Serbia, also known as
Raška was a
Serb medieval state that comprised parts of what is today Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and southern Dalmatia, being centred in the region of
Raška (hence its exonym). The state was formed in ca. 1091 out of a vassal principality of
Duklja, a Serb state which had itself emerged from the early medieval
Serbian principality that was centred in Raška until 960, when it was left in obscurity in sources after the Byzantine–Bulgarian wars. Its founder, Vukan, took the title of Grand Prince when his uncle and overlord Bodin ended up in Byzantine prison after decades of revolt. While Duklja was struck with civil wars, Raška continued the fight against the Byzantines. It was ruled by the
Vukanovic dynasty, who managed to put most of the former Serbian state under their rule, as well as expanding to the south and east. Through diplomatic ties with Hungary it managed to retain its independence past the mid-12th century. After a dynastic civil war in 1166,
Stefan Nemanja emerged victorious. Nemanja's son
Stefan was crowned king in 1217, while his younger son
Rastko (monk Sava) was ordinated the first Archbishop of Serbs in 1219.