Dmitar Zvonimir

Zvonimir ( Z'v'nim [i] r ' , Suinimir , Suenimir , Zolomer , Zorobel , Zveri , Zovi , Zoltan , Suoni , Simoni, etc.); Latin Demetrius , also Demetrius Zvonimirus ; Croatian Dmitar Zvonimir or Dimitrije Zvonimir ; † April 20, 1089 ) was the king of the medieval Croatian kingdom from 1075 until his death . He was the last (or penultimate) ethnic Croatian king who was able to exercise his power over the entire Croatian kingdom.

Zvonimir came from the Croatian Trpimirović dynasty and was initially Ban of Slavonia in the service of King Stephen I of Croatia and then became Prince of Croatia in the service of King Petar Krešimir IV. Before his death in 1074, he declared Zvonimir to be his successor who ascended the throne in the spring of 1075 .

Regency

Document of a gift from King Zvonimir (11th century)

Zvonimir was born on October 8, 1075 in the Basilica of St. Peter and Moses crowned in Solin by an envoy from Pope Gregory VII . His seat of government was in Knin , the city that bears the additional name "City of Zvonimir" to this day.

He was considered a close ally of the Pope , institutionalized Gregorian reform and abolished slavery during his reign . He also appeared as an opponent of the Byzantine Empire , which he fought in alliance with the Normans .

In 1089 Pope Urban II asked Zvonimir for military support in the fight against the Seljuks off Constantinople. Zvonimir convened the Sabor on the Croatian blackbird field near Biskupija to support the Pope with his armed forces. However, he died at that meeting. There are two versions of the cause of death: one speaks of the fact that he fell victim to a conspiracy and was murdered, the other of a natural death.

Marriage Policy and Family Ties

Monument to King Dmitar Zvonimir ( Knin )

Zvonimir was from 1063 with the distant relatives Jelena the Beautiful ( Jelena lijepa ), a sister of King Géza I. and Ladislaus I married. Through Jelena, he was linked to the royal family of the Kingdom of Hungary as well as to Poland, Denmark, Bulgaria and Byzantium.

Jelena gave birth to two children: however, son Radovan died before his father. Daughter Claudia later married the Voivoden von Lapcani Lika .

The culturally and historically significant tablet from Baška was created shortly after Zvonimir's death and refers to him and a few other nobles from the eleventh century.

literature

Srećko M. Džaja : Zvonimir Dmitar . In: Mathias Bernath, Karl Nehring (Ed.), Gerda Bartl (Red.): Biographical Lexicon for the History of Southeast Europe . Volume 4. Oldenbourg, Munich 1981, ISBN 3-486-42421-1 , pp. 506-508.

Web links

Further information at croatianhistory.net (English)

Individual evidence

^ Edgar Hösch : History of the Balkan countries. 4th edition. Verlag C. H. Beck , Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-49019-0 ( Beck's Historical Library .)

predecessor	Office	successor
Petar Krešimir IV.	King of Croatia 1075-1089	Stjepan II.

personal data
SURNAME	Dmitar Zvonimir
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Zvonimir I.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	King of Croatia (1075-1089)
DATE OF BIRTH	11th century
DATE OF DEATH	April 20, 1089

[1] Edgar Hösch : History of the Balkan countries. 4th edition. Verlag C. H. Beck , Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-49019-0 ( Beck's Historical Library .)