Stefan Nemanja Стефан Немања Simeon the Myrrh-streaming Симеон Мироточиви | |||||
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 Donor's portrait of Stefan Nemanja, fresco in the Virgin's Church of theStudenica Monastery | |||||
| VenerableMyroblyte | |||||
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church | ||||
| Attributes | Church Builder | ||||
| Grand Prince of Serbia | |||||
| Reign | 1166–1196 | ||||
| Coronation | 1166 | ||||
| Predecessor | Stefan Tihomir | ||||
| Successor | Stefan II Nemanjić | ||||
| Born | c. 1113/1114 Ribnica | ||||
| Died | (1199-02-13)13 February 1199 (aged 84-85) Monastery ofHilandar | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Anastasia of Serbia | ||||
| Issue |
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| Dynasty | Nemanjić | ||||
| Father | Zavida | ||||
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox Christian previouslyRoman Catholic | ||||
| Signature |  | ||||
Stefan Nemanja (Serbian Cyrillic:Стефан Немања,pronounced[stêfaːnně̞maɲa];c. 1113 or 1114 – 13 February 1199) was theGrand Prince (Veliki Župan) of theSerbian Grand Principality (also known asRaška, lat.Rascia) from 1166 to 1196. A member of theVukanović dynasty, Nemanja founded theNemanjić dynasty, and is remembered for his contributions toSerbian culture andhistory, founding what would evolve into theSerbian Empire, as well as thenational church. According to theSerbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Nemanja is also among the most remarkableSerbs for hisliterary contributions andaltruistic attributes.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
In 1196, after three decades of warfare and negotiations, including theThird Norman invasion of the Balkans (1185–1186) which consolidated Serbia while distinguishing it from both Western and Byzantine spheres of influence, Nemanja abdicated in favour of his middle sonStefan Nemanjić, who later became the firstKing of Serbia. Nemanja ultimately went toMount Athos, where he became a monk and took the name of Simeon, joining his youngest son (later known asSaint Sava), who had already become the firstarchbishop of theSerbian Orthodox Church.[7][8][9]
Together with his sonSaint Sava, Nemanja restored theHilandar Monastery atMount Athos from 1198 to 1199, and issued the "Charter of Hilandar". The monastery thus became the center of Serbian Orthodox monasticism at Athos. Shortly after his death, the Serbian Orthodox Churchcanonized Stefan Nemanja, under the nameSaint Simeon theMyroblyte (Serbian:Свети Симеон Мироточиви).[10]
Nemanja was born around the year 1113 or 1114 AD in Ribnica,Zeta (in the vicinity of present-dayPodgorica, the capital ofMontenegro). He was the youngest son ofZavida, a Prince ofZahumlje, who after a conflict with his brothers was sent to Ribnica where he had the title of Lord. Zavida (Beli Uroš) was most probably a son ofUroš I orVukan. Since western Zeta was underRoman Catholic jurisdiction, Nemanja received a Latin baptism,[11] although much of his later life was spent balancing Western and Eastern forms of Christianity.
In 1163, EmperorManuel I Comnenus came toNiš with the army viaSerdica (Sofia), where, according toJohn Kinnamos, he decided "to deal with things concerning Serbia". At that time, Serbia was ruled by theGrand ŽupanDesa, an ally ofStephen III in the Hungarian dynastic conflicts, and thus an opponent of Manuel. When in 1165 Desa was finally forced to come to Niš before the emperor, his connections with the Hungarian king Stephen III were revealed, Desa called him his master, Manuel I decided to take him to court and punish him. Desa was first detained and kept under guard, and then sent to the court prison inConstantinople.[12]
The land was given by the emperor to the administration of Zavida's sons, who were in the pro-Byzantine party:Tihomir,Stracimir,Miroslav and the youngest Nemanja. Tihomir was the oldest and became the Grand Župan of Serbia. In January 1166, Tihomir was recognized by the brothers who were given to rule other certain parts of Serbia and the Serbian-Byzantine frontier.[13] Stracimir held the areas aroundWest Morava, MiroslavZahumlje, while Stefan Nemanja was given the areas aroundIbar,Toplica [sr] and Dubočica (aroundLeskovac), which probably was historical region ofDendra west of Niš.[13]
The Byzantine emperorManuel I Comnenus launched a large army against Hungary because he was informed of their dissatisfaction and internal conflicts. The Hungarian princeBéla III had to live in Constantinople, where he was married, and Béla's lands, Dalmatia with southern Hungary (belowVelebit), had to come under Constantinople's rule. There is resistance in Hungary, which is why Emperor Manuel embarks on a campaign. The Byzantine army conqueredZemun andSrem in 1165. The Byzantines were accompanied by the obligatory detachments of Serbs. The second Byzantine army under command ofJohn Doukas Komnenos moved west, across Serbia and Bosnia towards theAdriatic coast. Without significant resistance, they took all the cities fromSplit toBar, forcing them to recognize Byzantine rule.[citation needed]
