List of rulers of Zeta
Encyclopedia
After Constantin Bodin
's death, fighting among his potential successors weakened the state of Duklja
and the region succumbed to Rascia's reign between 1183 and 1186.
In 1190, Grand Župan
of Rascia Stefan Nemanja
's son, Vukan II, asserted his right to the Dukljan crown. In 1219, the regent of Zeta and King Vukan's oldest son, Đorđe Nemanjić, became king of Duklja/Zeta. He was succeeded by his second oldest son, Uroš I, who built the 'Uspenje Bogorodice' monastery in Morača.
Between 1276 and 1309, Zeta was ruled by Queen Jelena, widow of Serbia
's King Uroš I. She restored around 50 monasteries in the region--- most notably Saint Srđ and Vakh on the Bojana River
. The name Crna Gora (Montenegro
) was formally mentioned for the first time in 1296, in the charter of St. Nicholas' monastery in Vranjina. This charter was issued by the Serbian King Stefan Milutin Nemanjić, who was the youngest son of Uroš I and Jelena Kurtene. Crna Gora (Montenegro) was to be understood as the highland region under Mount Lovćen
, within the confines of Zeta. By the beginning of the 14th century, during King Milutin's reign, the Archdiocese in Bar
was the strongest feudal lord in Zeta.
From 1309 to 1321, Zeta was co-ruled by the oldest son of King Milutin, Young King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski. Similarly, from 1321 to 1331, Stefan's young son Stefan Dušan Uroš IV Nemanjić, the future Serbian King and Tsar, co-ruled Zeta with his father.
After Tsar Dušan's death in 1355, the Serbian state Kingdom started to crumble and its holdings were divided among Prince (Knjaz) Lazar Hrebeljanović, the short-lived (1353-1391) Bosnian state of Ban Tvrtko I Kotromanić, and a semi-independent chiefdom of Zeta under the House of Balšić
, whose founder Balša I came to power in 1356.
reigned by the House of Nemanjić
. In the mid-14th century in the Lower Zeta region, a minor nobility family known as the House of Balšić
comes to prominence (during the reign of Tsar Dušan; ca. 1360 they have become one of the major nobility groups within the Empire, recognized as such local lords of Zeta under Tsar Uroš. The Serbian Empire becomes ever-fragmented as local lords become acting ever-more independently, the Balsics included; after the Battle of Marica in 1371 emperor Uroš dies and no one succeeds him at the Throne.
In 1421 the Balšić family is succeeded by the House of Lazarević
.
, according to the treaty; they inherit the Zetan territories. The Lazarevic and Brankovic houses use the legitimate right they had succeeded from the Balsics in order to claim supremacy over the Crnojevic house as well, in the Upper Zeta region (Montenegro proper).
In 1456 the last Serbian bastion in Zeta, the fortifications of Medun
, are conquered by the Ottoman forces
of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror
.
was a dynasty ruling in the Medieval Serbian state of Zeta
, first struggling with House of Balšić
for control over Zeta, and then succeeding them as Zeta's supreme overlords throughout the 14th and 15th century. Since the second half of the 15th century, they would play a crucial role in the survival of late Medieval Zeta. All members of the House of Crnojević considered themselves Lords Zetan.
Constantin Bodin (Peter III)
Constantine Bodin was the Serbian King and titular King of Duklja. He was titled Prince , but was self-proclaimed King . He was emperor of Bulgaria by name Peter III in 1072...
's death, fighting among his potential successors weakened the state of Duklja
Duklja
Doclea or Duklja was a medieval state with hereditary lands roughly encompassing the territories of present-day southeastern Montenegro, from Kotor on the west to the river Bojana on the east and to the sources of Zeta and Morača rivers on the north....
and the region succumbed to Rascia's reign between 1183 and 1186.
In 1190, Grand Župan
Grand Zupan
Grand, Great or Chief Župan is the English rendering of a South Slavic title which relate etymologically to župan like a Russian Grand Prince to a Knyaz .- Bulgaria :A decorated silver cup with a...
of Rascia Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
's son, Vukan II, asserted his right to the Dukljan crown. In 1219, the regent of Zeta and King Vukan's oldest son, Đorđe Nemanjić, became king of Duklja/Zeta. He was succeeded by his second oldest son, Uroš I, who built the 'Uspenje Bogorodice' monastery in Morača.
