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Zeta (Serbian Cyrillic:Зета) as acrown land was a medieval region and province of theSerbian state (Principality,Kingdom, andEmpire) of theNemanjić dynasty, from the end of the 12th century, up to the middle of the 14th century (1186–1371). During that period, regional administration in Zeta was often bestowed to various members of the ruling dynasty, who administered the region as a crown land.^[1]

At the time ofMihailo I, Zeta was ažupa withinDuklja and was also known asLuška župa. From the end of the 11th century, the name began to be used to refer to the whole of Duklja, at first inKekaumenos's military manual, written in the 1080s. Over the following decades, the termZeta gradually replacedDuklja to denote the region.^[2]

Serbian PrinceDesa Urošević conqueredDuklja andTravunia in 1148, combining the title as "Prince of Primorje" (the Maritime) and co-ruled Serbia with his brotherUroš II Prvoslav from 1149 to 1153, and alone until 1162.

In 1190,Grand Župan of Rascia andStefan Nemanja's son,Vukan II, asserted his right over Zeta. In 1219,Đorđe Nemanjić succeeded Vukan. 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 byQueen Jelena, widow ofSerbia's KingUroš I. She restored around 50 monasteries in the region, most notably Saint Srđ and Vakh on theBojana River. From 1309 to 1321, Zeta was co-ruled by the oldest son of King Milutin, Young KingStefan Uroš III Dečanski. Similarly, from 1321 to 1331, Stefan's young sonStefan Dušan Uroš IV Nemanjić, the future Serbian King and Emperor, co-ruled Zeta with his father.

Dušan the Mighty was crowned Emperor in 1331, and ruled until his death in 1355.

Žarko held the Lower Zeta region: he is mentioned in records from 1356, when he raided some traders fromDubrovnik, not far fromSveti Srđ atLake Skadar.Zeta itself was held by the widow of Dušan,Jelena, who at the time was inSerres where she had her court. The next year, in June, Žarko becomes a citizen of theRepublic of Venice, where he was known as "baron lord of the Serbian King, with holdings in the Zeta region andBojana of themaritime".

Đuraš Ilijić was "Head" (Kefalija, from GreekKephale) ofUpper Zeta until his murder in 1362. Đuraš had been killed by the sons of aBalša, a nobleman that held one village during the reign of Dušan.^[3]

After Dušan, his son,Uroš the Weak ruled Serbia during thefall of the Serbian Empire; a gradual disintegration of the Empire was a result of decentralization in which provincial lords gained semi-autonomy and eventually independence. TheBalšićs wrestled the region in 1360-1362, when they defeated the two lords of Upper and Lower Zeta. Over the decades, they became an important player in the politics of the Balkans.

The Lordship was reunified with the Serbian crown in 1421, whenBalša III abdicated and passed the rule to his uncle, DespotStefan Lazarević.

• Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Zeta

• Zeta (crown land)
• Subdivisions of Serbia in the Middle Ages
• Subdivisions of the Serbian Empire
• Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)
• Historical regions in Montenegro
• Medieval history of Montenegro
• 12th century in Serbia
• 13th century in Serbia
• 14th century in Serbia
• History of the Serbs of Montenegro

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