Grand Župan Explained

Grand, Great or Chief Župan (Serbian: Велики жупан|Veliki župan, la|magnus iupanus, el|ζουπανος μεγας|zoupanos megas) is the English rendering of a South Slavic title which relates etymologically to Župan (originally a pater familias, later the tribal chief of a unit called a župa). It was most commonly attested among the Serbs.

Bulgaria

See also: First Bulgarian Empire. A decorated silver cup with a Medieval Greek inscription attests to the use of the title zoupanos megas in 9th-century Bulgaria. The inscription refers to a certain Sivin (Bulgar name^[1]), who appears to have held that position at the time of Kniaz Boris I (852–889). Sivin was among the Bulgarian boyars who supported the official Christianization, as the subsequently added line "May God help" suggests.^{[2] [3]} The title zoupan tarkanos was also interpreted as having same or similar meaning.^{[4] [5]}

Serbia

See also: Serbian royal titles and Serbian noble titles. In the Middle Ages, the Serbian veliki župan (велики жупан) was the supreme chieftain in the multi-tribal society. The title signifies overlordship as the leader of lesser chieftains titled župan.^[6] It was used by the Serb rulers in the 11th and 12th centuries.^[7] In Greek, it was known as archizoupanos (ἄρχιζουπάνος), megazoupanos (μεγαζουπάνος) and megalos zoupanos (μεγάλος ζουπάνος).^[7]

In the 1090s, Vukan became the veliki župan in Grand Principality of Serbia.^[8] Stefan Nemanja expelled his brother Tihomir in 1168 and assumed the title of veliki župan,^[9] as described in the Charter of Hilandar .^[10] A Latin document used mega iupanus for King Stefan the First-Crowned .^[11] Afterward, it was a high noble rank with notable holders such as Altoman Vojinović (1335–59).

Yugoslavia

It was used in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1922–29) as a governmental title for the head of the oblast (an administrative division),^[12] the state was divided into 33 oblasts.

Further reading

• Ćirković, S. (1999) Veliki župan 1. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić [ed.] Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73
• Mihaljčić, R. (1999) Veliki župan 2. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić [ed.] Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73

Notes and References

1. Book: Petkov, Kiril . 2008 . The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century: The Records of a Bygone Culture . Brill . 37 . 9789004168312.
2. Book: Бешевлиев, Веселин. Veselin Beshevliev. Прабългарски епиграфски паметници. Bulgar Epigraphic Records. 1981. Издателство на Отечествения фронт. София. Bulgarian. 8554080. 160–162.
3. Book: Андреев. Йордан. Лазаров. Иван. Павлов. Пламен. Кой кой е в средновековна България. Who is Who in Medieval Bulgaria. 1999. Петър Берон. Bulgarian. 978-954-402-047-7. 338.
4. Book: Curta, Florin . Florin Curta . 2006 . Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250 . registration . Cambridge University Press . 164 . 9780521815390.
5. Book: Pohl, Walter. Walter Pohl. The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822. 2018. Ithaca and London. Cornell University Press. 978-1501729409. 367.
6. Book: Francis William Carter. David Turnock. The States of Eastern Europe. 1999. Ashgate. 978-1-85521-512-2. 252.
7. Book: Сима Ћирковић. Раде Михальчић. Лексикон српског средњег века. 1999. Knowledge. 73. 9788683233014 . ВЕЛИКИ ЖУПАН - 1. Титула српског владара у XI и XII веку. Гласила је велнм жупднк и била превођена одговарајућим терминима, грчки арџ- ^огтагот, игуа^огтауге, цеуаХа? ^огтожх, латин- ски те^ајирапиз, та§пиз ....
8. Book: John Van Antwerp Fine. The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century. 1991. University of Michigan Press. 0-472-08149-7. 225–.
9. Book: Paul Stephenson. Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204. 29 June 2000. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-77017-0. 267–.
10. Book: Jovo Radoš. Počeci filozofije prava kod Srba. 2000. Prometej. 9788676394906 .
11. Book: Radovi. 19. 1972. 29.
12. Book: Yugoslavia.. Stenografske beles ke Narodne skups tine Kraljevine Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca: Redovan saziv. 1922. 29.