Between 1276 and 1309, Zeta was ruled by Queen Jelena, widow of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's King Uroš I. She restored around 50 monasteries in the region--- most notably Saint Srđ and Vakh on the Bojana River
Bojana River
The Bojana or Buna , is a 41 km long river in Albania and Montenegro which flows into the Adriatic Sea. An outflow of Lake Skadar, measured from the source of the lake's longest tributary, the Morača, the Morača-Lake Skadar- Bojana system is 183 km long.- The river in Albania :The river...
. The name Crna Gora (Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
) was formally mentioned for the first time in 1296, in the charter of St. Nicholas' monastery in Vranjina. This charter was issued by the Serbian King Stefan Milutin Nemanjić, who was the youngest son of Uroš I and Jelena Kurtene. Crna Gora (Montenegro) was to be understood as the highland region under Mount Lovćen
Mount Lovcen
Lovćen is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro.The Mount Lovćen rises from the borders of the Adriatic basin closing the long ang twisting bays of Boka Kotorska and making the hinterland to the coastal town of Kotor...
, within the confines of Zeta. By the beginning of the 14th century, during King Milutin's reign, the Archdiocese in Bar
Bar, Montenegro
Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...
was the strongest feudal lord in Zeta.
From 1309 to 1321, Zeta was co-ruled by the oldest son of King Milutin, Young King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski. Similarly, from 1321 to 1331, Stefan's young son Stefan Dušan Uroš IV Nemanjić, the future Serbian King and Tsar, co-ruled Zeta with his father.
After Tsar Dušan's death in 1355, the Serbian state Kingdom started to crumble and its holdings were divided among Prince (Knjaz) Lazar Hrebeljanović, the short-lived (1353-1391) Bosnian state of Ban Tvrtko I Kotromanić, and a semi-independent chiefdom of Zeta under the House of Balšić
House of Balšic
The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and the coastlands , from 1362 to 1421, during the fall of the Serbian Empire. Balša, the eponymous founder, was a petty nobleman that held only one village during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and...
, whose founder Balša I came to power in 1356.
Zeta
The region of Zeta was a part of the Serbian EmpireSerbian Empire
The Serbian Empire was a short-lived medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the Serbian Kingdom. Stephen Uroš IV Dušan was crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks on 16 April, 1346, a title signifying a successorship to the Eastern Roman Empire...
reigned by the House of Nemanjić
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
. In the mid-14th century in the Lower Zeta region, a minor nobility family known as the House of Balšić
House of Balšic
The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and the coastlands , from 1362 to 1421, during the fall of the Serbian Empire. Balša, the eponymous founder, was a petty nobleman that held only one village during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and...
comes to prominence (during the reign of Tsar Dušan; ca. 1360 they have become one of the major nobility groups within the Empire, recognized as such local lords of Zeta under Tsar Uroš. The Serbian Empire becomes ever-fragmented as local lords become acting ever-more independently, the Balsics included; after the Battle of Marica in 1371 emperor Uroš dies and no one succeeds him at the Throne.
In 1421 the Balšić family is succeeded by the House of Lazarević
House of Lazarevic
The House of Lazarević was a noble Serbian medieval dynasty.The dynasty starts with Lazar Hrebeljanović, son of Pribac Hrebeljanović -a noble at the court of Dušan the Mighty and of Princess Jelena Zupan Rascia-Nemanjic of Serbia...
.
House of Balšić
The Balšić family members all had their own lands which they held collectively, but they were at various times presided by a Head of the Family:- Balša IBalša I of ZetaBalša was a Serbian provincial Lord of the Zeta region in 1360-1362, subordinate the Serbian Emperor Uroš the Weak. He is the founder of the noble House of Balšić....
(1356-1362) - Đurađ I (1362–1378)
- Balša IIBalša IIBalša II Balšić was a 14th-century nobleman, the Lord of Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He managed to expand his borders towards the south; defeating the Albanian Duke Karl Thopia....
