Stephen I ( hr, Stjepan I.; c. 988 – 1058) 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 =
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, capit ...
from c. 1030 until his death in 1058 and a member of the
Trpimirović dynasty
Trpimirović dynasty ( hr, Trpimirovići) was a native Croatian dynasty that ruled in the Duchy and later the Kingdom of Croatia, with interruptions by the Domagojević dynasty from 845 until 1091. It was named after Trpimir I, the first member ...
(Krešimirović branch). Stephen I was the first Croatian king whose given name was "Stephen" ("''Stjepan''"), as
Držislav added the name Stephen at his coronation. His
ban was
Stephen Praska.
Biography
Background
Stephen was the son of former King
Svetoslav Suronja, who gave him as a hostage to the Venetian
doge
A doge ( , ; plural dogi or doges) was an elected lord and head of state in several Italian city-states, notably Venice and Genoa, during the medieval and renaissance periods. Such states are referred to as " crowned republics".
Etymology
The ...
,
Pietro II Orseolo
Pietro II Orseolo (961−1009) was the Doge of Venice from 991 to 1009.
He began the period of eastern expansion of Venice that lasted for the better part of 500 years. He secured his influence in the Dalmatian Romanized settlements from the Croa ...
. He married the latter's daughter, Hicela Orseolo, who bore him two sons:
Peter Krešimir IV, who succeeded him as the King of Croatia, and
Častimir, the father of the future Croatian King
Stephen II.
Reign as king
Stephen formally succeeded his uncle
Krešimir III in 1030, although it is likely that he co-ruled with him from 1028. The King continued his predecessors' ambitions of spreading rule over
the coastal cities and expended much effort in that regard, but it was all eventually in vain.
In 1035, Croatia under Stephen involved itself in the affairs of the neighbouring
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
between the
Carinthian
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Bavarian group. Carint ...
count
Adalbero Adalbero or Adalberon (french: Adalbéron) is a masculine given name, a variant of Adalbert (given name), Adalbert, derived from the Old High German words ''Ethel (disambiguation), adal'' ("noble") and ''beraht'' ("bright") or '':en:wikt:bero#Old_Hi ...
and
Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II. Aldabero was accused on 18 May 1035 during the
Bamberg assembly of conspiring against the emperor with help from the
Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
. Because of this, the Emperor strengthened the southeastern part of his state, where it bordered with Croatia.
[Ferdo Šišić, Povijest Hrvata u vrijeme narodnih vladara, 1925, Zagreb ]
Between 1038 and 1041, Stephen managed to successfully conquer
Zadar
Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...
from the Venetians for a short period, possibly with the help of the newly crowned Hungarian king
Peter Orseolo
Peter Orseolo, or Peter the Venetian ( hu, Velencei Péter; 1010 or 1011 – 1046, or late 1050s), was the King of Hungary twice. He first succeeded his uncle, King Stephen I, in 1038. His favoritism towards his foreign courtiers caused an u ...
, his wife's nephew.
[ Stephen controlled the city until 1050, when it was reconquered by doge ]Domenico I Contarini
Domenico Contarini (Birthdate unknown, died 1071 in Venice) was the 30th Doge of Venice. His reign lasted from his election in 1043 following the death of Domenico Flabanico until his own death in 1071. During his reign, the Venetians recapture ...
.
In an effort to maintain Roman influence over the Dalmatian cities, the Byzantine emperor granted Stephen Praska, a ban serving under king Stephen I, the title of Protospatharios
''Prōtospatharios'' ( el, πρωτοσπαθάριος) was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes.
History
Th ...
.
Later life and death
Stephen I established the diocese of Knin
Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...
in 1040, which stretched to the north until it met the river Drava. The bishop of Knin had also the nominal title of "Croatian bishop" (Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''episcopus Chroatensis'').
Trade and commerce flourished under Stephen I. A burgeoning aristocracy emerged in Zadar
Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...
, Biograd
Biograd na Moru (), shortened to simply Biograd (), is a town in northern Dalmatia, Croatia and is significant for being another capital of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia. Biograd is administratively part of the Zadar County. It is located on th ...
, Knin
Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...
, Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
and other coastal cities.
Stephen I ruled until 1058 when his son, Petar Krešimir IV Petar ( sr, Петар, bg, Петър) is a South Slavic masculine given name, their variant of the Biblical name Petros cognate to Peter.
Derivative forms include Pero, Pejo, Pera, Perica, Petrica, Periša. Feminine equivalent is Petra.
...
, took over. His successors referenced his burial place as the "fields of Elysium" (''Elisio campo''). In the 1920s, when the Hollow Church was excavated, romantic nationalists interpreted this instead as "fields of Klis
Klis ( hr, Klis, it, Clissa, tr, Kilis) is a Croatian municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in the region of Dalmatia, located just northeast of Solin and Split near the eponymous mountain pass. I ...
" (''Clisio campo''). Most historians assert that he was most likely buried in the Church of St Stephen on Otok.
Family
Married Hicela Orseolo c. 1008
*Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia
Peter Krešimir IV, called the Great ( hr, Petar Krešimir IV. Veliki) was King of Dalmatia and Croatia from 1059 until his death in 1074 or 1075. He was the last great ruler of the Krešimirović branch of the Trpimirović dynasty.
Under Peter ...
(? – 1074/1075), King of Croatia
This is a complete list of rulers of Croatia under domestic ethnic and elected dynasties during the Croatian Kingdom (925–1918). This article follows the monarch's title number according to Hungarian succession for convenience. For example, the ...
from 1059
*Častimir or Gojslav (? – ?), who fathered Stephen II of Croatia, the last male Trpimirović.
See also
* Trpimirović dynasty
Trpimirović dynasty ( hr, Trpimirovići) was a native Croatian dynasty that ruled in the Duchy and later the Kingdom of Croatia, with interruptions by the Domagojević dynasty from 845 until 1091. It was named after Trpimir I, the first member ...
* History of Croatia
At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, before b ...
*List of rulers of Croatia
This is a complete list of rulers of Croatia under domestic ethnic and elected dynasties during the Croatian Kingdom (925–1918). This article follows the monarch's title number according to Hungarian succession for convenience. For example, the ...
References
Sources
* ''Intervju - ДИНАСТИЈЕ и владари јужнословенских народа''. Special Edition 12, 16 June 1989.
Royal Croatia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen 01 Of Croatia
980s births
1058 deaths
Kings of Croatia
Medieval Croatian nobility
11th-century monarchs in Europe
Trpimirović dynasty
Roman Catholic monarchs
11th-century Croatian people
Burials at the Church of St. Stephen, Solin