The contemporary Byzantine writers call him either a Serb or a Dukljan ("Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός)", but do not mention his genealogy, while the "Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja", a posterior, more dubious source, calls him a cousin to previous ruler Jovan Vladimir (r. 990-1016). Having reached its pinnacle during the long reign of emperor Basil II, the Byzantine empire entered a steady decline following his death in 1025. This was particularly evident in the Balkans, where the elimination of the perennial Bulgarian threat combined with an insensitive taxation policy helped spur liberation movements. Vojislav the Dukljan held the title of "archon", and "toparch" of the Dalmatian "kastra" of Zeta and Ston "(ἦν δὲ εἰς τὰ κάστρα Δαλματίας εἰς τὴν Ζένταν καὶ εἰς τὴν Στάμνον τοπάρχης Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός)".The affairs of the Dalmatians, Croats, Serbs and others were overseen by "strategoi" in Niš, Skopje, Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and Dyrrhachium. Vojislav had regular meetings with Katakalon Klazomenites (Catacalon), the strategos of Ragusa, and at one occasion, kidnapped him and his party because Vojislav wanted him to be the godfather to his son Katakalon at his baptism. This shows a close relationship between native leaders and Byzantine officers in the peripheral zone of the Empire after Basil's "reconquest".