Toljen ( sr-cyr, Тољен; fl. 1189) was a Serbian prince (''knez''), who ruled
Hum between 1192–1196, serving his uncle
Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: , ; – 13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince (Grand Župan#Serbia, Veliki Župan) of the Grand Principality of Serbia, Serbian Grand Principality (also known as Raška (region), Raš ...
(r. 1166–1196).
Life
His father was
Miroslav of Hum
Miroslav Zavidović ( sr-cyr, Мирослав Завидовић) was a 12th-century prince of Zachumlia from 1162 to 1190, an administrative division (appanage) of the Grand Principality of Serbia ('' Rascia'') covering Herzegovina and souther ...
(r. 1166–1190; 1192) and his mother was a sister of
Ban Kulin
Kulin ( sh-Cyrl, Кулин; d. November 1204) was the Ban of Bosnia from 1180 to 1204, first as a vassal of the Byzantine Empire and then of the Kingdom of Hungary, although his state was de facto independent. Kulin was son of the first known ...
of Bosnia. Miroslav had ruled Hum under nominal rule of his brother,
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: , ; – 13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince (Grand Župan#Serbia, Veliki Župan) of the Grand Principality of Serbia, Serbian Grand Principality (also known as Raška (region), Raš ...
.
In order to secure Serbian-German relations, during the talks between Stefan Nemanja and
Frederic Barbarossa during his passing through Serbia during the
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...
, it was arranged that Toljen was betrothed (between 27 Jul 1189 and 24 Apr 1190) to the daughter of
Berthold IV, "Duke of Merano Marchese di Istria" and his wife Agnes von Wettin. Berthold IV, who was in Barbarossa's entourage at Niš, had an important part in the Serbian-German talks.
[Srejović 1892, p. 257 ] It was also decided that ''knez'' Toljen would succeed his father before any of his brothers.
[ Toljen was to await his spouse at ]Istria
Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
on the feast day of St. George the following year. In ca. 1190, Stefan Nemanja briefly assigned the rule of Hum to his son Rastko Nemanjić
Saint Sava (, ; Old Church Slavonic: ; Glagolitic: ; ; 1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1235/6), known as the Enlightener or the Illuminator, was a Serbs, Serbian prince and Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox monk, abbot of Studenica Monastery, Studeni ...
, meanwhile Miroslav held the Lim region with Bijelo Polje
Bijelo Polje (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бијело Поље, ) is a town located in the Northern Montenegro, Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along Lim (river), Lim River. It has an urban population of 12,900 (2011 census). It is the ad ...
.[Fine 1994, pp. 19-20, 52] Rastko however took monastic vows and Miroslav continued ruling Hum or parts of it after 1192. Miroslav died of old age in 1198.
Family
Together they had one son, Toljen II, who succeeded as ''Prince'' later in 1227-1239.
Annotations
References
Sources
*
*
*Конст. Јиречек: Тољен син кнеза Мир о слава хумског. Српска кр. А кадемија. Глас ХХХV. 1892
12th-century Serbian royalty
Vukanović dynasty
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