The Byzantines also had success in a campaign in Italy where they captured an important seaport on the west coast of the Adriatic,Ancona.Venice, which had previously turned to Byzantium for help during the conquest ofFriedrich Barbarossa in northern Italy, changed its attitude towards the Byzantines for fear of losing theAdriatic. It approached Hungary as a natural ally against the Byzantines. At the same time, they began to work among the Serbs, especially in Serbia, in order to rebel against Byzantium.[citation needed]
In 1166, the Hungarians counterattacked to push Byzantium out of the newly conquered areas. However, in response, Emperor Manuel launched three armies against Hungary, one from theDanube, and the other two across theCarpathians, towards the center ofPannonia. While the main Hungarian army was operating towards the Danube, Belgrade andBraničevo, two Byzantine armies went deep into their territory, causing general panic. The Hungarians were forced to seek peace through intermediaries to their detriment in 1167.[citation needed]
As the ideal candidate of Venice and Hungary among the Serbs appeared Nemanja, when his brothers and, above all, Tihomir imprisoned him in acave nearFortress Ras.[citation needed] Nemanja probably hoped that he would take the place of Desa, as the former representative of the pro-Greek party, while Emperor Manuel brought his eldest brother Tihomir to the throne. Angry because of that, Nemanja changes his policy in favor of Hungary and its allies. Nemanja escaped from the dungeon, it is not known with whose help. Nemanja's son and biographer,Stefan Nemanjić, describing his father's life, says how he escaped with the help of "heavenly forces": "And this again, because of meekness and justice, and wonderful humility, and because of all good customs, with a high arm he brought him out of the rocky cave, and brought him to the throne of his fatherland, and raised him up as the great lord of all the world."[citation needed][citation needed]
In 1166 or 1167, Nemanja first expanded his territories and conqueredKotor, and then gathered his supporters in Ras and started a conflict against Tihomir, who was looking for support from the Byzantines. Nemanja overthrew Tihomir,[13] provoking Byzantines action in autumn 1168:
To make trial of Nemanja’s intent, the emperor despatched Theodore Padyates with a military force. The toparch Nemanja was in such a hostile temper that he fell upon the Romans and immediately launched an undeclared war. When he saw the emperor was in pursuit, he showed himself in battle only briefly and then hid in the cover of mountain caves which he sealed with stones. At last, his pride shattered, he prostrated himself at Manuel’s feet. Lying outstretched, ‘mighty in his mightiness’, he pleaded that he not be made to suffer cruelly, and he feared lest he be removed as ruler of the Serbs and political power be transferred to those who were more fit to rule, those whom he had pulled down so that he might seize power.[13]
At that time,William of Tyre, an emissary ofAmalric, a LatinKing of Jerusalem, arrived at the diplomatic mission in Constantinople. His goal was for Byzantium to join thecrusade against Egypt. During his stay in Constantinople, probably under the influence of the Byzantines, William of Tyre left negative classifications about Serbs in his reports.[citation needed]
The following year, Nemanja attacked the Byzantine vassal, Prince ofZeta Radoslav, and on that occasion annexed to his country a part of the then Zeta and theNeretva region. Soon, Manuel I Komnenos came intoconflict with the Venetian Republic, and on his order, on 12 March 1171, all Venetian property in Byzantium was confiscated. In response to this, from Venecia was launched Venetian navy with about 120 ships to Byzantine possessions. The Venetian fleet headed east in September of that year, conquering, by the way, ByzantineTrogir andDubrovnik. Then Nemanja entered into closer ties with the Venetians and began attacks on ByzantineKotor, simultaneously carrying out raids through theMoravian valley through which the main public road passes between ByzantineBelgrade andNiš. According toArnold of Lübeck on that road, near fortress Ravno, in March 1172, the Serbs carried out a night attack on the camp of Western knights and pilgrims led byHenry the Lion accompanied by the Byzantines. Arnold of Lubeck also left a very negative opinion in his chronicle about Serbs. Probably under the impression of the night attack, he even called them the "sons ofBelial." Meanwhile, in 1171,Saladin was appointed sultan of Egypt, who would become one of the greatest defenders ofIslam in history.[citation needed]
