Principality of Morava
Principality of Morava existed during medieval times and was located in the Balkan Peninsula.
From Byzantium Porphyrogenitus counted independent Slavic tribes which inhabited the whole of Dalmatia: Croats, Serbs, Moravians, Zahumljani, Travunjani, Konavlians, Dukljani and Neretljani and Pagani. For all the listed tribes, most were Serbs. Based on other information on, however, Dukljani and Moravians, we find out that they were Serbs, too. It was also stated that these tribes had their archons and principalities. Serbian 'coastal lands' were: Duklja, Dalmatia (Pagania) Travunija and Hum, and the 'mainland' ones were Raska and Bosnia. These were the oldest Serbian lands. Dukljanin mentions another Serbia, in the basin of the rivers flowing north and flowing into the Danube, the territory of the Moravians and their tribal alliance. The earliest reference to the Balkan Moravians and archons Morava is preserved in an anonymous manuscript by a Bavarian Geographer, from the year 817. Arabian writer Al Masudi, 940-950, also says that with the Serbs goes the Morava tribe. Moravians gathered the tribes Bodrici, Branicevci, Kucani and Timocani and formed their own principality. They were considered Serbs if we bear in mind that the theme (lands) Morava was eventually renamed Serbia.
Porphyrogenitus does not say which districts existed in Morava or Serbia. For some reason there was no description of the size of Morava principality. Porphyrogenitus does not mention lands or districts of 'baptized Serbia' and mainland Serbia, but he lists the inhabited cities: Destinik, Černavusk, Medjurecje, Dresneik, Lesnik, Salines and in Bosnia, Kotor and Desnik.Podgorje as a special area was mentioned only by Pop Dukljanin; it consisted of the following districts: Moraca, Onogost, Komarnica, Piva, Gacko, Nevesinje, Viseva, Kom, Idbar, Neretva and Rama. Serbian lands were: Rasa, Moravice, Lim, Drina, Soli, Usora, Bosnia, Gornjikraji, Donji kraji and Podgorje. All 'lands' of Serbia had 'at least 64 districts', while Travunija, Zahumlje and Duklja had together 32 districts. Thus, a total of 96 districts. Archons of Zahumljani consisted of the following cities: Bona, Hum, Ston, Mokriskik, Josli, Galumainik and Dobrisisk. Dukljanin lists the following districts in the country Hum: Ston, Popovo, Zapsko, Luka, Velika, Gorimota, Imota, Vecerici, Dubrava and Dabar. In the archons of Travunjani and Konavljani there were the folowing inhabited cities: Trebinje, Vrm, Risan, Lukavite and Zetlivi. In Travunia there were districts:Trebinje /Trebisnjica/, Ljubomir, Fatnica, Rudine, Krusevica, Vrm, Risan, Dracevica, Konavli and Zrnovnica.The inhabited cities in Duklja were: Gradac, Novigrad and Lontodokla. According to Dukljanin there were the following districts in Duklja: Luska, Podluzje, Gorska, Kupelnik, Oblik, Prapratna, Crmnica, Kuceva and Grbalj.
Pagania consisted of only three districts: Rastoka, Mokro and Dalen/Duvno or Dolja and had populated cities: Mokro, Verulja, Ostrog and Slavinec with the islands Korcula, Mljet, Hvar and Brac. According to Masudi, Morava had the greatest number of cities, as many as 30. At its height, the principality Morava included the cities: Morava, Sirmium, Belgrade, Kolubara, Moravica, Kucevo, Branicevo, Pek, Mlava, Idin, Brodar, Ravno, Petrus, Stalac, Gradac, Rabika, Dostinik, Toplica, Nis, Mokro, Svrljig, Timok, Baranica, Gamzigrad, Bidin, Sredac, Zvecan, Lipljan, Prizren, and also Ras for a while.
