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 = , map_caption = , 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

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 ...

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.

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