriptoris de Officiis Regiis Libellus|last1=W.Wassiliewski|last2=V.Jernstedt|date=January 2013|publisher=Books on Demand|isbn=9785424147531|language=el}}</ref> but do not mention his genealogy, while the ''[[Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja]]'', a posterior, more dubious source, calls him a cousin to previous ruler [[Jovan Vladimir]] (r. 990–1016).<ref name="zivkovic-stefan2">Živković 2006, "Стефан Војислав".</ref><ref>Van Antwerp Fine 1991, p.203.</ref> Having reached its pinnacle during the long reign of emperor [[Basil II]], the [[Byzantine Empire]] entered a steady decline following his death in 1025. This was particularly evident in the [[Balkans]], where the elimination of the perennial [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian]] threat combined with an insensitive taxation policy helped spur liberation movements. Vojislav the Dukljan held the title of ''[[archon]]'', and ''[[toparch]]'' of the [[Dalmatia]]n ''kastra'' of [[Zeta (crown land)|Zeta]] and [[Ston]] <blockquote>''(ἦν δὲ εἰς τὰ κάστρα Δαλματίας εἰς τὴν Ζένταν καὶ εἰς τὴν Στάμνον τοπάρχης Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός)''.{{sfn|Stephenson|2003b|p=124}}<ref name="Kekaumenos170-2">Kekaumenos, ed Litavrin, 170-2</ref><ref name=":0" /></blockquote>The affairs of the Dalmatians, Serbs, Croats and others were overseen by ''[[strategoi]]'' in [[Niš]], [[Skopje]], [[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusa (Dubrovnik)]] and [[Dyrrhachium]].<ref name = "Magdalino">{{cite book| last = Magdalino| first = Paul | title = Byzantinum in the Year 1000| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CSZQ-VPFKoMC | year = 2003| publisher = Brill| isbn = 90-04-12097-1| page = 124 }}</ref> Vojislav had regular meetings with Katakalon Klazomenites (Catacalon), the strategos of Ragusa, and at one occasion, kidnapped him and his party because Vojislav wanted him to be the [[Godparent|godfather]] to his son Katakalon at his [[baptism]].<ref name=Kekaumenos170-2/> This shows a close relationship between native leaders and Byzantine officers in the peripheral zone of the Empire after [[Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria|Basil's "reconquest"]].{{sfn|Stephenson|2003b|p=124}}

==Revolts==
{{rquote|left|...Stefan Vojislav, arhon of Serbs, who not long ago escaped from Constantinople and took the land of the Serbs, banishing Theophilos Erotikos.|-[[John Skylitzes]]}}

Around 1034 (according to [[John Skylitzes]]), the Dukljans renounced Byzantine rule. Stefan Vojislav, cousin of the murdered [[Jovan Vladimir]], organized a rebellion taking advantage of the death of the emperor [[Romanos III Argyros]]. He was defeated and imprisoned in [[Constantinople]] in 1035/1036<ref>Vizantološki institut SANU, „Vizantijski izvori za istoriju naroda Jugoslavije (III tom)“ (fototipsko izdanje originala iz 1967), Beograd 2007 {{ISBN|978-86-83883-09-7}}</ref> while his realm was put under the control of the strategos [[Theophilos Erotikos]]. In late 1037 or early 1038, he managed to break out of the prison and returned to Duklja, where he organized a new rebellion, also targeting the Serb allies of the Emperor in the neighbouring regions.{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=203}}{{sfn|Ćirković|2004|p=25}}

By means of [[guerilla warfare|guerilla tactics]] and the distracting effects of other uprisings, he staved off several punitive expeditions and asserted partial control over the principalities of [[Travunija]] and [[Zahumlje]]. Thus, by 1040 his state stretched in the coastal region from [[Ston]] in the north, down to his capital, [[Shkodër|Skadar]], set up along the southern banks of the [[Skadar Lake]], with other courts set up in [[Trebinje]], [[Kotor]] and [[Bar, Montenegro|Bar]].{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=206}}

