Catepanate of Ras

The Catepanate of Ras (Byzantine Greek: Κατεπανάτο της Ρας) was a province (catepanate) of the Byzantine Empire, established around 971 in central during the rule of Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes (969–976). Arsa as the area is attested in Procopius, was one the forts which Justinian rebuilt in Dardania in the 6th century. In 976, it was captured by the First Bulgarian Empire and remained in its control until the reconquest of the central Balkans by Basil II about 40 years later. For the following century, it was an important border province of the Byzantine Empire until the Grand Principality of Serbia captured the region and burnt the Ras fortress in the context of the Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129).

Κατεπανάτο της Ρας
Province of Byzantine Empire
971–1127-29
CapitalStari Ras
 • TypeCatepanate
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Established
971
• Disestablished
1127-29
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Byzantine Empire
Grand Principality of Serbia

History
Fortified medieval city of Ras

The earliest possible date of its creation is 971, when Byzantine armies conquered Bulgaria and re-established Byzantine supreme rule over the interior of Southeastern Europe, including the central Serbian lands, as attested by the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja. One of the newly formed administrative units was the Catepanate of Ras. It was established as a Byzantine stronghold in Serbian lands, but its territorial jurisdiction can not be precisely determined. The Catepanate was short lived, as the rest of the Byzantine rule in Bulgarian and Serbian lands. After the death of emperor John (976) it was captured the First Bulgarian Empire.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Basil II recaptured it about 40 years later in 1016-18. It remained a Byzantine frontier area until John II Komnenos lost the area as a result of the Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–1129). The fortress of Ras was then burnt by the Serbian army. Its last commander was a Kritoplos who was then punished by Emperor for the fall of the fortress.[7]

One of the sources for the organization of the Catepanate is a seal of a strategos of Ras, dated to the reign of Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes (969–976). The seal belonged to protospatharios and katepano of Ras named John.[8]

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See also

References
  1. Stephenson 2003a, p. 42.
  2. Stephenson 2003b, p. 122.
  3. Булић 2007, p. 54.
  4. Krsmanović 2008, p. 189.
  5. Madgearu 2008, p. 134-135.
  6. Madgearu 2013, p. 43.
  7. Ivanišević 2013, p. 451.
  8. Nesbitt & Oikonomides 1991, p. 100-101.

Sources
  • Булић, Дејан (2007). "Градина-Казновиће, резултати археолошких истраживања" [Gradina-Kazanoviće, Results of Archeological Research]. Историјски часопис (in Serbian). 55: 45–62.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ivanišević, Vujadin; Krsmanović, Bojana (2013). "Byzantine seals from the Ras fortress" (PDF). Recueil des travaux de l’Institut d’études byzantines. doi:10.2298/ZRVI1350449I.
  • Krsmanović, Bojana (2008). The Byzantine Province in Change: On the Threshold Between the 10th and the 11th Century. Belgrade: Institute for Byzantine Studies.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Кунчер, Драгана (2009). Gesta Regum Sclavorum. 1. Београд-Никшић: Историјски институт, Манастир Острог.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Madgearu, Alexandru (2008). "The mission of Hierotheos: Location and Significance". Byzantinoslavica. 66: 119–138.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Madgearu, Alexandru (2013). Byzantine Military Organization on the Danube, 10th–12th Centuries. Leiden-Boston: Brill.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Nesbitt, John W.; Oikonomides, Nicolas, eds. (1991). Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art. 1. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. Archived from the original on 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-05-12.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Stephenson, Paul (2003a). The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Stephenson, Paul (2003b). "The Balkan Frontier in the Year 1000". Byzantium in the Year 1000. BRILL. pp. 109–134.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Vlasto, Alexis P. (1970). The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Живковић, Тибор (2009). Gesta Regum Sclavorum. 2. Београд-Никшић: Историјски институт, Манастир Острог.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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