| Vukan Nemanjić Вукан Немањић | |
|---|---|
| Grand Župan Vukan, Ruler of all Serbian land,Zeta, maritime towns and land ofNišava King ofDuklja,Dalmatia,Travunia,Toplica andHvosno (1195) | |
 The fresco of Vukan,Visoki Dečani Monastery | |
| Grand Prince of Serbia | |
| Reign | 1202–1204 |
| Predecessor | Stefan the First-Crowned |
| Successor | Stefan the First-Crowned |
| Ruler of Duklja | |
| Reign | 1190 – after 1207 |
| Predecessor | Mihailo III |
| Successor | Đorđe Nemanjić |
| Born | before 1165 |
| Died | after 1207 |
| Burial | |
| Issue | |
| Dynasty | Nemanjić |
| Father | Stefan Nemanja |
| Mother | Anastasija |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Vukan Nemanjić (Serbian Cyrillic:Вукан Немањић[A],pronounced[ʋǔkanně̞maɲit͡ɕ]; before 1165 – after 1207) was theGrand Prince of theGrand Principality of Serbia from 1202 to 1204. He was the Grand Prince ofPomorje (titular King) from 1195 until his death. He was the eldest (of three), but his father had instead chosen his younger brother Stefan as heir, as soon as his father died, he plotted against his brother,Stefan Nemanjić, and took the throne by force, in a coup assisted by the Kingdom of Hungary. He was defeated two years later, and was pardoned by his third brother, who becameSaint Sava, and he continued to rule his appanage ofZeta unpunished.
Vukan was born as the eldest son of Serbian Grand PrinceStefan Nemanja (r. 1166–1196) and his wifeAnastasija. His younger brothers wereStefan Nemanjić andRastko Nemanjić, and he also had two sisters.
His father had managed to secure the independence from theByzantine Empire after the death of emperorManuel I (1180), and then conquered the traditional fiefs of Duklja,Travunija andHum on the Adriatic coast. Nemanja gave Vukan, as heir apparent,appanages of the conquered lands, includingHvosno andToplica around 1190 as grand prince.[1]
In an inscription dated 1195 in the church of St. Luke inKotor, Vukan is titled asKing ofDuklja,Dalmatia,Travunia,Toplica andHvosno.[2]
Although Vukan was Nemanja's eldest son, Nemanja preferred to see his younger sonStefan Nemanjić on the Serbian throne mostly because Stefan was married to Byzantine princessEudokia Angelina, daughter of latter emperorAlexios III Angelos. It seems that Vukan reacted on this change in succession by declaring himselfKing of Duklja in 1195 probably due to the relationship of his family with old Dukljan royal house which was deposed by his father. Although he assumed royal title, Vukan remained to recognize Nemanja's authority. In 1196 at the State Council Nemanjaabdicated in favor of Stefan and Vukan had to recognize his brother as the new ruler of Serbia. After the council Nemanja became monk Simeon and retreated to his monastery ofHilandar on holyMount Athos. While Nemanja was alive Vukan didn't oppose Stefan's rule but as soon as Nemanja died in 1200 he started to plot against him in order to become Grand župan. He found help in Hungarian kingEmeric (1196–1204) who at the time fought against theSecond Bulgarian Empire and wanted Serbian assistance. With the help of Hungarian troops in 1202, Vukan managed to overthrow Stefan, who fled to Bulgaria, and Vukan was left to rule.[2] In an inscription dating to 1202–1203, Vukan is titled asGrand Župan Vukan, Ruler of all Serbian land,Zeta, maritime towns and land ofNišava.[3]
In return for Hungarian help, Vukan became a Hungarian vassal and promised that he would convert his people to Catholicism if the Pope would give him royal title. However, as a Hungarian vassal, Vukan soon got involved in their conflict with Bulgaria. In 1203 Bulgarians attacked Serbia and conquered the eastern part of country with the city ofNiš. In the chaos that followed the Bulgarian attack, and using the Vukans's sympathies for Catholicism against him, Stefan managed to return to Serbia and overthrow Vukan in 1204 becoming grand župan again. On intervention of the third brother, archbishop Sava, Stefan spared Vukan and return him to his apanage in Zeta (Duklja) where he kept his title of king.He was mentioned for the last time in 1207. It is believed that he died soon after because his son Đorđe is mentioned as king in 1208. Until the end of his life, Vukan Nemanjić remained a Catholic.[4]
Vukan had at least three sons by his wife, whose name is unknown, but it is known that she belonged to the family of theCounts of Segni, and that she was a relative ofPope Innocent III:
Vukan Nemanjić Born: 1170s Died: after 1207 | ||
| Preceded by Stefan Nemanjić | Grand Prince of Serbia 1202 - 1204 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas Prince of Duklja | Grand Prince of Pomorje, Toplica and Hvosno[b] 1190 - after 1207 | Succeeded byas Prince of Duklja |
| Preceded byas Grand Prince of Hum | ||
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