Europe · The successor kingdoms
Principality of Serbia
drawn on the map AD 768–925, 936–961
The early medieval Principality of Serbia (Serbia, Raška) emerged among the Serbs who settled the western Balkans (in modern southwestern Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro) in the 7th century. It is documented especially in the De Administrando Imperio of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.
- Shown on the map
- AD 768–925, 936–961 (2 periods)
- Peak area
- 61k km²
- Region
- Europe
Overview
The early medieval Principality of Serbia (Serbia, Raška) emerged among the Serbs who settled the western Balkans (in modern southwestern Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro) in the 7th century. It is documented especially in the De Administrando Imperio of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. It was ruled by the Vlastimirović dynasty, named after Prince Vlastimir (fl. mid-9th century), who consolidated the principality and successfully resisted a major Bulgarian invasion (c. 839–842).
Decline and legacy
Serbia oscillated between Byzantine and Bulgarian overlordship. Under Časlav Klonimirović (r. c. 927/933–943 or later) the principality was restored from Bulgarian domination (Časlav escaped from Bulgarian captivity after Simeon's death in 927) and expanded under Byzantine suzerainty, reaching its early medieval peak. After Časlav's death the Vlastimirović state fragmented, and the center of Serbian statehood later shifted to Duklja (Zeta) and then back to Raška, from which the Nemanjić dynasty would build the later Serbian kingdom and empire. Historiographical note: Early Serbian chronology (especially the reign dates of Časlav) is uncertain and depends heavily on the De Administrando Imperio.
Common questions
- What was the Principality of Serbia?
- The early medieval Principality of Serbia (Serbia, Raška) emerged among the Serbs who settled the western Balkans (in modern southwestern Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro) in the 7th century. It is documented especially in the De Administrando Imperio of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.
- When is the Principality of Serbia shown on the map?
- The border data draws the Principality of Serbia AD 768–925, 936–961, in 2 separate periods. The source samples borders at fixed dates, so a span can begin late or run on past the end.
- How large was the Principality of Serbia?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Principality of Serbia covered about 61,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- How did the Principality of Serbia end?
- Serbia oscillated between Byzantine and Bulgarian overlordship. Under Časlav Klonimirović (r. c. 927/933–943 or later) the principality was restored from Bulgarian domination (Časlav escaped from Bulgarian captivity after Simeon's death in 927) and expanded under Byzantine suzerainty, reaching its early medieval peak.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity as the primary basis, cross-checked against Encyclopædia Britannica and the World History Encyclopedia, while flagging entries built on thin or contested evidence — Samo's Empire on a single Fredegar passage, Venice's 697 founding date as legendary, the Pacta conventa as a probable forgery. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Principality of Serbia (early medieval) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Serbia_(early_medieval)
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
See the Principality of Serbia in its world
Open the atlas at AD 847 and every neighbour, rival and successor is on screen with it — then drag the slider and watch what happens next.
Open the map at AD 847 →