Stephen Držislav of Croatia

Stjepan Držislav ( Germanized Stefan Dirzislav; † 997 ) was from 969 to his death the king of the medieval Croatian kingdom.

He came from the Trpimirović Dynasty and was supported in his reign of Ban Godemir. His Royal Household was in Biograd.

Life

Stjepan Držislav was the successor of his father King Mihajlo Krešimir II and Queen Jelena of Zadar. In the war between the Byzantine Emperor Basil II against Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria, supported Stjepan Držislav Byzantium. After the Byzantine Emperor Basil II was able to successfully fend off the attacks against several Bulgarian cities on the Adriatic coast, the towns remained under Croatian control. The Byzantine rulers rose Stjepan Držislav in the rank of patriarch and Exarch of Dalmatia and Croatia. King Samuil, however, was able to bring the territories of Bosnia between the rivers Drina and Bosna under his control.

Stjepan Držislav received the royal insignia as an act of recognition by the Byzantine Emperor and the title "Grand Duke " ( Latin: dux magnis ). He was crowned by the Archbishop of Split in Biograd in 988.

Držislav built and secured his kingdom from further back and conquered territories that had been lost under Trpimir II of Byzantium.

His empire stretched along the coast of the city of Krk, Cres, Rab, Zadar, Trogir, Split ( White Croatia) Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva and the located inland outstanding ( Red Croatia). He delegated his power over his Bane. He sat down for the integration of the Romanesque minority in the Croatian majority one.

Držislavs reign was almost three decades one of the longest in the history of the Croatian kingdom. Stjepan Držislav left three sons:

• Svetoslav Suronja
• Krešimir III.
• Gojslav

All three led during the following decades, the title of the Croatian king.

Before the end of his reign Stjepan Držislav appointed his eldest son, Svetoslav the Duke and Svetoslav was his deputy. Držislav prepared Svetoslav before it, to become his successor.

Stjepan Držislav died in 997, he left three sons, the leadership of the Croatian kingdom made ​​mutually contentious.

Track

Tablets of stone at the altar of posts originating from the 10th century church in Knin contain the following Latin inscription: CLV DUX HROATOR IN TE PUS D IRZISCLV DUCE Magnu ( Svetoslav, leader of the Croats at times Drzislavs the great ruler ). This stone inscription is exhibited in the Archaeological Museum Split.