Historijski zbornik, Vol. 33-34 , 1981.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
SWAY IN EAST ADRIATIC COAST UP TO THE SPLIT SYNODS 925—928
Vladimir Košćak
Sažetak
In the essay entitled »Sway in East Adriatic Coast up to the Split Synods 925—928« the author — reviewing respective documents and litterature — deals with the succeeding of various political and ecclesiastical powers in these regions during the early Middle ages.
After the invasion of the Avars and the Slavs in to Dalmatia (about 614 or some years later) nothing like authority of Byzantine Empire has remained in this province. The Emperor Heraclius (610—641) at the end of his reign has called the Croats to come in Dalmatia most probably in order to hinder the alliance between Avars and Longobards in Italy. Accomplishing successfully the task the Croats have substituted the Avars’ power by their own in the East Shore of Adriatic. The Latin population remained on the islands, but even from there it started to be pushed out by Neretvians in the second half of 8th century.
The arrival of Franks, who occupied the Adriatic Coast to the river Bojana — as the archeological objects prove it — at the end of 8th and on the beginning of 9th centuries, has given opportunity to the Latins to return in the desolate towns of mainland. Bizantium paid attention only then to the regions of East Adriatic, which have emerged on historical scene in the clash between two world powers. After the peace-treaty of Aachen 812 the Franks retained the sovereignty on East Adriatic Coast, but they must abandon the towns: Krk, Osor, Bab, Zadar, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik and Kotor, which since that time formed the Byzantine province Dalmatia.
The Franks, under whose influence the majority of Croats has been christianized, introduced the unique ecclesiastical organization both for Croats and Latins under the jurisdiction of Aquilea Patriarchy. In this framework the bishoprics of Dalmatian towns (in which Bizantium lost again all authority during several decades in the middle of 9th century) exercied jurisdiction in the Croatian Dukedom, too — as we see in the document of the Duke Trpimir 852.
The community of Croats and Latins was broken up, when the Caesar Bardas and Patriarch Fotius succeeded, in a time of general Byzantine expansion, to firm the links between the Dalmatian archonty and the Empire and to hinder the connection of Dalmatian Church with Rome, although they have not underlaid it to the Constantinopolis Patriarchy. No one historical document can prove the Dalmatian dioceses were ever inside the Eastern Church. Nevertheless the Duke Domagoj, anxious in such a situation to make the Croatian State indipendent of the Byzantine towns, founded 864 the Dioces of Nin, which came directly under Rome.
In conformity with Constantinus Porphyrogenitus and other documents the author has concluded that the Byzantine power was spread among the Slavs of East Adriatic Coast for the first time during the reign of Bazilius I (867—886), more exactly: over the districts of Dioclea, Travunia and Zachumlia 868, and over Neretva between 876 and 878. The arrival of Zdeslav, the son of the former Duke Trpimir, from Constantinopolis on the ducal throne of Croatia 878 was the last and the greatest success of the Byzantine reconquest in the East Coast of Adriatic Sea.
However the Byzantine interposition in Croatia lasted only few months. Duringthe reign of the Duke Branimir, in spite of the fact that he has thrown by force 879 the Byzantine pupil Zdeslav, the good relations between Croats and Dalmatian towns were restored again. These towns were organized as thema about 870, but already few years later by the order of Bazilius I they started to pay to the Duke Branimir all money they paid formerly to the Strategos, while he retained only a symbolic sum as a sign of the Byzantine sovereignty. These relations were even closer when Theodosius, the Bishop of Nin and collaborator of Branimir, became the archbishop of Split.
After the settlement with the Byzantine Emperor Leon VI and the Pope Stephen VI the Duke Branimir got 888 the legal power over the southern districts (so called Sclavinias): Neretva (which was within Croatia under the Duke Trpimir, but without any doubt under Domagoj, who was himself perhaps a Neretvian), Zachumlia, Travunia and Dioclea. The new situation was confirmed in the famous people assembly in the field of Duvno in the middle of the same year — as it comes out from the parallel analysis of the Annals of the Dioclean Priest (Ljetopis Popa Dukljanina), the Porphyrogenitus work »De Administrando Imperio« and other especially papal documents.
The Branimir’s successors, the Duke Mutimir and the King Tomislav, have inherited the sovereignty of the Southern Dalmatia districts, which were ruled by the local Archonts, as Porphyrogenitus says, or the Bans, as Dioclean Priest tells us. About the King Tomislav it comes quite clear out from the Acts of the Split Synods 925—926.
Tomislav, who defeated the Hungarians, extended his State over the Panonian Croatia, too. In this time the Byzantine Empire, which was deadly threatened by the Bulgarian Emperor Simeon, was forming the antibulgarian coalition, to which Tomislav associated. In return Byzantium conceded to him the sovereignty of the Dalmatian towns probably by intermediation of the papal legates in the Constantinopolis Synod 920. If not earlier Tomislav has taken the title of king after the victory on the Simeon’s army at the end of 924.
In order to settle the ecclesiastical relations in the new Kingdom the Synod of Split has convened in autumn 925. The jurisdiction of Split Metropoly, which had restored the close connections with Rome, was stretched over the whole Kingdom, and the Dalmatian clergy has acknowledged the King Tomislav as its sovereign.
The attempt of King to promote Grgur, the Bishop of Nin, to the metropolitan honour has caused necessity of the second Synod 928. Then the Bishop Grgur was dismissed, but also the Dioces of Nin, which in the common State has lost its reason, was abolished, too.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
326229
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Datum izdavanja:
1.9.1982.
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