Ljutovid of Zahumlje

Ljutovid
Ljutovid
Knez of Zahumlje
Reign	floruit c. 1039–1034
Religion	Christian

Ljutovid (Serbian Cyrillic: Љутовид) was an independent local Slavic chieftain and ruler of Zahumlje with a title of knez. The region of Zahumlje included parts of present-day western Herzegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina and southern Croatia along the coast. Ljutovid flourished in the middle of the 11th century as a vassal of the Byzantine Empire.

Quick Facts Reign, Religion ...

Close

As the local Slavic ruler of Zahumlje, and recipient of Byzantine ranks and titles, he was styled as "protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou, hypatos, strategos of Serbia and Zahumlje" in July 1039, and claimed supremacy in military ranks not only in his local domain but also to the entirety of Serbia.^[1]^[2] This title was probably given to him by Emperor Michael IV,^[3] who might have also granted him nominal right over neighbouring lands, including Serbia.^[1]

Depending on different narratives by 11th century John Skylitzes and the 14th century Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, in 1042, the new emperor ordered Michael the governor of Dyrrhachium to gather a big army, and sent piles of imperial gold and silver to the Župan of Rascia (Serbia^[4]), Ban of Bosnia and instructed Ljutovid of Zahumlje to do the same in order to support the overthrow of Stefan Vojislav of Duklja.^[1]^[5]^[6]^[7] This was because Vojislav previously denounced the emperor's authority by stealing gold and attacking lands under Byzantine allies.^[8]^[6]^[9] In 1043, Michael, or Curcilius and Ljutovid, led the army of the allied forces against Duklja but they were disastrously ambushed in the Triballos mountains (possibly Klobuk hill^[10]),^[11] with Ljutovid having a duel with Vojislav's son Gojislav.^[12]^[9] Vojislav went on to pursue and annex the lands of Zahumlje, Travunia and Dyrrhachium.^[13]^[14]

There exist several documents (possibly forged, but recent research approves their authenticity),^[15]) one with two variants dated 1039 and 1151, and a third consisting of a transcript by duke Desa. In them, his title as "protospatarius epi to chrusotriclinio, ypatus et strategos Servie et Zachlumie" is confirmed.^[16] According to them, Ljutovid awarded the monastery on Lokrum with Babino Polje on the island of Mljet (modern Croatia).^[15]^[17] According to it, Protospatar Ljutovit declared that no one, neither Ragusan, nor citizen of Ston, neither Latin, nor Slav, could impede the donation.^[17]

[Stephenson2003-1] [1]
Stephenson 2003, pp. 42-43: "if the idea of developing a thema of Serbia existed briefly, it was swiftly abandoned and the title strategos passed to the local aristocracy. In a charter issued July 1039 the Slavic ruler of Zahumlje styled himself "Ljutovit, protospatharios epi tou Chrysotriklinou, hypatos, strategos of Serbia and Zahumlje." Ljutovid's claim to be strategos not only of Zahumlje, but all Serbia suggests that he had been courted by the emperor, and awarded nominal rights neighbouring lands, including Duklja, which was at the time at war with the empire. Moreover, if we can trust the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, our only narrative source, we must conclude that none of the Serbian lands was under direct Byzantine control in 1042. In that year, we are told, the ban of Bosnia, župan of Raška, and Slavic princeps of Zahumlje (Chelmana), Ljutovid, received Byzantine ambassadors offering piles of imperial silver and gold to support imperial efforts against the ruler of neighbouring Duklja, Stefan Vojislav. The use of Latin princeps, rather than iupanus or banus, to describe Ljutovid, supports the notion that he held the supreme authority among the Serbs at the time."

[FOOTNOTEStephenson2004129-2] [2]
Stephenson 2004, pp. 129.

[3] [3]
Cameron, Averil (2003). Fifty Years of Prosopography: The Later Roman Empire, Byzantium and Beyond. Oxford University Press. p. 150. ISBN 9780197262924.

[FOOTNOTEDzino2023186-4] [4]
Dzino 2023, pp. 186.

[FOOTNOTEStephenson2004129,_134-5] [5]
Stephenson 2004, pp. 129, 134.

[FOOTNOTEStojkovski2021148–149-6] [6]
Stojkovski 2021, pp. 148–149.

[7] [7]
Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, ch. 38: "iupano Rassae et bano Bosnae et principi regionis Chelmanae"

[FOOTNOTEStephenson2004133–134-8] [8]
Stephenson 2004, pp. 133–134.

[FOOTNOTEDzino2023172–173-9] [9]
Dzino 2023, pp. 172–173.

[10] [10]
Marko Vego, Naselja bosanske srednjevjekovne države, Svjetlost, 1957. Google Books

[FOOTNOTEStephenson2004134-11] [11]
Stephenson 2004, pp. 134.

[FOOTNOTEStojkovski2021149-12] [12]
Stojkovski 2021, pp. 149.

[FOOTNOTEStephenson2004135-13] [13]
Stephenson 2004, pp. 135.

[FOOTNOTECurta2006269-14] [14]
Curta 2006, pp. 269.

[FOOTNOTEDzino2023173-15] [15]
Dzino 2023, pp. 173.

[FOOTNOTEDzino2023173–175-16] [16]
Dzino 2023, pp. 173–175.

[Fine90-17] [17]
Fine, John V.A. (2010). When Ethnicity Did Not Matter in the Balkans: A Study of Identity in Pre-Nationalist Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia in the Medieval and Early-Modern Periods. University of Michigan Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780472025602.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

Political offices
Preceded by Constantine Diogenes	strategos of Serbia and Zahumlje (Byzantine Empire) fl. 1039	Succeeded by Župan Petrislav I
Preceded by Constantine Diogenes	Prince of Hum (Byzantine Empire) fl. 1042	Succeeded by Župan Petrislav I

Ljutovid of Zahumlje

Sources

Wikiwand in your browser!

References

Ljutovid
Knez of Zahumlje
Reign	floruit c. 1039–1034
Religion	Christian