Grand Principality of Serbia

The Grand Principality of Serbia, also known by the older exonym Rascia, was a medieval Serbian state that emerged in the second half of the eleventh century and lasted until 1217. It was founded by Grand Prince Vukan, who had served as regional governor around 1082 under King Constantine Bodin of Duklja and became a self-governing ruler during the Byzantine-Serbian wars around 1090. Vukan raided Byzantine territory near Kosovo around 1090, defeated a Byzantine army in 1092 and later expanded along the Vardar, taking Vranje, Skopje and Tetovo. His Vukanović dynasty balanced Hungarian support with Byzantine overlordship until about 1180. Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, who ruled from 1166 to 1196, secured full independence and united most Serbian lands, founding the Nemanjić dynasty. His son Stefan was crowned King of Serbia in 1217, transforming the grand principality into a kingdom, while his younger son Sava became the first archbishop of the Serbian church in 1219. The state centred on the Raška region and included parts of modern Montenegro, Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia.