Branimir ( la, Branimiro) was a ruler of

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

who reigned as duke ( hr, knez) from 879 to 892. His country received papal recognition as a state from

Pope John VIII Pope John VIII ( la, Ioannes VIII; died 16 December 882) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 14 December 872 to his death. He is often considered one of the ablest popes of the 9th century. John devoted much of his papacy ...

on 7 June 879. During his reign,

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

retained its sovereignty from both Frankish and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

rule and became ''de jure'' independent.''Hrvatski leksikon'' (1996–1997) Stjepan Antoljak, Pregled hrvatske povijesti, Split 1993., str. 43.

Reign

Rise to power

In 879, Branimir had Duke Zdeslav, a supporter of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, killed near

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...

in a rebellion that he led. Approval from the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

was brought about by Branimir's own actions to bring the Croats further away from the influence of

Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium' ...

and closer to Rome. Duke Branimir wrote to Pope John VIII affirming this split from Byzantine and commitment to the Roman Papacy. During the solemn divine service in St. Peter's church in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 879,

gave his blessing to the duke and the whole Croatian people, about which he informed Branimir in his letters. The Pope brought the very decision on 21 May 879, and confirmed it in his letter on 7 June 879. This day is marked today as Croatian Diplomacy Day. In Branimir's time Venetians had to pay taxes to Croatia and to the

Narentines The Narentines were a South Slavic tribe that occupied an area of southern Dalmatia centered at the river Neretva (), active in the 9th and 10th centuries, noted as pirates on the Adriatic. Named ''Narentani'' in Venetian sources, Greek sourc ...

for their ships traveling along the eastern Adriatic coast, while the Dalmatian cities under Byzantium paid 710 ducats of tribute to the Croatian ruler. In 880, the Pope asked Duke Branimir for help for an armed escort of his delegates across southern Dalmatia and

Zahumlje Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia ...

Religious policy

Muzejski izlošci o knezu Branimiru, Zadar

During Branimir's reign, the bishop of Nin recognized the supreme ecclesiastical authority of the

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

, unlike the archbishop of Split, who recognized the supremacy of the

patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

. Duke Branimir promoted the bishop of Nin to the Archbishopric of Split after the archbishop's death in the

Patriarchate of Aquileia The Patriarchate of Aquileia was an episcopal see in northeastern Italy, centred on the ancient city of Aquileia situated at the head of the Adriatic, on what is now the Italian seacoast. For many centuries it played an important part in histor ...

without knowledge of the Holy See, which worsened his relations with the pope. Under the influence of Methodus' baptising missions in 882 who made a stop in Croatia on his way from

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

to Constantinople, Branimir endorsed parallel usage of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

and Slavic in liturgy, which was not liked by the new pope,

Stephen V Stephen V may refer to: * Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817 *Pope Stephen V (885–891) *Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria *Stephen V Báthory Stephen Báthory of Ec ...

. Throughout his reign, Duke Branimir worked on increasing his independence. He also undertook a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Cividale Cividale del Friuli ( fur, Cividât (locally ); german: Östrich; sl, Čedad) is a town and '' comune'' in the Province of Udine, part of the North-Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia ''regione''. The town lies above sea-level in the foothills of the ...

. His name is found in the Evangelistary of Cividale together with the name of his wife Mariosa ( hr, italic=yes, Maruša or ''Marija''). Branimir reigned until around 892. He was succeeded by Trpimir I's third son, Muncimir.

House of Domagojević

Unlike his predecessor and successor (both Trpimirović), some historians suggest that Branimir might be a member of the

House of Domagojević A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

, particularly, one of Domagoj's sons. His name is an old Slavic name, and could be translated as "defender of the realm", or "defender of peace", as the word ''mir'' means peace in Slavic languages.

Legacy and honors

Today, there are several historical monuments (mostly altar beams from old Croatian churches) that bear the name of Duke Branimir. Currently, Croatia's government presents the

Order of Duke Branimir The Order of Duke Branimir ( hr, Red kneza Branimira) is the 7th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in promoting Croatia in international relations ...

as one of its highest state honours.

Reign

Rise to power

Religious policy

House of Domagojević

Legacy and honors

References

Further reading