Stjepan II.

Stjepan II (* before 1075; † 1091 ) was the king of the medieval Croatian kingdom from 1089 until his death .

Life

After the death of Dmitar Zvonimir , fighting broke out in the country for the succession to the Croatian throne. Since the princes could not agree, they finally agreed to visit the last descendants of the Croatian kings and ask them to become king. This descendant was Stjepan, the nephew of the late King Petar Krešimir , who had withdrawn to the monastery of Sveti Stjepan (St. Stephan) near Split 15 years earlier for health reasons . He was taken from the monastery and put on the throne in 1089 to end the power struggles and pacify the country. As king he was named Stjepan II. The monastery played an important role in the history of the city of Split and in the history of the church there until the 15th century. Already during the Norman invasion in 1075, the walls of the monastery were reinforced and the wall crown was provided with battlements. Stjepan is considered the son of Častimir, probably a brother-in-law of King Petar Krešimir IV. It is said that Petar Kresimir had neither brothers nor sons and already during his lifetime appointed his nephew with the title Latin dux , Croatian knez as his co-regent and successor. But after his death and due to the illness of Stjepan, Dmitar Zvonimir was first appointed and crowned king with the support of the Pope. He was the last representative of the Trpimirović dynasty .

In his 1078 notes, he wrote:

“Já Štěpán, kdysi zářný kníže herzegovinských Chorvatů, poznamenán těžkou nemocí, povolal jsem královské duchovní, aby nalezli léku na mé hříchy. Na jejich doporučení odešel jsem do kláštera svatého Štěpána. Zde jsem se vzdal veškeré své důstojnosti, zde jsem si vybral svoji hrobku pro poslední odpočinek a požádal opata, aby se za mne přimluvil ve svých modlitbách […] "

“I Stjepan, formerly the shining prince of the Herzegovinian Croats, marked by serious illness, called the royal clergy to find a medicine for my sins. According to their advice, I went to the monastery of St. Stjepan. Here I have renounced all my dignity, chose the tomb for my burial and recommended that the abbot mention me in his prayers [...]. "

While his predecessor was elected king by election, Stephen II was intronated without one, as he had a hereditary right to the crown.

Stjepan II himself described it as follows:

"[...] yes (Stjepan, kralj Hrvata i Dalmatinaca) po milosti Božjoj uz pobvalbu svega plemstva Hrvatske i Dalmacije častno uzvišen na kraljevskom prijestolja otaca, djedova i pradjedova"

"[...] I (Stjepan, King of Croats and Dalmatians) was honored by the grace of God with the praise of the entire nobility of Croatia and Dalmatia on the royal throne of my fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers"

He was recognized as king by the princes and peace returned. He ruled for only two years and was considered a level-headed and determined ruler. Since he was also a pious man, he particularly supported the Sveti Stjepan monastery, which had housed him for a long time. He donated his royal estate in Radonji to the abbot of the monastery.

Great riots broke out again immediately after his death. Jelena the beautiful , the wife of his predecessor Zvonimir, managed to get her brother, the Hungarian King Ladislaus , to take power in northern Croatia and enabled his nephew Koloman to become Croatian king in 1102.

See also

• List of rulers of Croatia
• Croatia in the Middle Ages

literature

• Mato Segher: Stjepan II . In: Hrvatski narodni vladari od god. 620-1102 . Hrvatska dionička tiskara, 1903, p. 92–94 (Croatian, text archive - Internet Archive ).
• Ferdinand II: Kraljevi Stjepan II., Petar i Koloman (1089–1102) . In: Pregled povijesti hrvatskoga naroda od najstarijih dana do godine 1873 . Izdanje Matice hrvatske, Zagreb 1916, p. 60–65 (Croatian, Text Archive - Internet Archive ).

Web links

Commons : Stjepan II of Croatia  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• HR-HDA-876-11 1089, 8. rujna. U Šibeniku. arhinet.arhiv.hr (handwritten deeds of donation from Stjepan II and Zvonimir)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Frano Bulić, Lovre Katić: Stopama hrvatskih narodnih vladara - povijesne šetnje po zadužbinama hrvatskih knezova i kraljeva . 1928, p. 85 (Croatian, text archive - Internet Archive ).
2. ↑ Eugen Ščepkin: The right of succession in the old Slavonic princely houses. In: Archives for Slavic Philology . tape 34 . Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, Berlin, p. 147–202, here p. 188 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
3. ↑ Mato Segher: Stjepan II . In: Hrvatski narodni vladari od god. 620-1102 . Hrvatska dionička tiskara, 1903, p. 93 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).

predecessor	Office	successor
Dmitar Zvonimir	King of Croatia 1089-1091	Petar Svačić