Dmitar Zvonimir or Demetrius (died 20 April 1089) was the King of Croatia of the Svetoslavić branch of the House of Trpimirović. He began as a ban of Slavonia in the service of Stephen I of Croatia and then as duke of Croatia for his successor Peter Kresimir IV. Peter declared him his heir and, in late 1074 or early 1075, Demetrius succeeded to the Croatian throne. He was the last native king who exerted any real power over the entire Croatian state, which he inherited at its height. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... Events Northumbria divided by the Normans into the counties of Northumberland, County Durham, Yorkshire, Westmorland and Lancashire August 11, powerful Britain Coronation of Rama Varma Kulasekhara in Kerala Synod of Melfi under Pope Urban II imposes slavery on the wives of priests Palmyra destroyed by earthquake Byzantine conquest of Crete... // The details of the arrival of the Croats are scarcely documented. ... Trpimirović dynasty was a native Croat dynasty that ruled in Croatia, with interruptions, from 845 until 1091. ... // The details of the arrival of the Croats are scarcely documented. ... Stjepan I (died in 1058), was a king of Croatia (c. ... // The details of the arrival of the Croats are scarcely documented. ... Peter Kresimir IV (Petar KreÅ¡imir IV in Croatian), called the Great, was a notably energetic King of Croatia from 1059 to his death in 1074. ... Events Births February 12 - Conrad, King of Germany and Italy (d. ... Events Revolt of the Earls. ...

[edit] Banate of Slavonia and Croatia

From about 1065, during the reign of Kresimir IV, his relative through the Orseoli of Venice, Demetrius ruled in Slavonia (the land between the rivers Drava and Sava) with the title of ban. Events December 28 - Westminster Abbey is consecrated. ... Orseolo, the name of a Venetian family, three members of which filled the office of doge. ... Borders of the Republic of Venice in 1796 Capital Venice Language(s) Italian, Latin Religion Roman Catholic Government Republic Doge  - 1789-1797 Ludovico Manin History  - Established 727 (697)  - Treaty of Zara June 27, 1358  - Treaty of Leoben April 17, 1797 Map of the Venetian Republic, circa 1000. ... Coat of arms Slavonia (Croatian: Slavonija) is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia. ... The Drava at Drávaszabolcs, Hungary The Drava at Vízvár, Hungary The Drava at Maribor, Slovenia The Drava (German: Drau, Slovenian, Croatian and Italian: Drava, Hungarian: Dráva) is a river in southern Central Europe. ... Sava also Save (in Serbian: Сава; German: Save; Hungarian: Száva) is a river in Europe, a right side tributary of Danube at Belgrade. ... Ban is a title of either Avar or Illyrian origin, the title was used in some states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century. ...

At the beginning of 1075, Kresimir named Demetrius by the mercy of God Duke of Dalmatian Croatia. This title made him not only the ruler of northern Dalmatia, but also the chief advisor of the king and his heir. Kresimir died soon thereafter and Demetrius succeeded him. Events Revolt of the Earls. ...

[edit] Reign

Demetrius was crowned on 8 October 1076 at Solin in the Basilica of Saint Peter and Moses by a representative of Pope Gregory VII. He ruled from Knin, which today is nicknamed "Zvonimir's city." He continued the expansive and Romish policies of his predecessor, maintaining close alliance with the papacy. He instituted the Gregorian reform and took up many domestic reforms. During his reign, slavery was abolished in the kingdom. October 8 is the 281st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (282nd in leap years). ... Events February 14 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Pope Gregory VII (c. ... Knin Knin (Serbian: Книн) is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. ... Gregorian Reform is generally considered named after Pope Gregory VII(1073-1085), who personally denied this, and claimed it was named after Gregory the Great. ...

Demetrius also took the hardline against the Byzantine Empire, but, unlike Kresimir, he was also an ally of the Normans, with whom he joined in wars against Byzantium. When Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, invaded the western Balkan provinces of the empire in 1084, Demetrius sent troops to his aid. Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Norman conquests in red. ... Robert Guiscard (i. ... List of Counts of Apulia and Calabria in Southern Italy from the 11th century to the 12th century: Counts 1043-1059, Dukes 1059-1127 William I 1043-1049 Drogon 1049-1051 Umfred 1051-1057 Robert Guiscard 1057-1085 Roger 1085-1111 William II 1111-1127 Categories: Lists of office-holders... Events Saint Bruno founds the Carthusian Order of monks Kyanzittha begins his reign in Myanmar. ...

There are several versions of Zvonimir's death. The most commonly accepted one, asserted by Thomas, Archdeacon of Split, asserts that Demetrius died of natural causes. Another account, from the Presbyter Dukljanin, says that in 1089, Pope Urban II, responding to pleas from Constantinople against the Seljuks and the desire to heal the East-West Schism, asked Demetrius, his strongest Balkan ally, to come to the military aid of the empire against the Turk. Demetrius convened the Sabor at Kosovo Polje near Knin that year to mobilise the army on behalf of the pope and the emperor, but the nobility refused him and a rebellion erupted. Demetrius was assassinated at the field of meeting by his own soldiers. His death marked the collapse of Croatian royal power. The myth of the "Curse of King Zvonimir" is based on the legend of his assassination. Pope Urban II (1042 – July 29, 1099), born Otho of Lagery (alternatively: Otto or Odo), was a Pope from 1088 to July 29, 1099. ... The Seljuk Turks (Turkish: Selçuk; Arabic: سلجوق Saljūq, السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; Persian: سلجوقيان Saljūqiyān; also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq) were a major branch of... For the later Papal Schism in Avignon, see Western Schism. ... The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. ... Kosovo Polje (Косово поље, Albanian: Fushë Kosovë) is a municipal located in Kosovo, at 42. ...

[edit] Succession and legacy

Demetrius was married to his distant relative Jelena Lijepa, the sister of Ladislaus I of Hungary. Through Jelena, he was connected to the royal families of not only Hungary, but also Poland, Denmark, Bulgaria, and Byzantium. She bore him a son, Radovan, who predeceased him, and a daughter, Claudia, who, being married to the voivode of Lapcani Lika, was ineligible for the throne. He was succeeded by Stephen II, last of the Trpimirović dynasty, but he died in 1091, at which point Ladislaus of Hungary became the best candidate for the succession. Jelena Lijepa (English: Helen the Beautiful) was Queen of Croatia. ... Modern bust of the Saint-King Ladislaus I, (Hungarian: I. Szent László, Slovak: Saint Ladislav I) (June 27, 1040 – July 29, 1095) was a king of the Kingdom of Hungary (1077–1095). ... Voivode (as it is spelled in the Oxford English Dictionary), or less commonly voivod, is a Slavic word that originally denoted the principal commander of a military force. ... Stjepan II (died in 1091), the last member of the Trpimirović dynasty and last native Croatian king to rule on entire Medieval Croatian Kingdom. ... Henry, son of William I attempted a coup against his brothers but failed to seize the English throne. ...

The culturally and historically significant Baška tablet was inscribed shortly after his death and contains references to him and a number of his nobles of eleventh century. BaÅ¡ka tablet (Bašćanska ploča) is one of the first monuments of Croatian language. ...

[edit] Sources

• king Dmitar Zvonimir

[edit] External links

• Romantic portrait of Demetrius.