The Kingdom of Hungary also wanted to join the fight against Byzantium, and the Holy Roman Empire of Frederick Barbarossa (1152–1190), also supported this alliance. Nemanja expected Hungarian help, but in the meantime, kingStephen III of Hungary died on 4 March 1172.[13] The Hungarian emissaries went toSerdica (Sofia), where Emperor Manuel encamped with the army, preparing for the campaign. The Hungarian throne was won by Manuel's candidateBela III (1173–1196). In the meantime, during the winter of 1171/72 on the island ofChios, the Venetian army was decimated by anepidemic, so that the Serbs were left alone in the fight against Byzantium. Manuel immediately took advantage of the favorable moment and after receiving the Hungarian emissaries, he headed for the Serbs at the head of the army. Before the oncoming Byzantine army, the grand zoupan Nemanja retreated to the mountains. According to the Byzantine historianJohn Kinnamos, the Venetians incited Nemanja to revolt.[15]
This conflict ended with Nemanja's surrender to Emperor Manuel. One day, Nemanja ritually obeyed Manuel I Komnenus inNiš. Barefoot, with his clothes torn to the elbows, a rope around his neck and a sword in his hands, he entered the Byzantine camp and went out to the emperor. Arriving in front of Manuel, he fell on his knees in front of him, handing him his sword, to do with him what he wanted. The Byzantine emperor accepted his humility, agreeing to the renewal of vassal obligations and leaving Nemanja in the position of grand zoupan. The final part of this episode took place in Constantinople, where Nemanja was taken as a slave in Manoel's triumphal procession, while the gathered people ridiculed him.[15] He was even shown a "series of wall paintings that the emperor had commissioned to commemorate his victories over the Serbs; his alleged reaction is recorded in an oration byEustathius of Thessalonica: 'Seeing these paintings, he agrees with everything and approves of the visual feast. In one respect only does he chide the painter, namely that the latter has not called him a slave (doulos) in all the scenes of the triumph'."[15]
The Byzantine emperor Manuel Comnenus returned Nemanja to the position of Grand Župan, and he confirmed to his brothers their areas – Stracimir around theWest Moravia and MiroslavZachlumia. Upon his return to Serbia, Nemanja turned to consolidating the central government, and forced Tihomir's son and successorPrvoslav to renounce the ruler's claims in his favor.[citation needed]
In accordance with his vassal duties, Nemanja regularly sent auxiliary detachments to Byzantine military campaigns. Serbian detachments were also part of the Byzantine army that was defeated by the troops of theSultanate of Rum in thebattle of Myriokephalon on 17 September 1176 in the gorges ofAsia Minor.
Bogumilism reached its peak in the Byzantine Empire during the 11th and in the first half of the 12th century. At the end of the 12th century, among Serbs and other Balkan Slavs, there was a very widespread 'Slavic'Gnosticism or dualistic teaching called Bogumilism. The main political tendency of Bogomilism was resistance to the Byzantine state and church authorities.[citation needed]
Bogumilism itself was very widespread among the people in Serbia and Bosnia, and its spread among the nobles led to Nemanja's actions against them. He convened a state-church assembly at which a decision was to be made on further measures against them. The Assembly gathered the entire state leadership, composed of nobles and Bishop Euthymius of Ras, as well as a large number of abbots and monks. The assembly was held around 1176, during the time of Nemanja's vassalship and before the death of Emperor Manoel in 1180. The grand zoupan Nemanja gave a speech at the assembly about the harmfulness of the Bogumil heresy. A woman who was married to a heretic spoke as the main witness at the assembly. Her testimony was crucial to end the quarrel at the council and to give the majority the impression that it was a harmful religious teaching. After consultations, especially with the Bishop Euthymius, the grand zopuan brought measures against them. The leader of the Bogumil community in Serbia was caught and brought before the court. The grand zoupan spared the life of their leader, and he was sentenced to corporal punishment, cutting off his tongue so that he would no longer blaspheme and spread harmful teachings. The army was sent to those parts of Serbia where their actions were most pronounced. The primary goal of this action was conversion.[citation needed]
The measures taken against those who refused were the confiscation of property, the punishment of milder punishments, the burning of books, as well as expulsion from the country. For the Bogumil community in Serbia, this was certainly persecution and ruthless action. Their confiscated property was distributed to the lepers and the poor.[citation needed]
After the death of Emperor Manoel on 24 September 1180, the Hungarian king Bela III considered that he had no more obligations to Byzantium. The following 1181, helaunched an offensive against Byzantium and conqueredSrem (Sirmium) the northeastern part of the Adriatic coast (IncludingZara) andZemun. Byzantium was then occupied by internal conflicts, so that there was no military response to the Hungarian conquests. In 1182, Bela III ordered an attack on Byzantine Belgrade andBraničevo. The attack itself was quite clumsily carried out, and both fortresses were defended by experienced military leaders from the time of Emperor Manoel,Alexius Branas andAndronikos Lapardas.
