TheCatepanate of Ras (Byzantine Greek:Κατεπανίκιον Ἄρσης) was a province (catepanate) of theByzantine Empire, established around 971 in central regions of early medievalSerbia, during the rule of Byzantine EmperorJohn Tzimiskes (969–976). The catepanate was named after the fortified town ofRas, eponymous for the historical region ofRaška (Latin:Rascia). The province was short-lived, and collapsed soon after 976, following the Byzantine retreat from the region after the restoration of theBulgarian Empire.[1][2]
In the middle of the 6th century, during the reign of Byzantine emperorJustinian I (d. 565), a fortress ofArsa (Greek:Ἄρσα) in the province ofDardania was refortified, as attested by historianProcopius.[3] At the beginning of the 7th century, Byzantine rule collapsed, and the region was settled by theSlavs. Up to the middle of the 10th century, the fortress ofRas was a borderline stronghold between thePrincipality of Serbia andFirst Bulgarian Empire, as attested by the Byzantine emperor and historianConstantine VII Porphyrogenitus (d. 959) in his workDe Administrando Imperio.[4]
The earliest possible date of later Byzantine invasion of Rascian region and the creation of a province is around 971, when Byzantine armiesconquered Bulgaria and re-established Byzantine supreme rule over the interior ofSoutheastern Europe. One of the newly formed administrative units was the Catepanate of Ras. It was established as a Byzantine stronghold in Serbian lands, but its territorial jurisdiction can not be precisely determined, but Serbia probably also was conquered.[5] The Catepanate was short-lived, as well as the Byzantine rule in the rest of Bulgarian and Serbian lands. After the death of emperor John (976), a successful uprising started in the South Slavic provinces of the Byzantine Empire, led byCometopuli, resulting in total breakdown of Byzantine power in the region and the restoration of theBulgarian Empire.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
The main sources for the organization of the Catepanate of Ras is aseal of astrategos of Ras, dated to the reign of Byzantine EmperorJohn Tzimiskes (969–976). The seal belonged toprotospatharios andkatepano of Ras named John.[1]
After 976, the region was dominated by the restoredBulgarian Empire, that had complex relations with neighbouring Serbian princes.[13] Byzantine rule in the region was restored in 1018, under emperorBasil II (d. 1025), and new administrative units in Serbian lands were created, including newthemes, one centered in the region ofSyrmia to the north (Theme of Sirmium), and other in centralSerbia (Theme of Serbia).[14][15]
