History of The Serbs - Early Middle Ages

Early Middle Ages

Main article: Serbia in the Early Middle Ages

Porphyrogenitus' account claims that Serbs departed with the Unknown Archont from White Serbia and settled in the Balkans during the reign of Emperor Heraclius (610-641). They stayed in the Salonica province, and gave their name to the town "Servia", but decided to leave for their homeland. In Belgrade, they contacted the strategos and requested lands, and they received territory in the desolate lands of Roman Dalmatia encompassing parts of modern Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro (Serbia (Rascia), Pagania, Zahumlje, Bosnia, Travunia, Kanalitai and Doclea).

During the rule of Constans II (641–668), Serbs (Slavs) were resettled in Asia Minor (in ca 649 or 667) from the areas "around the river Vardar" to the city of Gordoservon (Serb habitat). Isidore, the "Bishop of Gordoservon" is mentioned in 680, the fact that it was an episcopal seat gives ground to the thesis that it had a large Serbian population. In 692, Slavesians defected from the battle at Sebastopolis, due to bad treatment by the Byzantines, and the Umayyuds won the battle.

According to the Royal Frankish Annals, in 822, Ljudevit went from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs somewhere in western Bosnia – the Serbs are mentioned as controlling the greater part of Dalmatia ("Sorabos, quae natio magnam Dalmatiae partem obtinere dicitur").

The first war between Bulgarians and Serbs took place between 839 and 842. According to Byzantine sources both peoples co-existed peacefully until Bulgarian attacks in the Macedonia region.

The establishment of Christianity as state-religion dates to the time of Prince Mutimir and Byzantine Emperor Basil I (r. 867–886), who, after managing to put the Serbs under his nominal rule, sends priests together with admiral Niketas Ooryphas, before the operations against the Saracens in 869 when Dalmatian fleets were sent to defend the town of Ragusa).

Serbia experienced its golden age under the Nemanjic, with the Serbian state reaching its apogee of power in the reign of Tsar Stefan Uros Dusan, when the Serbian Empire dominated the Balkans. Serbia's power subsequently dwindled amid interminable conflict between the nobility, rendering the country unable to resist the steady incursion of the Ottoman Empire into south-eastern Europe. The Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is commonly regarded in Serbian national mythology as the key event in the country's defeat by the Turks, although in fact Ottoman rule was not fully imposed until some time later. After Serbia fell, the kings of Bosnia used the title of "King of the Serbs" until Bosnia was also overrun.