Misplaced Pages

Zdeslav (Croatian pronunciation: [zdêslaʋ], Latin: Sedesclavus) was a duke (Croatian: knez) in Croatia from 878 until his death in 879. He was from the Trpimirović dynasty.

Biography

Zdeslav was the son of Trpimir I. After his father's death in 864, an uprising was launched by a powerful Croatian nobleman from Knin called Domagoj. Zdeslav was exiled along with his brothers Petar and Muncimir to Constantinople. Domagoj died in 876, and was succeeded by his son. Zdeslav overthrew him in 878 with the help of the Byzantines, expelled Domagoj's sons and restored peace with Venice. The peace, at least in the case of Croatia, would practically last until the end of 10th century. He most probably acknowledged the supreme rule of Byzantine Emperor Basil I, and Dalmatia (theme) influence expanded further into land, but not much.

In 879, Pope John VIII asked Duke Zdeslav for an armed escort and protection for his legate who was crossing Croatia on his way to Bulgaria, ruled by Boris I. In early May 879, Zdeslav was killed by arrows near Knin in an uprising led by Branimir, a relative from Domagoj, possibly instigated by Pope John VIII fearing Byzantine power. However, something like that would have happened anyway because both Byzantine and Carolingian powers diminished in the region.

References

1. Stipišić, Jakov (1999). "Croatia in diplomatic sources up to the end of the 11th century". In Ivan Supičić (ed.). Croatia in the Early Middle Ages: A Cultural Survey. London, Zagreb: Philip Wilson Publishers, AGM. p. 301. ISBN 0856674990.
2. ^ Hrvatski leksikon (1996-1997) (in Croatian)
3. Fine, John Van Antwerp (1991). The early medieval Balkans: a critical survey from the sixth to the late twelfth century. University of Michigan Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-472-08149-3.
4. Iohannes Diaconus: Istoria Veneticorum, p. 140 (in Latin)
5. ^ Goldstein, Ivo (1995). Hrvatski rani srednji vijek (in Croatian). Zagreb: Novi liber. p. 256, 259. ISBN 953-6045-02-8.

Further reading

• Klaić, Vjekoslav (1985). Povijest Hrvata: Knjiga Prva, Druga, Treća, Četvrta i Peta (in Croatian). Zagreb: Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske. ISBN 978-86-401-0051-9.

v t e Early medieval Croatian dukes
Duchy of Croatia	Father of Porga (early 7th century) Porga (early 7th century) Borna (810–821) Vladislav (821–835) Ljudemisl (c. 823) Mislav (835–845) Trpimir I (845–864) Domagoj (864–876) Iljko (?) (876–878) Zdeslav (878–879) Branimir (879–892) Muncimir (892–900) Tomislav (910–928)
See also: Rulers of Slavs in Lower Pannonia

This Croatian biographical article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This biography of a member of a European royal house is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• 879 deaths
• Dukes of Croatia
• Trpimirović dynasty
• 9th-century Croatian people
• 9th-century Byzantine people
• Slavic warriors
• 9th-century dukes in Europe
• Croatian people stubs
• European royalty stubs