==Wars with Byzantines==
===1039===
[[File:Rumija Moutain.jpg|thumb|[[Rumija]], where Vojislav defeated the Byzantine armies]]
In 1039, the Byzantine Emperor [[Michael IV the Paphlagonian]] was waiting in [[Thessaloniki|Thessalonica]] for a shipment of 10 kentenars of gold (7,200 gold nomismata<ref>Tibor Živković, „Portreti srpskih vladara (IX-XII)“, Beograd 2006 {{ISBN|86-17-13754-1}}</ref>) coming from his provinces in [[Southern Italy]], but the cargo ship ([[galley]]) was wrecked off the Doclean coast due to stormy weather in the winter and the goods were taken by Vojislav, who refused to return it upon Michael's requests.<ref name=Scylitzes408/>{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=206}} The emperor, who had already retaken Dyrrhachium, became furious and sent general George Probatas to tackle Vojislav, but the Byzantine army, unfamiliar with the terrain, was ambushed in the gorges and totally defeated. Vojislav's son, [[Radoslav of Duklja|Radoslav]], is noted as having killed a Byzantine military commander on the battlefield. [[Kekaumenos]], a [[strategos]] sent for Vojislav, ended up imprisoned by Vojislav and taken to [[Ston]]. The 1040-41 [[Uprising of Peter Delyan]], who crowned himself "''[[Czar]]'' Peter of the Bulgarians", made another Byzantine incursion against Duklja unlikely as the Byzantines were now occupied by the Bulgarian advance.

===1042===
{{main|Battle of Bar}}
[[File:The Serbs massacre the Byzantines in the mountain passes.jpg|thumb|''Serbs massacre the Byzantines [[Battle of Bar|in the mountain passes]]'', [[Madrid Skylitzes]]]]
In 1042, the new emperor [[Constantine IX]] decided to attack Duklja with an army based in [[Dyrrhachium (theme)|Dyrrhachium]] and the neighbouring themes. the ''[[župan]]'' of [[Grand Principality of Serbia|Raška]] (a renewed subordinate title, showing Byzantine overlordship),{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=206}} [[Ban of Bosnia]] and Prince of Hum [[Ljutovid]], received a large sum of imperial gold and silver for their support to overthrow Vojislav.{{sfn|Stephenson|2003a|p=42–43}}

The battle took place in the mountainous area between [[Bar, Montenegro|Bar]] and Crmnica after midnight in 1042. Prior to the battle a man entered the Byzantine camp and spread false information about a huge enemy army, causing panic among the Byzantines. Stefan Vojislav, along with three of his sons, led the Dukljans into battle. They slowly moved down the hills along with shouting and blowing horns and trumpets so it would exaggerate their appearance. The Byzantines were trapped in the mountainous area, as the Dukljans blocked the passage. They caught the Byzantines unprepared and managed to cause chaos among their ranks and after heavy fighting routed the remaining Byzantine forces. The Byzantine army under Michaelus Anastasii was defeated and Vojislav ensured a future for Duklja without imperial authority.<ref>Cedrenus II, col. 275.</ref>

==Last years==
Vojislav spent the rest of his rule in peace and died in 1043. He was succeeded by his widow and their five sons - {{ill|Gojislav Vojislavljević|sr|Гојислав Војислављевић|lt=Gojislav}}, Predimir, [[Mihailo Vojislavljević|Mihailo]], Saganek and Radoslav.{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=213}} He was buried in the Church of St. Andrew in [[Prapratna]], a town between [[Bar, Montenegro|Bar]] and [[Ulcinj]]. Duklja remained the center of the Serbian state, replacing (in terms of leadership) the inner regions ([[Grand Principality of Serbia]] i.e. ''Raška''); it held this position for a few decades, under the rule of his son Mihailo I in Duklja while the other regions were later united under [[Vukan I of Serbia]].

