The Theme of Sirmium ( el, θέμα Σιρμίου) was a Byzantine administrative unit (

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

), which existed in present-day Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 11th century. Its capital was Sirmium (today

Sremska Mitrovica Sremska Mitrovica (; sr-Cyrl, Сремска Митровица, hu, Szávaszentdemeter, la, Sirmium) is a city and the administrative center of the Srem District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the left bank ...

Background

In the 6th century, another Byzantine province existed in this area. It was known as

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...

and also had its capital in Sirmium, but was much smaller in size. In the beginning of the 11th century, the area which later became the Theme of Sirmium lay within the borders of the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Europ ...

, under Tsar Samuil and the local duke (voivode) known as Sermon ruled over Sirmium and surrounding area. In a long war, the Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered Bulgaria, and established new Byzantine themes and other local governorates under generals ('' strategoi'') on its territory. The central part of Samuil's realm became the Theme of Bulgaria, the northeastern part the Theme of

Paristrion Paristrion ( el, Παρίστριον, lit=beside the Ister), or Paradounabon/Paradounabis (), which is preferred in official documents, was a Byzantine province covering the southern bank of the Lower Danube (Moesia Inferior) in the 11th and 12t ...

, and the northwestern part became the Theme of Sirmium. In 1019–20, the bishoprics of Sirmium, Ras and Prizren (roughly corresponding to modern-day Serbia) are mentioned as the westernmost eparchies in the area of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. To the west of these eparchies lay a borderland with ecclesiastical provinces of the

Metropolitanate of Dyrrhachium A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces. ...

and Catholic bishoprics of maritime cities.

Geography

The exact borders of the Theme of Sirmium are unclear: according to some sources, theme included region of Syrmia (on the northern bank of the Sava river) as well as parts of modern Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the southern bank of the Sava river, while, according to other sources, it extended along the southern bank of the Danube and along the river Sava. In this time, the name "

Syrmia Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...

" was used as a designation for territories on the both banks of the river Sava, while later, designations "Syrmia on this side" (in the north of the Sava river) and "Syrmia on the other side" (in the south of the Sava river) were introduced, until finally, the territory in the south of the Sava river received name " Mačva".

History

After the

battle of Manzikert The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, theme of Iberia (modern Malazgirt in Muş Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army and th ...

in 1071 and the resulting turmoil in the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary conquered Syrmia, but Byzantine control over the area was restored under the Komnenian emperors. In the last years of the 12th century, Byzantine power waned, and the emergence of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

created a new contender for the region's control. Eventually, during the 13th and 14th century, the various Serbian states would succeed in control of the region. One of these states, the

Kingdom of Syrmia The Realm of Stefan Dragutin ( sr, Област Стефана Драгутина / ''Oblast Stefana Dragutina'') was a medieval Serb kingdom. Initially, it was a vassal kingdom of the Kingdom of Hungary, but subsequently became an independent k ...

, was centered in the area in which Byzantine Theme of Sirmium existed.

Governors

There were at least three governors, '' strategoi'', that held the theme: *

Constantine Diogenes Constantine Diogenes ( gr, Κωνσταντῖνος Διογένης; died 1032) was a prominent Byzantine general of the early 11th century, active in the Balkans. He served with distinction in the final stages of the Byzantine conquest of Bul ...

, 1018–29 * Theophilos Erotikos, 1040 *

Ljutovid Ljutovid ( sr-cyr, Љутовид) was an independent Serbian ruler of Zahumlje, in present-day western Herzegovina and southern Croatia, who flourished in the middle of the 11th century in alliance with the Byzantine Empire. He held the supreme ...

, fl. 1039–42

References

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Theme Of Sirmium History of Syrmia Medieval history of Vojvodina 11th century in Croatia Medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina Sirmium States and territories established in the 11th century Medieval Serbia Byzantine Serbia