Tomislav, the First Crowned King of the Unified Croatian Kingdom on the Adriatic – Part 3

King Tomislav – and the Roman Catholic Church

In 925, Pope John X summoned a Church Council (Synod) in Split, which was attended by King Tomislav, Knez Mihajlo Višević of Zahumlje, numerous Croatian nobles, along with Rascian nobles that previously escaped with Župan Zaharija from the Bulgarian conquest of Rascia. The Church Council confirmed Tomislav of Croatia as king (rex) of an independent and internationally recognised kingdom. Letters in which Tomislav was named as king (rex) were preserved in a version of Thomas the Archdeacon “Historia Salonitana”. In a note preceding the text of the Council conclusions in Split in 925, it is written that Tomislav is the king “in the province of the Croats and in the Dalmatian regions (…consulatu peragente in provincia Chroatorum et Dalmatiarum finibus Tamislao rege)”. In the 12th Canon of the Council conclusions in 925, the ruler of the Croats was called “King” (rex et proceres Chroatorum).

At the request of King Tomislav, the Church Council in Split of 925 was held in order to confirm the introduction of the Latin language into all religious services among the Croats, to discuss the use of the Glagolitic script and the Croatian language and Old Church Slavonic in liturgy, and to decide which of the bishops in the Croatian territories (including the bishoprics of Dubrovnik, Ston and Kotor) and the Theme of Dalmatia would gain ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The jurisdiction was contested between Croatian Bishop Grgur of Nin (Gregory, circa 900 to 929), Archbishop John of Split, and Bishop Formin of Zadar. Up until 923, Bishop Grgur had jurisdiction over all churches on Croatian territory and was referred to as the “Croatian Bishop” (and considered the head of the Croatian National Church), but it was challenged when the bishopric of Split returned to the direct jurisdiction of Rome. At the Church Council, Pope John X was represented by Bishop John of Subiaco and Bishop Leo of Palestrina. Rome considered that only Latin symbolised and guaranteed the future of church unity. The Church Council in Split (as cited by Thomas the Archdeacon in “Historia Salonitana maior”) officially established and confirmed the recognition of Split as the archiepiscopal see of all Dalmatia (rather than just the Byzantine cities of the Theme of Dalmatia) and severe ties to the Greek Church. It also ended the autonomy of Bishopric of Nin, although Resolution XI, which was added at the request of King Tomislav and the Croatian nobility, enabled Bishop Grgur to remain in office as the head of Croatian bishops in Croatian territories. The Archdiocese of Split controlled the whole coast from Istria to Dubrovnik and Kotor. Although Pope John X sought to prohibit the Croatian liturgy and Glagolitic script, the Church Council upheld its use by local priests and monks where there was a lack of Latin priests. The Old Slavonic liturgy and Glagolitic script; along with Greek liturgy remained in official use in southern Dalmatia (including Zahumlje and Duklja), and most likely in Bosnia, as the majority of the population did not know Latin.

A second Church Council was held in Split in 928, with the Pope represented by his legate Madalbert who returned from Bulgaria, in order to reconsider the position of the Bishopric of Nin, but the Council upheld the supremacy of the Archbishop of Split. The Croats continued to protest against the decision and Pope John X continued to express an understanding of their wishes by not supporting and formally accepting all the decrees of the Church Council which wanted to completely abolish the Croatian Liturgy. As a result, Pope John X was forcefully removed from his position, and the Roman Catholic Church appointed Pope Leo VI (a fierce opponent of an autonomous Croatian Church with an independent hierarchy). Pope Leo VI confirmed all the resolutions from the Church Council of 928, abolished the Bishopric of Nin (which was established as the first independent Croatian Church in 879), and had Bishop Grgur transferred to Skradin.

Tomislav did not personally attend the second Church Council in Split. He may have been ill at the time, or had already died under unknown circumstances. According to the Croatian Chronicle, “…and he died.. with great glory”. According to this chronicle, Tomislav had one daughter and two sons, and ruled for seventeen years (c. 910-928). Some historians suggest that his reign may have extended until 934. He was succeeded by his younger brother, Trpimir II, who ruled as King of Croatia and Dalmatia until 935. It is possible that Trpimir II was elected King due to Tomislav potentially not having sons to succeed him, in accordance with ancient Croatian traditions and customs. Tomislav is considered as one of Croatia’s greatest kings, who liberated the Pannonian Croats from Magyar invasion, defended the Rascians from annihilation by the Bulgarians, expanded his kingdom’s borders to the Drava River, and united the Croatian people into a strong kingdom, which was respected by the Pope of Rome and the Byzantine Empire – the two greatest political powers of Europe at the time.

Source: A History of the Early Croats – Ante Mrkonjić

Bog i Hrvati

King Tomislav – years prior to and the Coronation 

King Tomislav – consolidation and expansion of the Croatian Kingdom