(1378–1385) - Đurađ II (1385–1403)
- Balša IIIBalša IIIBalša III was the fifth and last ruler of Zeta from the House of Balša, from April 1403 - May 1421. He was the son of Đurađ II and Jelena Lazarević.- Reign :...
(1403–1421)
House of Branković
In 1427 the Serbian despot died and the throne through adoptive lineage passes on to the House of BrankovićHouse of Brankovic
House of Branković or Brankovići was a noble Serbian medieval dynasty. The family descent via female line through marriage from the Royal House of Nemanjić. The families rise to prominence during the time of disintegration of Serbian Empire under the last ruler of House of Nemanjić...
, according to the treaty; they inherit the Zetan territories. The Lazarevic and Brankovic houses use the legitimate right they had succeeded from the Balsics in order to claim supremacy over the Crnojevic house as well, in the Upper Zeta region (Montenegro proper).
In 1456 the last Serbian bastion in Zeta, the fortifications of Medun
Medun
Medun is a settlement located 13 km northeast of the capital Podgorica, Montenegro. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of Medeon, which was used throughout history until the end of the middle ages. It is situated in the clan area of the Gornji Kuči, one of the...
, are conquered by the Ottoman forces
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
.
- Despot Đurađ Branković (1427-1456)
House of Crnojević
The House of CrnojevićHouse of Crnojevic
The Crnojević was a medieval Serb noble house that held Zeta, or parts of it; a region corresponding to north of Lake Skadar , from 1326 to 1362, then 1403 until 1515. The progenitor, Đuraš Ilijić, was head of Upper Zeta in the Serbian Kingdom and Empire The Crnojević was a medieval Serb noble...
was a dynasty ruling in the Medieval Serbian state of Zeta
Principality of Zeta
Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia...
, first struggling with House of Balšić
House of Balšic
The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and the coastlands , from 1362 to 1421, during the fall of the Serbian Empire. Balša, the eponymous founder, was a petty nobleman that held only one village during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and...
for control over Zeta, and then succeeding them as Zeta's supreme overlords throughout the 14th and 15th century. Since the second half of the 15th century, they would play a crucial role in the survival of late Medieval Zeta. All members of the House of Crnojević considered themselves Lords Zetan.
| Picture | TitleName Born - Died |
Reign | Territory | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radič Radic Crnojevic Radič Crnojević "Lord of the Zeta and Budva and the other parts of Serbia", was a Serbian lord of the Đurašević-Crnojević clan who maintained a domain in Upper Zeta. Radič later expanded his domain to parts of Lower Zeta, including Grbalj, Paštrovići and Budva. Radič was a son of Crnoje... |
end of the 14th century - 1396 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
||
| Đurađ and Aleksa | 1403–1435 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
Ruled as vassals of the Venetians | |
| Gojčin (Gojčin, Goycinus) | ? - 1451 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
Ruled under Đurađ Branković (Serbian Despotate Serbian Despotate The Serbian Despotate was a Serbian state, the last to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of the medieval Serbian state, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia survived for 70 more years,... ) |
|
| Stefan I Stefan I Crnojevic Stefan a.k.a. Stefanica Crnojević was a medieval lord of the Principality of Zeta , from the House of Crnojević that ruled it from 1451 to 1465.-Reign:... |
1451–1465 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
Ruled under the Despotate 1451-1452, then under Venetian rule | |
 |
Ivan I Ivan I Crnojevic Ivan Crnojević was the medieval ruler of Zeta and first lord of the Principality of Montenegro from 1465 to 1490.-Reign:... |
1465–1490 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
|
| Đurađ IV | 1490–1496 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
||
| Stefan II | 1496–1498 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
||
| Ivan II | 1498–1515 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
||
| Đurađ V | 1515–1516 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
House of Berislavić
| Picture | TitleName Born - Died |
Reign | Territory | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivaniš Berislavić Ivaniš Berislavić Ivaniš Berislavić was the Despot of Serbia 1504-1514.-Background:Ivaniš Berislavić was a member of the House of Berislavić, a Croatian noble family from Slavonia, subordinate to the Kingdom of Hungary.-Life:... |
1504–1514 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
Married widow of Jovan Branković | |
| Stjepan Berislavić | 1514–1521 | Zeta Principality of Zeta Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia... |
Deposed |