Raška (state)

Infobox Former Country
native_name = Рашка
conventional_long_name = Raška
common_name = Raška/Rascia
continent = Europe
region = Balkans
country = Rascia
era = Medieval
year_start = 7th century
event_start = Arrival of Serbs
date_start =
year_end = 14th century
event_end = Acceded into Serbian Empire
date_end =
p1 = Byzantine Empire
flag_p1 = Flag of PalaeologusEmperor.svg
s1 = Serbian Empire
flag_s1 = Serbian Empire Flag.png

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image_map_caption = Raška, 1150–1220, during the rules of Stefan Nemanja and Stefan Prvovenčani
capital = Stari Ras
government_type = Principality
common_languages = Serbian
religion = Eastern Orthodox

Raška (SrL|Рашка; alternative spellings have included "Raschka", "Rascia" and "Rassa") was the central and most successful medieval Serbian state (or "župa", area ruled by a "župan") that unified neighboring Serbian tribes into a main medieval Serbian state in the Balkans.

History

Constantine VII "Porphyrogenitos" describes Raška (Rascia) in "De Administrando Imperio" as being settled by Serbs at the start of the 7th century. Also in "De Administrando Imperio", he wrote that the Serbs resided in Zachumlie (Zahumlje), Trebounia (Travunia), the Zeta (Duklja), Bosnia (Bosna) and Pagania (Paganija).

From the early 7th century, the history of Raška becomes intimately bound with the history of the Serb House of Vlastimirović, which ruled from Raška. The house was named for Knez Vlastimir, who was the great-great-grandson of the Unknown Archont who led the Serbs to the Balkans from White Serbia.

The House of Vlastimirović was later succeeded by the House of Nemanjić and Stefan Dušan of the House of Nemanjić transformed Raška into powerful Serbian Empire in the 14th century.

Name origin theory

The state of Raška was named after the Raška River in present-day south-western Serbia. It is thought that Sarmatian Serboi, an ancient tribe from the Caucasus that probably gave its name to the Slavic Serbs, left their traces around the river Volga (Araxes in GreekFact|date=October 2007 ), which is also called "Rashki". This name is found wherever the name Serb is found in clusters.

Later usage of the term

Between 15th and 18th century, term "Raška" ("Rascia", "Ráczság") was used to designate southern parts of the Pannonian Plain that were inhabited by Serbs who migrated there from the territory of original Raška in the Balkans.

References

*Vladimir Ćorović, Ilustrovana istorija Srba, knjige 1-6, Beograd, 2005-2006.
*Sima M. Ćirković, Srbi među evropskim narodima, Beograd, 2004.
*Tim Džuda, Srbi, Beograd, 2003. (translation of: Tim Judah, The Serbs, 2000.)
*Milan Tutorov, Mala Raška a u Banatu, Zrenjanin, 1991.

ee also

* List of Serbian monarchs
* Stefan Nemanja
* Stefan Prvovenčani
* Raci

External links

* [http://www.rastko.org.yu/istorija/srbi-balkan/jkalic-raska.html Rascia - The Nucleus of the Medieval Serbian State]
* [http://www.serbia-visit.com/About-Serbia/History/History.1.135.htm About Serbia - History]
* [http://www.anamnesis.info/resources/1183_1241.gifMap]
* [http://terkepek.adatbank.transindex.ro/kepek/netre/99.gifMap]