Dragimir of Travunia and Zachlumia

Dragimir (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгимир; † 1018) or Dragomir (Драгомир) was ruler of Travunia and Zachlumia, medieval Serbian principalities located in present-day regions of Herzegovina and south Dalmatia, from an unknown date before 1000 to 1018.^[1]

Dragimir
Prince of Travunia and Zachlumia
Reign	before 1000 – 1018
Predecessor	Hvalimir
Successor	unknown
Died	1018 Kotor
Issue	Vojislav
Father	Hvalimir
Religion	Eastern Christianity

The only preserved medieval source that mentions Dragimir is the dubious Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja,^[2] specifically its Chapters 34–37. Chapter 34 relates to "King" Chvalimir who divided his domain among his sons, giving Zenta to his first-born Petrislav, Travunia and Zachlumia to Dragimir, and Podgoria to the youngest Miroslav.^[3]

After Miroslav died without an heir, his land was taken over by Petrislav, who thus ruled all of Duklja (Zenta and Podgoria).^[3][4] However this is contradictory to the earlier and more trusted De Administrando Imperio which states that Hvalimir's son was Čučimir, leaving up to question whether Dragimir was Hvalimir's grandson, or whether he existed at all.

In 1009 or 1010, Bulgarian Emperor Samuel occupied Dragimir's lands, together with Duklja, Bosnia, and Raška.^[5] Dragimir retreated before the emperor's army on a mountain, but was soon invited by Samuel to come down and resume ruling Travunia and Zachlumia as his vassal. The emperor had previously made a similar arrangement in Duklja with Jovan Vladimir, son and successor of Petrislav.^[5][6][7] Vladimir was killed in 1016 by Samuel's son's successor Ivan Vladislav who was killed at the end of 1017.^[1]

In the first half of 1018, Dragimir set off for Duklja accompanied by his soldiers to establish himself as its ruler, since his nephew Vladimir died without an heir. When he came to Kotor, the town's inhabitants prepared a banquet for him on a small island in the Bay of Kotor. Dragimir went there with only a handful of his men, who could not defend him against the Kotorans who had actually decided to kill him. He ran away into a church, but the Kotorans opened its roof and killed him by throwing beams and stones at him. After that, his soldiers returned to Travunia.^[1][8]

Dragimir had a son, Stefan Vojislav, who would become ruler of Duklja in the 1030s, and the founder of the Vojislavljević dynasty.^[1][9]

Notes

1. Živković 2006, "Стефан Војислав".
2. Živković 2009, p.274.
3. Stephenson 2010, "Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, Chapters 30-35 Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine".
4. Živković 2009, p.260–61.
5. Živković 2006, "Владимир".
6. Stephenson 2010, "Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja (Ljetopis Popa Dukljanina), Chapter 36 Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine".
7. Van Antwerp Fine 1991, pp.194–98.
8. Živković 2009, p.272.
9. Van Antwerp Fine 1991, p.203.

References

• Stephenson, Paul (July 2010). Translated Excerpts from Byzantine Sources. Paul Stephenson.
• Van Antwerp Fine, John (1991). The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08149-7.
• Шишић, Фердо, ed. (1928). Летопис Попа Дукљанина (Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja). Београд-Загреб: Српска краљевска академија.
• Živković, Tibor (2006). Портрети српских владара (IX-XII) (in Serbian). Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike. ISBN 86-17-13754-1.
• Кунчер, Драгана (2009). Gesta Regum Sclavorum. Vol. 1. Београд-Никшић: Историјски институт, Манастир Острог.
• Живковић, Тибор (2009). Gesta Regum Sclavorum. Vol. 2. Београд-Никшић: Историјски институт, Манастир Острог.