About the tribes and the lands south of the Sava and the Danube, in the basin of the Velika Morava, the first data we receive from the Frankish chronicler Einhard. Einhard says that the assembly in Herestal was attended by the representatives of the following tribes: Abodriti, Guduskani and Timocani. In Frankfurt were the representatives of Abodriti, Serbs, Ljutici, Czechs, Moravians, Predecenti and Avars. A similar situation was at the assembly in Aachen with one difference Einhard informs us that Abodriti/Bodrici were in fact, Predecenti. The prevailing opinion is that the Polabian Baltic Slavs came to the south after the Croats and Serbs, who were their southern neighbours in their former homeland. Moravians and Timocani came after the Serbs, but before Bodrici, Kucani and Branicevci. Moravians and Timocani already settled this area so they welcomed them in the second half of the 7th century. Bodrici settled: Macva, Kucevo, Banat and Backa; Guduskani east of the Great Morava /Branicevo/; Timocani around the Timok and the Nisava; Moravci around the South and the West Morava and the middle flow of the Great Morava. The existence of the Moravian tribe and the Archons of Moravia south of the Danube clearly indicates that this was one 'state'. This land was inhabited by one tribe or an alliance of several tribes with a unifying name by which the country was named. After the disastrous defeat of the Great Moravian Bavarian army in 906, by the army of the Arpad khan of Hungary /896-907/, the masses of Slavic refugees from Moravia and Pannonia moved to the south sheltering among the Croats, Bulgarians, Serbs and other nations. The impact of the Hungarians triggered a great movement in which a number of Moravians from the north settled Morava in the Balkans. Balkan Morava was self-governing and independent as early as the beginning of the 9th century. From the 880s it was part of Bulgaria. Morava episcopate was part of the separate Byzantine Archbishopric and, around the middle of the 10th century, the Principality of Morava was self-governing again. Throughout the 9th and 10th centuries, there was a semi-independent Moravian Serbian principality in the Balkans ' neighbouring Serbian lands. Actually, after converting the theme Morava into theme Serbia there were two "Serbias" in the South-Slavic area, a western and an eastern one, which was free for a little while. Eastern Serbia was alternately in the hands of Bulgaria and Byzantium. The first attempt to unite these two Serbias was carried out from 1072 to 1075, and a final one at the time of Grand Duke Stefan Nemanja and his descendants, in the first half of the 14th century. The Principality of Morava or Moravia was located in southeastern Europe, in areas of the rivers Drava, Sava, Tisa, Drina, Great Morava and the ]]Danube]]. The eastern border of Serbia was, in fact, the western border of the Morava. To the east, the theme Morava was bordered by the themes Peristrion and Bulgaria. To the south were the themes of Macedonia and Durres. Srem was actually a part of Morava principality, so the northern border was the Danube. Porphyrogenitus says that behind the famous city of Sirmium extended the unbaptized Great Morava ruled by Svatopluk. The lands of Serbian archons Morava, ie. Byzantine theme Morava and subsequent theme Serbia were: Srem, Macva, Kucevo, Branicevo, Timok, Moravica, Eastern land of Toplica, Nisevska with Vrana, Lipljan and Kosovo and Prizren with Hvosno. In Greek and other sources written according to Greek terminology, the area of Serbian Morava was referred to as Bulgaria. However, many sources for this area use the term 'lower Serbia called Bulgaria' – 'inferior Servia dicta Bulgaria' and 'Serbia called Bulgaria' – 'Servia ditta Bulgaria'. 'Serbian Morava' and 'Moravia Serbia' were mentioned in a number of sources from the first half of the 9th century to the middle of the 15th century. Moravians in the Balkans named their principality Morava, the land within the basins of the Great, South and West Morava. Within the Morava principality, on all these rivers called Morava, Moravica, as well as some others Ibar, Lepenica, Gruza, Lugomir, Resava, Toplica, Krusilnica, Rasina, Luznica, Nisava.../, there were homonymous administrative units of smaller size – districts and their seats and centres with the same names. Thus there were districts Morava /around the West Morava/, the second Morava /around the South Morava/, Pomoravlje /around the Great Morava/ and Moravice /around the Moravica, a southern tributary of the West Morava/. One area Morava, though apparently far from the centre, was mentioned since 1020, in the episcopate of Kostur. The city of Korca was built by the river Morava which flows from the mountain area of Morava. Also, a number of toponyms Morava are still preserved in Srem. A part of the former land Morava, which was returned under the influence of the medieval Serbian state, was called the Eastern country. Under Serbian grandduke Lazar and his son Stefan it was called Moravian Serbia.*The first baptism of Croats and Serbs happened during the rule of Emperor Heraclius /610-641/. Emperor Heraclius brought priests from Rome, made one of them both the Archbishop and Bishop, and baptized Croats and Serbs. Since 628, Serbs were under the religious influence of the Eastern Catholic Orthodox Roman Church, until the time of the Byzantine Emperor Basil I, 867. During the time of Emperor Basil I (867-886) occurred the second baptism of Serbs, Croats, Zahumljani, Travunjani, Konavljani, Dioklicani, Pagani and Moravians by which they were subjugated once again to Constantine the Great's Byzantium. According to Dukljanin, the baptizing of Slavs and Serbs happened at the time of the legendary king Svetopelek /Svetopluk, who was contemporary with the missionary quest of Constantine and Methodius, the time of the Roman Pope Stephen VI (855-891) and the Emperor Michael III (856-867). Serbs Moravians were most probably baptized in 866, while the continental Serbia was baptized at the time of Emperor Basil I, (870-880). This was the same period when St. Methodius was named the archbishop and occupied the throne of St. Apostle Andronicus in Sirmium. The 'Slavic mission' was aimed at Moravians, northwestern Serbia and northeastern Bosnia.
References
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