Trpimir I (, la, Trepimerus/Trepimero) was a duke ( hr,
knez) in
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 around 845 until his death in 864. He is considered the founder of the
Trpimirović dynasty that ruled in Croatia, with interruptions, from around 845 until 1091. Although he was formally
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
of the
Frankish Emperor Lothair I, Trpimir used Frankish-Byzantine conflicts to rule on his own.
Reign
Trpimir succeeded Croatia's Duke
Mislav around 845, ascended the throne in
Klis and expanded the early
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
stronghold into
Klis Fortress, the capital of his domain. Trpimir battled successfully against his neighbours, the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
coastal cities under the
strategos
''Strategos'', plural ''strategoi'', Latinized ''strategus'', ( el, στρατηγός, pl. στρατηγοί; Doric Greek: στραταγός, ''stratagos''; meaning "army leader") is used in Greek to mean military general. In the Helleni ...
of
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 ...
in 846. In 854 he
repulsed an attack by an army of the
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n
Khan
Khan may refer to:
*Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan
*Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name
*Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...
Boris I
Boris I, also known as Boris-Mihail (Michael) and ''Bogoris'' ( cu, Борисъ А҃ / Борисъ-Михаилъ bg, Борис I / Борис-Михаил; died 2 May 907), was the ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire in 852–889. At ...
and concluded a peace treaty with him, exchanging gifts. The
Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely underst ...
and
Croatians
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, ...
coexisted peacefully after that time.
On 4 March 852 Trpimir issued a charter in
Biaći (''in loco Byaci dicitur'') in the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, 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 ...
language, confirming
Mislav's donations to the
Archbishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
in
Split. The charter is preserved in a copy from 1568. Analyses of the copy indicate it's not certain if the original was indeed older than the
Branimir inscription. In this document, Trpimir named himself "by the mercy of God, Duke of the Croats" (''Dux Chroatorum iuvatus munere divino'') and his realm as the "Realm of the Croats" (''Regnum Chroatorum''),
[ Florin Curta]
Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages
500–1250, p. 139 which is the first known usage of the
name of Croats. The term ''regnum'' was used by other rulers of that time as a sign of their independence and did not necessarily mean a
kingdom. The charter documents his ownership of
Klis Fortress and mentions Trpimir's decision to build a
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chri ...
and the first
Benedictine monastery in
Rižinice, between the towns of Klis and
Solin, thus bringing the
Benedictins into Croatia.
On a gable arch from an altar screen of the Rižinice monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
, carved in stone, stands a text with the duke's name and title:''PRO DVCE TREPIME O... ...PRECE CHR ST SV IT ATIS ET INCLINATA HABEE COLA TERME TES...'
He also likely built a church in Kapitul, in the vicinity of Knin castle, where his name is recorded from archaeological remains.
Trpimir undertook a pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to Cividale together with his son Peter, which was recorded in the '' Evangelistary of Cividale'', where he is titled as '' dominus'' (''domno'').
The Saxon theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
Gottschalk of Orbais
Gottschalk (Latin: Godescalc, Gotteschalchus) of Orbais (c. 808 – 30 October 868 AD) was a Saxon theologian, monk and poet. Gottschalk was an early advocate for the doctrine of two-fold predestination, an issue that ripped through both Italy an ...
was at Trpimir's court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...
between 846 and 848, after leaving Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
and before moving to Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
, and his work ''De Trina deitate'' is an important source for Trpimir's reign. He describes Trpimir's accomplishments and his victory over a Byzantine patricius in 846, which Gottschalk connected with his theory of predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby ...
.[ Trpimir was a proclaimed ''rex Sclavorum'' as a token of admiration from Gottschalk, which is also a sign of his independent rule.
]
Descendants
The end of Trpimir's reign remains vaguely distinctive, just like the sequence of his successors. He had three sons: Peter, Zdeslav and probably Muncimir, since in a charter dated to 892, in the time of Duke Muncimir's rule, Muncimir stated that "he returned to his fathers throne," which was usurped by Branimir. Trpimir was succeeded in around 864 either by his son Zdeslav, who was shortly after deposed by Domagoj,[John Van Antwerp Fine: The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century, 1991, p. 257] or directly by Domagoj who forced Trpimir's sons to flee to Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
.
See also
* Croatian–Bulgarian wars
* Trpimirović dynasty
References
Further reading
* Povijest Hrvatske I. (R. Horvat)/Mislav i Trpimir (od najstarijeg doba do g. 1657.)'', Zagreb 1924.
*Nada Klaić, ''Povijest Hrvata u ranom srednjem vijeku'', Zagreb 1975.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trpimir 01 Of Croatia
Dukes of Croatia
Trpimirović dynasty
9th-century Croatian people
864 deaths
Year of birth unknown
9th-century people from East Francia
Slavic warriors