Stefan Nemanja

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Stefan II Nemanjić
Bornc. 1113/1114
Ribnica
Died(1199-02-20)20 February 1199 (aged 84-85)
Monastery of Hilandar
Burial
Studenica Monastery
SpouseAnastasia of Serbia
Issue
Eastern Orthodox
SignatureSeal of Stefan Nemanja

Stefan Nemanja (

altruistic
attributes. [1][2][3][4][5][6]

In 1196, after three decades of warfare and negotiations, including the

King of Serbia. Nemanja ultimately went to Mount Athos, where he became a monk and took the name of Simeon, joining his youngest son (later known as Saint Sava), who had already become the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church.[7][8][9]

Together with his son

canonized Stefan Nemanja, under the name Saint Simeon the Myroblyte (Serbian: Свети Симеон Мироточиви).[10]

Early life

Nemanja was born around the year 1113 or 1114 AD in Ribnica,

Roman Catholic jurisdiction, Nemanja received a Latin baptism,[11]
although much of his later life was spent balancing Western and Eastern forms of Christianity.

Byzantine-Hungarian War

Toplica River. This is Nemanja's first endowment built in 1158–1162. Monastery was abandoned after the Great Migration of Serbs during the Great Viennese or Great Turkish War
of 1688–1690.

In 1163, Emperor

Manuel I Comnenus came to Niš with the army via Serdica (Sofia), where, according to John Kinnamos, he decided "to deal with things concerning Serbia". At that time, Serbia was ruled by the Grand Župan Desa, an ally of Stephen 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 in Constantinople.[12]

The land was given by the emperor to the administration of Zavida's sons, who were in the pro-Byzantine party:

Toplica [sr] and Dubočica (around Leskovac), which probably was historical region of Dendra west of Niš.[13]

The Byzantine emperor

Adriatic coast. Without significant resistance, they took all the cities from Split to Bar, forcing them to recognize Byzantine rule.[citation needed
]

Toplica River near modern day Kuršumlija. This church represents Nemanja's second endowment, which was built around 1166 in the Byzantine style.[citation needed] It was built and painted by the best masters from Constantinople
.

The Byzantines also had success in a campaign in Italy where they captured an important seaport on the west coast of the Adriatic,

Adriatic. 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 the

Carpathians, towards the center of Pannonia. While the main Hungarian army was operating towards the Danube, Belgrade and Braničevo, 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
]

Remains of the cave monastery church of St. Archangel Michael on a cliff at the foot of Ras fortress.[14] According to folk legend, Nemanja was imprisoned in this cave.

As the ideal candidate of Venice and Hungary among the Serbs appeared Nemanja, when his brothers and, above all, Tihomir imprisoned him in a

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
]

Rise to the throne (1168–1172)

In 1166 or 1167, Nemanja first expanded his territories and conquered Kotor, 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,

crusade 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
]

Church of St. George on the hill near modern-day Novi Pazar. This church represents Nemanja's third endowment, which was built around 1171 in the Romanesque style. It was built by the best coastal masons, most likely from Kotor, and while the frescoes were painted by the best Greek masters.

The following year, Nemanja attacked the Byzantine vassal, Prince of

Moravian valley through which the main public road passes between Byzantine Belgrade and Niš. According to Arnold 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 by Henry 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 of Belial." Meanwhile, in 1171, Saladin was appointed sultan of Egypt, who would become one of the greatest defenders of Islam 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, king Stephen III of Hungary died on March 4, 1172.[13] The Hungarian emissaries went to Serdica (Sofia), where Emperor Manuel encamped with the army, preparing for the campaign. The Hungarian throne was won by Manuel's candidate Bela III (1173–1196). In the meantime, during the winter of 1171/72 on the island of Chios, the Venetian army was decimated by an epidemic, 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 historian John Kinnamos, the Venetians incited Nemanja to revolt.[15]

Byzantine vassal (1172–1182)

Lead seal or Bulla of the Stefan Nemanja in Greek (National Museum in Belgrade).

This conflict ended with Nemanja's surrender to Emperor Manuel. One day, Nemanja ritually obeyed Manuel I Komnenus in Niš. 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 by Eustathius 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 the

Prvoslav 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 the

Asia Minor
.

A fresco from 1290 in the church of St. Achilles in Arilje, which depicts the Council against Heretics held in 1176. Bogumils are shown in the lower right corner.

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 Raska, this was certainly persecution and ruthless action. Their confiscated property was distributed to the lepers and the poor.[citation needed]

War with Byzantium (1183–1191)

After the death of Emperor Manoel on September 24, 1180, the Hungarian king Bela III considered that he had no more obligations to Byzantium. The following 1181, he

Alexius Branas and Andronikos Lapardas
.

Byzantine Empire at the time of the death of Emperor Manuel I in 1180.

Following the death of Manuel I in 1180, his widow, the Latin princess Maria of Antioch, acted as regent to her infant son Alexios II Komnenos. Her regency was notorious for the favoritism shown to Latin merchants and was overthrown in April 1182 by Andronikos I Komnenos, who entered the city in a wave of popular support. Almost immediately, the celebrations spilled over into massacre 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 Byzantine

Skadar and besieged Dubrovnik (Ragusa).[citation needed
]

In 1185, Andronicus I was killed in Constantinople and the new Byzantine emperor

Balkans, leaving Nemanja without support. Fortunately for Nemanja, at the same time, the Normans and the Bulgarians joined the anti-Byzantine alliance.[citation needed
]

Nemanja forced

Lower Danube, in northern Bulgaria, an uprising began, led by the brothers Peter and Ivan 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]

Between two emperors

Frederick Barbarossa (19th century) by Kosta Mandrović

Meanwhile,

Ayyubid sultan Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn captured Jerusalem in 1187. Due to the fall of Jerusalem in the Latin West, there was a great commotion that started the Third Crusade. A large crusader army led by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa marched in 1189 from Buda through Belgrade and Niš to Adrianople and Constantinople
.

