User talk:Zoupan/Medieval Serbian state

The Medieval Serbian state spanned from the Early to the Late Middle Ages. The Serbian dynasties, in chronological order, were the Vlastimirović, Vojislavljević, Vukanović, Nemanjić, Lazarević and Branković.

Early Middle Ages
Founded in the Early Middle Ages, the Serbian principality of the Vlastimirović dynasty was described in De Administrando Imperio (DAI), compiled by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ((r. undefined – undefined) 913–959). The work mentions the settlement of Serbs in the Balkans, their protection and suzerainty under the Byzantine Empire, their dynastic quarrels and wars with Bulgaria, Christianization, and overview of their lands. The Serbian ruler was titled "Prince (archon) of the Serbs" (αρχων Σερβλίας), and the throne was inherited by the son, i.e. the first-born; the names of Serbian rulers are however unknown until the coming of Višeslav ( 780). The exact borders of the early Serbian state are unclear. The DAI speaks of the Serbs as having settled "baptized Serbia" (known erroneously in historiography as Raška), including Bosnia, and Paganija, Zahumlje and Travunija, while Duklja was held by the Byzantines (it was presumably settled with Serbs as well).

Nobility
The nobility (vlastela) of the medieval Serbian state is roughly divided into magnates (velikaši), nobility (vlastela) and petty noblemen (vlasteličići). Sometimes, the division is made between vlastela (including "great" and "small" ones) and vlasteličići, the petty nobility. The lower-half social class, commoners, were the sebri.