Following the death of Manuel I in 1180, his widow, the Latin princessMaria of Antioch, acted as regent to her infant sonAlexios II Komnenos. Her regency was notorious for the favoritism shown to Latin merchants and was overthrown in April 1182 byAndronikos I Komnenos, who entered the city in a wave of popular support. Almost immediately, the celebrations spilled over intomassacre of Latins.[citation needed]
The usurpation of Andronikos I freed Nemanja from subordination to the Byzantine emperor. Stefan Nemanja, in alliance with the Hungarian king Bela III, launched a great offensive on Byzantium in 1183. Also, the commander of the Byzantine army, Andronicus Lampardis in Niš and Braničevo, renounced obedience to the new central authorities. At the same time, the Hungarian king Bela III conquered ByzantineBelgrade,Niš andSerdica (Sofia). According to the Byzantine historianNiketas Choniates, the Serbs, led by Nemanja, joined this campaign. The following year, Nemanja launched an offensive on the southeastern Adriatic coast and conquered ByzantineSkadar and besiegedDubrovnik (Ragusa).[citation needed]
In 1185, Andronicus I was killed in Constantinople and the new Byzantine emperorIsaac II Angelos began peace negotiations with the Hungarian king. The peace treaty provided for Emperor Isaac II to marry Bela's daughterMargaret. The Hungarian army withdrew from the Byzantine central part of theBalkans, leaving Nemanja without support. Fortunately for Nemanja, at the same time, theNormans and theBulgarians joined the anti-Byzantine alliance.[citation needed]
Nemanja forcedDubrovnik (Ragusa) to replace Byzantium with Norman rule. The Normans of kingWilliam II of Sicily, also in 1185, conqueredDyrrachium andThessalonica, and embarked on an expedition to Constantinople, but they lost discipline due to large-scale looting, so the Byzantines easily defeated them in thebattle of Demetritzes nearLower Struma. In October 1185, in theLower Danube, in northern Bulgaria, an uprising began, led by the brothersPeter andIvan I Asen, one of the reasons for which was an extraordinary tribute that Emperor Isaac II ordered to be collected for his wedding. Nemanja then coordinated actions with the Asen brothers against Byzantium. In September 1186, Nemanja and his brothers "made peace with the city of Dubrovnik", ruled by William II.[16]
Meanwhile,Ayyubid sultanṢalāḥ al-Dīn capturedJerusalem in 1187. Due to thefall of Jerusalem in the Latin West, there was a great commotion that started theThird Crusade. A large crusader army led by Holy Roman EmperorFrederick Barbarossa marched in 1189 fromBuda throughBelgrade andNiš toAdrianople andConstantinople.
