List of rulers of Duklja

This is a list of rulers of Duklja.

Mythological list

The following rulers are mentioned only in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja (CPD), written by a Catholic monk of the Cistercian order by the name of Roger (Rudger) for political motif at the request of Croatian Ban Paul Šubić. It was written in two versions - the first one in Split in 1298 while Roger was handling the Archbishop of Split's finances, and the second ca. 1300, while he was the Archbishop of Antivari (Bar).

The chronicle, built round a core written in Slavonic, but added to by a bishop of Bar intent on demonstrating his diocese' superiority over that of Split, is one of the oldest known written sources, but only Latin redactions^[1] from the 16th and 17th centuries have been preserved.

Historians have largely discounted it, even though the Chronicle contains material on the early history of the South Slavs. The work describes the Slavs as a peaceful people imported by the rulers of the Goths, who invaded the area in the 5th century, but it doesn't attempt to elaborate on how and when this happened. This information contradicts the information found in the Byzantine text De Administrando Imperio.

Further, it mentions Bosnia (Bosnam) and Rascia (Rassa) as the two Serbian lands, while describing the southern Dalmatian Hum/Zahumlje, Travunia and Dioclea (most of today's Herzegovina, Montenegro, as well as parts of Croatia and Albania) as Croatian lands, which is a description considered inconsistent with other historical works from the same period.

Various inaccurate or simply wrong claims in the text make it an unreliable source. This work is, as the majority of modern historians think, mainly fictional, or wishful thinking however, it does give us a unique insight into the whole era from the point of view of the indigenous Slavic population. One of the prime controversies of the Chronicle, lies in the fact that the Antivari Archepiscopate did not exist between 1142 and 1198 - and that is the time Grgur is supposed to have been the Archbishop.

Name	Notes	Geneaology
Hvalimir	He held the region of Zeta with its cities and the following županijas: Lusca, Podlugiae, Gorsca, Cupelnich, Obliquus, Prapratna, Cermenica and Budva with Cuceva and Gripuli.
Petrislav	He ruled only Duklja, while his younger brother Dragomir ruled Travunia. Duklja consisted of two distinct territories: Zeta in the south, and Podgoria in the north. Initially, Petrislav ruled Zeta, and Podgoria belonged to his youngest brother Miroslav, but after the latter died, Petrislav took over his land.
Mythological rulers, after Jovan Vladimir (fl. 998)
Dragomir	he ruled Travunia and Hum. At the death of Vladimir, he ruled Duklja for two years, being murdered in 1018 by locals of Kotor.
Dobroslav II
Mihailo II
Dobroslav III
Mihailo III

List of rulers

Byzantine Empire

First Bulgarian Empire

Holy Roman Empire

Grand Principality of Serbia

Independent

Picture	Name	Reign	Notes	Geneaology
	archon Peter	?	He was an archon of Duklja in the 10th or 11th century. The only information on him is from a seal found in the 19th century, which is decorated on the observe with a bust of the Virgin Mary holding a medallion of Christ and flanked by two cruciform invocative monograms. The text is in Greek letters, saying "Petrou, Archontos Diokleias, Amin" (ΠΕΤΡ(Ο)Υ ΑΡΧΟΝΤΟΣ ΔΙΟΚΛ(Ε)ΙΑ(Σ) ΑΜΗΝ) - Peter, archon of Dioklea, Amen. The seal shows that although Duklja underwent turmoil in the 9th century, the region still continued under Byzantine rule, or if not authority, influence.[2]
	Knez Jovan Vladimir	fl. 1000-1016	Jovan fought to protect Duklja from Bulgarian expansion, making an alliance with Byzantium; Bulgaria however conquered Duklja in 997 and took Jovan Vladimir prisoner. Jovan ruled Duklja as a vassal of the Bulgarian empire until 1016.	CPD: Petrislav
	Knez (Archont) Stefan Vojislav	1018–1034       1040-1043	Overthrew the Byzantine supremacy over Serbs in Duklja; founder of the House of Vojislavljević; in 1035 rebelled against the Byzantine Empire, but forced to sign an armistice; went to war again in 1040, which would be continued by his heir and son, Mihailo. Except Duklja, his realm included Travunija with Konavli and Zahumlje.	CPD: Dragomir
	Grand Prince, King Mihailo I	1050–1077            1077-1081	Crowned King by the pope in 1077.	Stefan Vojislav
	King, Tzar Constantine Bodin	1081-1085            1085-1091	Tsar of Bulgaria as Peter III in 1072.
	King Dobroslav II	1101–1102	Overthrown by Vukan of Rascia and Kočopar.
	King Kočapar	1102–1103	Brought to power by Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. Killed in battle against Zachlumoi.
	King Vladimir	1103–1113	Married daughter of Vukan of Rascia. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia. He was poisoned by his cousin Đorđe.
	King Đorđe	1113-1118	Son of Constantine Bodin. Đorđe was overthrown by Uroš I of Rascia in 1118.
	King Grubeša	1118-1125	Overthrew Đorđe with the help of the Byzantines.
	King Đorđe	1125-1131	Second rule. Vassal of the Grand Principality of Rascia.
	King Gradinja	1131-1146	Appointed to Doclean throne by Byzantines after Đorđe's defeat in the second Doclean-Byzantine War.
	Prince Radoslav	1146-1148	Byzantine vassal. Only dynastic member to be mentioned as Prince of Doclea.

Duklja continues as a crownland of Grand Principality of Serbia.

See also

• List of Serbian monarchs
• List of rulers of Zeta
• List of rulers of Montenegro

Notes

References

1. ^ The legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer, page 27
2. ^ Eric McGeer, Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art: The East (continued), Constantinople and environs, unknown locations, addenda, uncertain readings, Dumbarton Oaks, 2005, p. 155, ISBN 0884023095, 9780884023098