==Titles==
*"''[[archon]]'', and ''[[toparch]]'' of the [[Dalmatia]]n ''kastra'' of [[Zeta (crown land)|Zeta]] and [[Ston]]", his Byzantine title, according to the ''[[Strategikon of Kekaumenos]]'' (1075–78).<ref name="Kekaumenos170-2"/>
*"Prince of the Serbs" (ὁ τῶν Σέρβων ἄρχων), according to [[John Skylitzes]] (fl. 1057–59).<ref name=Scylitzes408>Scylitzes, 408-9</ref>
*"Prince of Serbia", according to [[George Kedrenos]] (fl. 1050s).<ref name=CedrenusII526>Cedrenus, ed. Bonn, II, p. 526</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Stefan Vojislav}}
*[[List of Serbian rulers]]
*[[House of Vojislavljević]]

==Annotations==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha}}
{{Cnote2|A|'''Name''': His name is '''[[Vojislav]]''' ({{langx|el|Βοϊσθλάβος}}), he added the self-styled title ''[[Stefan (title)|Stefan]]'', originating from the Greek word Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crowned". Kekaumenos also calls him "Vojislav the Diokletian"<ref>Kekaumenos 108.11-12</ref> and "Tribounios the Serb" (Τριβούνιος ό Σέρβος).<ref name=Kekaumenos104.14/> His name is transliterated in Latin as '''Stephanus Boisthlabus''', and in English as '''Stephen Voislav'''. In the ''[[Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja]]'', he is called '''Dobroslav''', although this is the only source that calls him with that name.{{sfn|Lazarević|2014|p=434}}}}
{{Cnote2|B|'''Origin and Genealogy''': 
* [[Skylitzes]],<ref name=Scylitzes408/> [[Zonaras]],<ref>Zonaras 17.20.7</ref> [[Cedrenus]],<ref name="CedrenusII526"/> [[Michael Glycas|Glykas]],<ref>Glykas 594.3-7</ref> [[Strategikon of Kekaumenos|Kekaumenos]]<ref name=Kekaumenos104.14>Kekaumenos 104.14</ref> call him a Serb (Σέρβος), or Dukljan (Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός).{{sfn|Lazarević|2014|p=434}}
* According to the ''[[Chronicles of the Priest of Doclea]]'' (of somewhat dubious historical value<ref>{{cite book|title=Slovo|volume=47-49|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FC0gAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|page=22|quote=a text of somewhat dubious value as a historical source}}</ref>), Vojislav was born in the month of April, in [[Brusno]], to the uncle of Jovan Vladimir, ''Prince'' [[Dragomir Hvalimirović|Dragomir]] (r. 1016-1018), and the daughter of [[Grand Principality of Serbia|Raška]]n ''župan'' [[Ljutomir of Serbia|Ljutomir]] (possible fabrication of [[Ljutovid of Zahumlje|Ljutovid]]{{sfn|Živković|2008|pp=222}}) and was raised in [[Bosnia]] by his mother.{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=203}} His father had succeeded Jovan Vladimir in 1016, and ruled until his murder by [[Kotor]] locals in 1018.{{sfn|Fine|1991|p=202}}Lazarević
}}
{{Cnote2 End}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
===Primary sources===
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Шишић|editor-first=Фердо|editor-link=Ferdo Šišić|title=Летопис Попа Дукљанина (Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja)|year=1928|location=Београд-Загреб|publisher=Српска краљевска академија|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HXwCSCgxTlcC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Кунчер|first=Драгана|year=2009|title=Gesta Regum Sclavorum|volume=1|location=Београд-Никшић|publisher=Историјски институт, Манастир Острог}}
* {{Cite book|last=Живковић|first=Тибор|author-link=Tibor Živković|year=2009|title=Gesta Regum Sclavorum|volume=2|location=Београд-Никшић|publisher=Историјски институт, Манастир Острог}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Thurn|editor-first=Hans|title=Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis historiarum|year=1973|location=Berlin-New York|publisher=De Gruyter|isbn=9783110022858|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79jH-QXdf0EC}}
{{refend}}