In Niš, in the new capital of Stefan Nemanja, the German emperor and the grand zoupan met at the end of July 1189. At the meeting, Nemanja asked Barbarossa for the Crusaders to promise him lands the Serbians recently conquered in exchange of aiding the Crusaders in war against Byzantium.[17] However, Barbarossa rejected this proposal in a diplomatic manner, wanting to ensure only a safe passage for his army through Byzantium. His main goal, however, remained the liberation of Jerusalem.[18]
A month later, negotiations began between the Crusaders and the Byzantines over the passage with great tension. At that time, according to Christian doctrine, there could be only one emperor in the Christian world. Hence the great rivalry and tension between the Eastern Roman Empire (historiographically known as Byzantium) and the Holy Roman Empire. The Crusaders capturedPhilippopolis andAdrianople and prepared for an attack onConstantinople. Nemanja takes advantage of this situation and launches an offensive towards ByzantineSkopje. Meanwhile, in February 1190, an agreement was reached between the two emperors atAdrianople to allow the Crusader army to cross theDardanelles. During the uncertain negotiations, Emperor Isaac II replied that the new friendship between the Crusaders and the Serbs was very difficult for him.[citation needed]
In June 1190, Frederick Barbarossa drowned in the riverSaleph. At the same time, Byzantine EmperorIsaac II Angelos launched a punitive expedition against the Serbs, and Nemanja was defeated in the battle at South Morava (1191).[19] In fact, Constantinople did not want to subdue the Serbs, but to regainNiš and the main road toBelgrade, as well as to make allies of the rebellious Serbs. The peace treaty in 1193 provided forStefan Nemanjić, the middle son of the Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja, to marry a Byzantine princessEudokia Angelina, i.e. niece of the Byzantine emperor.[20]
The concluded peace envisaged that Nemanja would be succeeded by his middle son Stefan, who received the Byzantine title ofsebastokrator and the Byzantine princessEudokia for a wife, and not the firstbornVukan.
In November 1192, on the way to Venice, fromAcre via ByzantineCorfu to the southeastern Adriatic coast on the small island ofLokrum nearDubrovnik (Ragusa),Richard I arrived incognito as an ordinary knight or pilgrim, where he revealed that he is theKing of England. Hungarian king Béla invaded Serbia at the beginning of 1193.[21] Emperor Isaac II demanded the withdrawal of his troops, and threatened Béla with war.[21] At the same time, DogeEnrico Dandolo attempted to occupy HungarianZara, but failed. In April 1195, the father-in-law of Stefan Nemanjić,Alexius III Angelus (1195–1203), overthrew his brother Emperor Isaac II and took power.
In 1196, at the state assembly nearChurch of Saints Peter and Paul inRas,[9] Stefan Nemanja abdicated the throne in favor of his middle son Stefan, who became the grand prince of Serbia. He left his eldest son Vukan in charge of Zeta, Travunija, Hvosno and Toplica. Nemanja became a monk in his old age and was given the name Simeon. Shortly afterwards, he went to Byzantium, toMount Athos, where his youngest sonSava had been a monk for some time. They received permission from the new Byzantine emperor to rebuild the abandoned monastery ofHilandar.[citation needed]
Knowing his death was near in his 86th year, Simeon asked to be placed on a mat in front of the icon of the VirginHodegetria with a stone for his pillow. He died in front of his son Sava and other monks, on 13 February 1199.[22][23][24][25] He was buried in the grounds of Hilandar monastery. His last words requested that Sava take his remains to Serbia, "when God permits it, after a certain period of time". Sava later wrote theLiturgy of Saint Simeon in Nemanja's honour.[citation needed]
In 1206, Sava decided to bring his father's remains to Serbia, where his brothers Stefan and Vukan were fighting among themselves, thus tearing apart the Serbian lands their father had reunited. Upon arrival of Sava, his brothers made peace and Simeon was re-buried in 1207 in his personal foundation, theStudenica Monastery, whereholy oil (myrrh) started to seeped, from his new grave, thus giving Simeon the epithetthe Myrrh-streaming. Because of miracles that occurred at his grave, the Serbian Orthodox Churchcanonised him, and declared his feast-day on 26 February [O.S. 13 February]. The cult of St. Simeon helped consolidate Serbian national identity. Centers of his cult are in monasteries of Studenica and Hilandar.[10]
Various names have been used to refer to Stefan Nemanja, including Stefan I and theLatinStephanus Nemania. Sometimes the spelling of his name isanglicised, to become Stephen Nemanya. In the latter part of his life, he became a monk and hence was referred to as Monk Simeon, or Monk Symeon. After his death, he was canonised by theOrthodox Church, and became St. Symeon theMyrrh-streaming. His son and successor,Stefan the First-Crowned, called him "The Gatherer of the Lost Pieces of the Land of his Grandfathers, and also their Rebuilder". His other son Sava, called him "Our Lord and Autocrat, and ruler of the whole Serbian land". In a way, both sons introduced the cult of their father, thus creating the ideal picture of a ruler-saint, without parallel inByzantium.[26]
Nemanja was married to a Serb noblewoman by the name ofAna. They had three sons and three daughters:
Stefan Nemanja founded, restored and reconstructed several monasteries. He also established theRaška architectural school, that spanned from 1170 to 1300.
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Stefan Nemanja Born: 1114 Died: 13 February 1199 | ||
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