Between Byzantium and the West: Serbian Marital Policy and Political Orientation (Mid-Eleventh Century – 1371)

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this article is to present the marital policy of the dynasties of two medieval Serbian lands, Dioclea and Rascia (Serbia), from the mid-eleventh century until the death of King Milutin in 1321. Serbia was situated in the area of the Balkan Peninsula, which was a region of interest for both Western and Central European powers, as well as the Byzantine empire. In a cultural sense, Serbia embraced the Orthodox faith and Byzantine culture, but until the second half of the fourteenth century, Byzantium was its biggest political rival. Serbia had spread its territory and gained its political independence at the expense of Byzantium. In order to reach this political aim, marital policy was of highest importance. Central European and Western Latin princesses brought with them political alliances with the West, which gave Serbia a certain importance in the wider European context of international politics. Princesses came to Serbia from Norman Sicily and Hungary, and at the same time, Serbian female members of the ruling dynasties went abroad. Finally, Byzantine princesses in Serbia were a symbol of truce between the two countries, but also a pledge of the spread of the Byzantine culture and Orthodox faith.