===Secondary sources===
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Ćirković|first=Sima|author-link=Sima Ćirković|year=2004|title=The Serbs|location=Malden|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|isbn=9781405142915|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Wc-DWRzoeIC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Curta|first=Florin|author-link=Florin Curta|title=Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250|year=2006|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://archive.org/details/southeasterneuro0000curt|url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fine|first=John Van Antwerp Jr.|author-link=John Van Antwerp Fine Jr.|title=The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century|year=1991|orig-year=1983|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=0472081497|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0NBxG9Id58C}}
* {{Cite web|editor-last=Jeffreys|editor-first=Michael|display-editors=etal|title=Voislav Stefan, ruler of the Serbians|work=Prosopographical Reading of Byzantine Sources, 1025-1150|publisher=Prosopography of the Byzantine World|year=2011|url=http://db.pbw.kcl.ac.uk/id/person/108510}}
* {{Cite book|last=Krsmanović|first=Bojana|title=The Byzantine Province in Change: On the Threshold Between the 10th and the 11th Century|year=2008|location=Belgrade|publisher=Institute for Byzantine Studies|isbn=9789603710608|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kjsjAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Lazarević|first=Dragana|chapter=The Invention of the Balkan Identities: Finding the Founding Fathers and the Myths of Origin - the Montenegrin Case|title=Историја и географија: Сусрети и прожимања|year=2014|location=Београд|publisher=Институт за новију историју Србије|pages=423–443|isbn=9788670051256|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IhwkBgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite journal|last=Komatina|first=Predrag|year=2012|title=Srbija i Duklja u delu Jovana Skilice|journal=Zbornik radova|volume=XLIX|publisher=Vizantološki institut|url=http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0584-9888/2012/0584-98881249159K.pdf}}
* {{Cite book|last=Stephenson|first=Paul|title=The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer|year=2003a|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521815307|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0PmrXKnczUC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Stephenson|first=Paul|chapter=The Balkan Frontier in the Year 1000|title=Byzantium in the Year 1000|year=2003b|location=Leiden-Boston|publisher=Brill|pages=109–134|isbn=9004120971|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSZQ-VPFKoMC}}
* {{Cite book|last=Vlasto|first=Alexis P.|author-link=Alexis P. Vlasto|title=The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs|year=1970|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521074599|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpVOAAAAIAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Živković|first=Tibor|author-link=Tibor Živković|title=Forging unity: The South Slavs between East and West 550-1150|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JlIsAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|location=Belgrade|publisher=The Institute of History, Čigoja štampa|isbn=9788675585732}}
{{refend}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Vojislavljević dynasty|Vojislavljević]]||1000||1043}}
{{S-reg|}}
|-
{{S-vac|reason=Byzantine rule|last=[[Jovan Vladimir]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Prince of Dioclea]]|years=1040–1043}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Neda (princess)|Neda]]}}
{{S-off|}}
{{S-new|First}}
{{S-ttl|title=Byzantine ''[[toparch]]'' of [[Zeta (crown land)|Zeta]] and [[Ston]]|years=1018–1034 (?)}}
{{S-aft|after=Theophilos Erotikos}}
{{end}}

{{Serbian monarchs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vojislav, Stefan}}
[[Category:11th-century Serbian royalty]]
[[Category:11th-century Serbian monarchs]]
[[Category:11th-century Byzantine people]]
[[Category:11th-century rebels]]
[[Category:Monarchs of Duklja]]
[[Category:Byzantine rebels]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Vojislavljević dynasty]]
[[Category:Medieval rebels]]
[[Category:Byzantine Serbia]]
[[Category:Byzantine Dalmatia]]
[[Category:Christian monarchs]]