Pribislav of Serbia
Prince / Archont / Knez
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Pribislav (Serbian: Прибислав, Greek: Πριβέσθλαβος[A]) was Prince of the Serbs for a year, in 891–892, before being deposed by his cousin Petar. He was the eldest son of Mutimir (r. 851–891) of the Vlastimirović dynasty, who ruled during the expanding and Christianization of Serbia.
| Pribislav | |
|---|---|
| Prince / Archont / Knez of Serbs / Serbia | |
| Prince of Serbia | |
| Reign | 891–892 |
| Predecessor | Mutimir |
| Successor | Petar |
| Born | 845/850 |
| Died | After 892 |
| Issue | Zaharija |
| House | Vlastimirović dynasty |
| Father | Mutimir |
| Religion | Chalcedonian Christian |
Life
His father had with his brothers Strojimir and Gojnik, defeated the Bulgar Army sent by Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria and led by his son Vladimir.[1] Vladimir was captured together with 12 boyars. Boris I and Mutimir agreed on peace (and perhaps an alliance[1]), and Mutimir sent his sons Bran and Stefan beyond the border to escort the prisoners, where they exchanged items as a sign of peace: Boris himself gave them "rich gifts", while he was given "two slaves, two falcons, two dogs, and eighty furs".[2]
In the 880s, Mutimir seized the throne, exiling his younger brothers and Klonimir, Strojimir's son, to the court of Boris I in the Bulgar Khanate.[1] This was most likely due to treachery.[3] Petar, the son of Gojnik, was kept at the Serbian court of Mutimir for political reasons,[3] but he soon fled to Branimir of Croatia.[1]
Mutimir died in 890 or 891, leaving the throne to his eldest son, Pribislav.[1] Pribislav had only ruled for a year when Petar returned in 892, defeating him in battle and seizing the throne. Pribislav fled to Croatia with his brothers Bran and Stefan.[1] Bran later returned and led an unsuccessful rebellion against Petar in 894.[4] Bran was defeated, captured and blinded (a Byzantine tradition meant to disqualify a person from taking the throne[5])
His only son, Zaharija, remained in Constantinople for a long period before successfully seizing the throne with Byzantine aid, ruling from 922–924.
| Vlastimir | |||||||||||||||||
| Mutimir | |||||||||||||||||
| Pribislav | Bran | Stefan | |||||||||||||||
| Zaharija I | |||||||||||||||||
Legacy
The Pribislav mentioned in the Gospel of Cividale (codex aquileiensis), is most likely referring to Pribislav.[6][7][8]
Notes
- ^ Name: The first attestation of his name is the Greek Pribeslavos (Πριβέσθλαβος[9]), in Latin Pribesthlabus[10] or Preuuisclao,[11] in Serbian Pribislav or Prvoslav (Прибислав/Првослав, meaning "First-glorified"; from the words prvo - first, and slava - glory). He was a descendant of Vlastimirović, his father was Mutimir, hence, according to the contemporary naming culture, his name was Pribislav Mutimirović Vlastimirović.