27 Facts About Stefan Nemanja

Stefan Nemanja ultimately went to Mount Athos, where he became a monk and took the name of Simeon, joining his youngest son, who had already become the first archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Together with his son Saint Sava, Stefan Nemanja restored the Hilandar Monastery at Mount Athos from 1198 to 1199, and issued the "Charter of Hilandar".

Stefan Nemanja was born around the year 1113 or 1114 AD in Ribnica, Zeta.

Stefan Nemanja was the youngest son of Zavida, a Prince of Zahumlje, who after a conflict with his brothers was sent to Ribnica where he had the title of Lord.

Since western Zeta was under Roman Catholic jurisdiction, Stefan Nemanja received a Latin baptism, although much of his later life was spent balancing Western and Eastern forms of Christianity.

Stefan Nemanja probably hoped that he would take the place of Desa, as the former representative of the pro-Greek party, while Emperor Manuel brought his eldest brother Tihomir to the throne.

Stefan Nemanja escaped from the dungeon, it is not known with whose help.

In 1166 or 1167, Stefan Nemanja first expanded his territories and conquered Kotor, and then gathered his supporters in Ras and started a conflict against Tihomir, who was looking for support from the Byzantines.

The toparch Stefan Nemanja was in such a hostile temper that he fell upon the Romans and immediately launched an undeclared war.

Stefan Nemanja's goal was for Byzantium to join the crusade against Egypt.

One day, Stefan Nemanja ritually obeyed Manuel I Komnenus in Nis.

The final part of this episode took place in Constantinople, where Stefan Nemanja was taken as a slave in Manoel's triumphal procession, while the gathered people ridiculed him.

Stefan Nemanja convened a state-church assembly at which a decision was to be made on further measures against them.

The grand zoupan Stefan Nemanja gave a speech at the assembly about the harmfulness of the Bogumil heresy.

Stefan Nemanja's testimony was crucial to end the quarrel at the council and to give the majority the impression that it was a harmful religious teaching.

Stefan Nemanja forced Dubrovnik to replace Byzantium with Norman rule.

Stefan Nemanja then coordinated actions with the Asen brothers against Byzantium.

At the meeting, Stefan Nemanja asked Barbarossa for the Crusaders to promise him lands the Serbians recently conquered in exchange of aiding the Crusaders in war against Byzantium.

Stefan Nemanja takes advantage of this situation and launches an offensive towards Byzantine Skopje.

The concluded peace envisaged that Nemanja would be succeeded by his middle son Stefan, who received the Byzantine title of sebastokrator and the Byzantine princess Eudokia for a wife, and not the firstborn Vukan.

In 1196, at the state assembly near Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Ras, Stefan Nemanja abdicated the throne in favor of his middle son Stefan, who became the grand prince of Serbia.

Stefan Nemanja left his eldest son Vukan in charge of Zeta, Travunija, Hvosno and Toplica.

Stefan Nemanja became a monk in his old age and was given the name Simeon.

Stefan Nemanja was buried in the grounds of Hilandar monastery.

Various names have been used to refer to Stefan Nemanja, including Stefan I and the Latin Stephanus Nemania.

Stefan Nemanja was married to a Serb noblewoman by the name of Ana.

Stefan Nemanja established the Raska architectural school, that spanned from 1170 to 1300.