List of Serbian monarchs
Note:
- All names of Nemanjić monarchs started with Stefan, beginning from Stefan Nemanja.
- Entries bounded within parentheses are for reference only, for instance the Roman numerals keep counts of Stefan's and Lazar's. They are not part of the common nomenclature.
- All i's in parentheses of the house names are part of the transliteration from the Serbian words but frequently omitted in western texts
Rulers of medieval Serbian states
- Vlastimirović Dynasty or House of Vlastimirović(i) (ca. 640 - ca. 950)
- Unknown archont/knez (prince), died in 680, lead Serbs to the Balkans during the reign of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-41),
- Svevlad (different dynasty?), ruled up to 660
- Selimir (different dynasty?), ruled 679-680
- Vladin, ruled up to 700
- Ratimir, ruled until 730
- Knez Višeslav (great grandson of unknown archont/knez who died in 680), around 780
- Knez Radoslav (son of Višeslav)
- Knez Prosigoj (son of Radoslav)
- Knez Vlastimir (son of Prosigoj) ruled around 850 or only up to 825 according to some, founder of Vlastimirović dynasty. Vlastimir had three sons and one daughter. His daughter married knez Krajina, son of Beloje, župan of Travunija (Trabounia). Each son had his own domain, but Mutimir the eldest was the supreme ruler, his two brothers being subjugated (vassals) to him. The brothers successfully fought off a Bulgar onslaught by khan Boris in 852. Later, the two youngest brother rebelled against Mutimir who as a punishment let Bulgar khan Boris subjugate them.
- Knez Mutimir ruled from the second half of 9th century to his death in 891 or 892
- Strojimir (vassal to elder brother Mutimir, later under Bulgar khan Boris)
- Gojnik (vassal to brother Mutimir, later under khan Boris)
- Knez Pribislav (son of Mutimir), born latest 867, ruled 891/2-892/3
- Bran (Boren) (younger brother of Pribislav, son of Mutimir), born by 867, pretender to the thron 895/6
- Stefan (youngest brother of Pribislav and Bran, son of Mutimir), born ca. 870
- Knez Petar Gojniković (son of Gojnik, grandson of Vlastimir), born ca. 870, ruled 892/3-917/8, captured by Buglars, died as their prisonner
- Knez Pavle Branović (son of Bran/Boren, grandson of Mutimir), ruled 917/8-921, brought to the throne by the Bulgars, brought down by Byzantines
- Knez Zaharije Pribisavljević (son of Pribislav, grandson of Mutimir), ruled 921-924 (brought to the throne by the Byzantines, removed by the Bulgars)
- 924-927 Serb throne held by Bulgars, period of Bulgar rule
- Knez/Zupan Časlav Klonimirović (son of Klonimir, grandson of Strojimir), ruled 927/8-ca. 950: Liberated the central Serbian tribes from Bulgarian empire.
950-1050 Byzantine rule
- Vojisavljević Dynasty or House of Vojislavljević(i) (ca 1050- ca 1160)
- Grand Župan (possibly even king?) Mihajlo (Michael) (1050/1155-1080), born after 1042: maintained Serb independence from Byzantine empire. Possibly received the title of king (and crown) from Pope Gregory VII though it is still an issue of debate.
- King Konstantin Bodin, son of Mihajlo, ruled 1180-1101
- King Dobroslav, younger brother of Konstantin Bodin
- King Đorđe, son of Konstantin
- Nemanjić Dynasty or House of Nemanjić(i) (ca 1166-1371)
- Uros, Župan of Rassa from about 1120
- Tihomir (ca 1166-1167)
- joint rule of Tihomir, Stefan Nemanja (son of Uros), Stracimir and Miroslav (ca 1168-1171)
- Vukan, brother of Nemanja, ruled the coastal regions of cities Antivari (Bar) and Cattaro (Kotor)
- Stefan Nemanja also Stefan I, Nemanja (ca 1171-1196), son of Zupan Uros
- Stefan Prvovenčani also Stefan II, Nemanja (1196- 1217 or 1218), eldest son of Stefan Nemanja
- Stefan Radoslav (1217 or 1218 - 1234)
- Stefan Vladislav I (1234 - 1243)
- Stefan Uros I (1243 - 1276)
- Stefan Dragutin (1276 - 1282)
- Stefan (Uros II) Milutin (1282 - 1321)
- Stefan Vladislav II (1321 - about 1325)
- Stefan (Uros III) Decanski (1321 - 1331)
- Stefan (Uros IV) Dušan (1331 - 1355), self-proclaimed Tzar in 1346.
- Stefan Uroš V (1355 - 1371)
- House of Lazarević(i) (1371-1427)
- House of Branković(i) (1427-1459)
Rulers of modern serbian states
In 1918, Serbia became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Later that state changed name in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (i.e. Kingdom of South Slavs). In that period (between two world wars) the country was parliamentary monarchy nominally ruled by the Karageorgević(i) dynasty.
After the WW2 and the socialist revolution the country was reformed as the socialist federation of 'republics' ruled by the Josip Broz (Tito). After his death in 1980, the federation started a process of dissolution which finished in a series of civil wars in early 1990s. Through the 1990s, the Serbia and Montenegro comprised the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (also called Third Yugoslavia), which recently (in 2003) has been restructured into confederation called Serbian and Montenegro. Currently the Serbia is a parlamentary democracy.
See also: Rulers of Montenegro, List of Serbs
Sources
- The geneaology and coats of arms of Serbian dynasties and feudals (Родословне таблице и грбови српских династија и властеле); editors Aleksa Ivić (1928), Dusan Spasić, Aleksandar Plavestra and Dusan Mrdjenović (1987/91); Bata, Belgrade, ISBN 86-7685-007-0 (in Serbian language).
- Serbian Rulers (Српски владари)
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (1907) article at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13732a.htm