Grand Zupan Uros II of Rascia

Abstract

Historical data on the person and policies of the ?veliki [grand] zupan? Uros II - archzupan in Byzantine sources, magnus comes in Latin texts - can be found in twelfth-century Serbian, Greek, Hungarian, German and Russian sources. The paper is divided into three sections dealing specifically with Uros II?s family relations (ancestors and descendants); chronological issues of his reign in Serbia; and his domestic and foreign policies. Uros II?s father, the Serbian zupan Uros I, had three sons and a daughter: Uros II, Desa, Belos and Helen (Jelena). Uros II succeeded his father as the ruler of Serbia. Helen married king B?la II of Hungary (1131-41) and became a very influential figure at the Hungarian court. Their brother Belos, who was known in Hungary as ban B?la and sub?sequently held the office of the palatine of Hungary, considerably contributed to the firming up of Serbian-Hungarian political ties. Based on a detailed analysis of the surviving sources, the author suggests the conclusion that Uros II was a true predecessor of Stefan Nemanja in all his policies. He was a vassal of the Byzantine emperor but he allied with Hungary in the aspiration to achieve independence. At the time of Uros II and his successors the region of Rascia (Raska, Rassa), known for the city of Ras (modern Novi Pazar) and the Bishopric of Raska with the bishop?s seat at the church of Sts Peter and Paul, was the core of the Serbian state.