page_title: Petar of Serbia
section_title: Bulgarian-Byzantine War, Expansion to the west, and death
hierarchical_section_title: Petar of Serbia / Bulgarian-Byzantine War, Expansion to the west, and death
caption_attribution_description: Konstantinos VII and Symeon at lunch
context_page_description: Petar Gojniković or Peter of Serbia was Prince of the Serbs from 892 to 917. He ruled and expanded the First Serbian Principality, and won several wars against other family members that sought the crown. He was the first Serbian monarch with a Christian name.
  Petar was the son of Gojnik, the youngest son of Vlastimir of the first Serbian dynasty.
context_section_description: On May 11, 912, on the death of the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise, his brother Alexander III succeeded him. The unpopular, inexperienced, ill and possibly chronically drunk Alexander ruled until his death on June 6, 913. This was ideal for Symeon, who had his troops waiting in Thrace to attack Byzantium. In August 913, Symeon appeared at the walls of Constantinople, seeking no plunder, only the crown. Symeon had, in contrast to Tsar Boris, been schooled in Constantinople, embracing Byzantine ideology, and wanted to rule a joint Roman-Bulgarian Empire as Roman Emperor. Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos recognized Symeon as Emperor of Bulgaria, and married his daughter to Constantine VII. In February 914, Zoe Karbonopsina, the mother of Constantine, quickly ousted Nicholas as regent (although letting him remain the Patriarch), and she, as regent, nullified the title given to Symeon, as well as the marriage plans. Zoe's acts enraged Symeon, who went on to conquer Thrace. The Byzantines had no choice but to look for allies, sending envoys to the Magyars, Pechenegs and Serbs.
  As Peter had secured the eastern border, he turned to the west, where he sought to strengthen his grip on the local Slavic principalities. He defeated Tišemir of Bosnia, annexing the valley of Bosna. He then expanded along the Neretva, annexing the Narentines, where he seems to have come into conflict with Michael Višević, the ruler of Zahumlje (with Travunija and most of Duklja), who was an important Bulgarian ally. Petar (since 897 theoretically a Bulgarian vassal, though not necessarily a willing one) met with the strategos of Dyrrhachium, Leo Rhabduchus, in Neretva, where he was offered money and greater independence in exchange for leading an army (also containing Tourkoi, Magyars) against Symeon. It seems that Petar had now agreed to join the Byzantines, but this has not been fully determined. Michael Višević heard of the possible alliance between Serbia and the Byzantines, and warned Symeon.
  In 917, a Byzantine army led by Leo Phokas the Younger invaded Bulgaria, but was decisively defeated at the Battle of Achelous on 20 August 917. After Achelous, Symeon sent an army led by Pavle (the son of Bran), to take the Serbian throne, but failed, as Petar proved a good opponent. Symeon sent generals, Marmaim and Theodore Sigritzes, persuading Petar (through an oath) to come out and meet them, then captured and took him to Bulgaria where he was put in prison, dying within a year. His remains are entombed in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Stari Ras, the capital. Symeon put Pavle on the Serbian throne.
caption: Constantine VII and Symeon dining. 
   (Madrid Skylitzes, fol. 120r)
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