Michael Krešimir II (, ) was King of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

from 949 until his death in 969. He was a member of the Trpimirović dynasty. Michael Krešimir II was a son of Krešimir I and the younger brother of Miroslav, who preceded him as King of Croatia in 945. Krešimir was brought to the throne by the powerful Ban Pribina, who rebelled against the former king Miroslav for having his jurisdiction restrained from some areas. The civil war eventually ended with Miroslav's death in 949 and the reign of Mihajlo began. The Croatian kingdom reached its former glory during Michael's reign. He ravaged the Bosnian

župa A župa (or zhupa, županija) is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "parish", later synonymous "kotar", commonly transl ...

s Uskoplje, Luka and Pleva, and eventually conquered the whole region of Bosnia that was originally lost during the reign of Miroslav. The Bosnian

ban Ban, or BAN, may refer to: Law * Ban (law), a decree that prohibits something, sometimes a form of censorship, being denied from entering or using the place/item ** Imperial ban (''Reichsacht''), a form of outlawry in the medieval Holy Roman ...

fled to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

, after realizing he couldn't fight back and, by 968, Michael pacified the local tribes, establishing full control. Mihajlo and his wife

Helen of Zadar Helen of Zadar ( hr, Jelena) (died 8 October 976), also known as Helen the Glorious, was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Croatia (medieval), Kingdom of Croatia, as the wife of King Michael Krešimir II of Croatia, Michael Krešimir II, from 9 ...

had good relations with the

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, str ...

n cities. Helen built the royal family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be cons ...

in Solin where, at the end of the 19th century, an inscription of her grave was found and translated, bearing her title "Queen". She outlived Michael for 7 years. According to historian Rudolf Horvat, Michael was a victor in a conflict with the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

near the Italian peninsula of

Gargano Gargano (, Gargano Apulian Italo-Romance arˈgæːnə is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming ...

in 969.Rudolf Horvat, ''Povijest Hrvatske I.'', Zagreb, 1924. Mihajlo ruled until his death, and his son

Stephen Držislav Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

succeeded him.

References

External links

Michael Krešimir II in the book "Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages 500-1250" by Florin Curta, Cambridge University Press
Mihajlo Kresimir II Mihajlo Kresimir II 10th-century Croatian monarchs 10th-century rulers in Europe Trpimirović dynasty Year of birth unknown Mihajlo Kresimir II Mihajlo Kresimir II Roman Catholic monarchs Burials at the Church of St. Mary, Solin {{BosniaHerzegovina-hist-stub

See also

References

External links