The Church of the Holy Trinity near Niš is part of Byzantine provincial church architecture dating from 11th and 12th centuries. It was built after the reign Basil II (976 - 1025) and Restoration of Byzantium, most likely in the second half of the 11th century. The Church is modest one-nave building in the shape of an elongated inscribed cross with a dome. It is a central-type building whose model should be recognized in the Hagia Sophia, Thessaloniki.

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 captured

Adrianople to allow the Crusader army to cross the Dardanelles. 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 river

Stefan Nemanjić, the middle son of the Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja, to marry a Byzantine princess Eudokia Angelina, i.e. niece of the Byzantine emperor.[20]

Return to Byzantium

23-metre (75 ft) monument of Stefan Nemanja, Belgrade, 2021

The concluded peace envisaged that Nemanja would be succeeded by his middle son Stefan, who received the Byzantine title of sebastokrator and the Byzantine princess Eudokia for a wife, and not the firstborn Vukan.

In November 1192, on the way to Venice, from

Alexius III Angelus
(1195–1203), overthrew his brother Emperor Isaac II and took power.

In 1196, at the state assembly near

Sava had been a monk for some time. They received permission from the new Byzantine emperor to rebuild the abandoned monastery of Hilandar.[citation needed
]

Death and legacy

Saint Simeon the Myrrh–streaming (1899) by Uroš Predić

Knowing his death was near in his 86th year, Simeon asked to be placed on a mat in front of the icon of the Virgin Hodegetria with a stone for his pillow. He died in front of his son Sava and other monks, on 20 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 the Liturgy 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, the

canonised 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]

Name and title

Various names have been used to refer to Stefan Nemanja, including Stefan I and the

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 in Byzantium.[26]

Family

Nemanja was married to a Serb noblewoman by the name of

Ana
. They had three sons and three daughters:

Foundations

Stefan Nemanja founded, restored and reconstructed several monasteries. He also established the Raška architectural school, that spanned from 1170 to 1300.

Ibar River
. This is the fourth Nemanja endowment, built by the best masons from the Adriatic coast around 1186. The frescoes were painted by the best Greek masters around 1208.
Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos

Reconstructions

Donations

  • Church of Lord, Holy Grave and Christ's Arrisal, in Jerusalem
  • Church of Saint John the Forerunner, in Jerusalem
  • Church of Saint Theodosios, in the Desert of Bethlehem
  • Church Saint Apostole Peter and Paul, in Rome
  • Church of Saint Nicholas, in Bari
  • Monastery/Church of the Virgin of Evergethide, in Constantinople
  • Monastery/Church of Saint Demetrios, in
    Thessalonika

See also

References

  1. ^ Dvornik 1962, p. 91-94.
  2. ^ Fine 1994, p. 2-9, 15, 19-20, 38-41.
  3. ^ Stephenson 2000, p. 267-268, 299-301.
  4. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 31-36.
  5. ^ Curta 2006, p. 333-339, 389-392.
  6. ^ Curta 2019, p. 658-663.
  7. ^ Fine 1994, p. 38-41.
  8. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 33.
  9. ^ a b Kalić 2017, p. 12-13.
  10. ^ a b Ćirković, Korać & Babić 1986, p. 13.
  11. ^ Fine 1994, p. 3.
  12. ^ Stephenson 2004, p. 266.
  13. ^ a b c d e Stephenson 2004, p. 267.
  14. ^ The Cave Lavra of the Archangel Michael in Ras (Danica Popović, Marko Popović, 1999)
  15. ^ a b c Stephenson 2004, p. 268.
  16. ^ Stephenson 2004, p. 288.
  17. ^ Stephenson 2004, p. 295.
  18. ^ HISTORIA DE EXPEDITIONE, 30–31: ‘[...] et pro ipsa terra bellica virtute sua conquisita demanu ipsius imperatoris Romanorum percipienda hominium et fidelitatem ipsi offerebantadperpetuam Romani imperii gloriam, nullo quidem timore coacti sed sola ipsius et Teutonici regni dilectione invitati. Sed domnus imperator illud perpendens: qui ambulatsimpliciter, ambulat confidenter, alieni belli occasione propositum iter contra invasoressancti domini sepulchri nolens vel inmutare vel protelare…'
  19. ^ Stephenson 2004, p. 301.
  20. ^ Stephenson 2004, p. 301, 308–309.
  21. ^ a b On the attack of the Hungarian king Bela III on Serbia in light of the letter of Emperor Isaac II to Pope Celestine III by Ivana Komatina
  22. ^ Fine 1994, p. 38-39.
  23. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 33, 35.
  24. ^ Curta 2006, p. 389.
  25. ^ Curta 2019, p. 497, 515, 662.
  26. ^ Curta 2006, p. 390.
  27. ^ Polemis 1968, p. 90.

Sources

External links

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Stefan Nemanja
Born: 1114 Died: 13 February 1199
Regnal titles
Preceded by Grand Prince of Serbia
1166–1196 		Succeeded by
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