Stjepan Držislav

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The "pleter" with inscription of king Držislav, 10th century.

Stjepan Držislav was a King of Croatia from 969 until his death in 997. He was a member of the Trpimirović dynasty. He co-ruled with his Ban, Godemir. He reined from Biograd.

Stjepan Držislav was a son of king Mihajlo Krešimir II and his wife, queen Jelena of Zadar. Jelena acted as a regent for the young king from 969 until her death in 976. In a war of Byzantine emperor Basil II against Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria, Stjepan Držislav allied with the Byzantines. After the Byzantine Emperor Basil II managed to defend every single coastal Adriatic City during Samuil's rampage towards Zadar in 986, the Cities were returned to Croatian control. The Eastern Roman Emperor also promoted Stjepan Držislav to a Patriarch and an Exarch of Dalmatia and Croatia. Samuil, however, managed to conquer the territories of Bosnia between the rivers of Drina and Bosna. Stjepan Držislav received royal insigia as an act of recognition from the Byzantine Emperor and the title of "Great Duke" (Latin: dux magnis). He was crowned by the Archbishop of Split in Biograd in 988.

Drzislav built on his parents' feats and secured sovereignty over the Dalmatian thema, lost to Byzantium under Trpimir II. The thema of Dalmatia at that time included the towns (but not the hinterland) of Krk, Osor, Rab, Zadar, Trogir and Split. He also delegated much of his authority to his powerful governors (bans). He also invested considerable effort integrating the Latin minority with the Croatian majority.

Držislav's rule was one of the longest of Croatian Kings, spanning nearly three decades. Stjepan Držislav left behind three sons:

All three were to hold the title of King over the following three decades.

In 996, Venetian Doge Peter II Orsello stopped paying tax for safe to the Croatian King after a century of peace, renewing old hostilities. Stjepan Držislav, together with the Neretvians, restored naval conflicts with the Venetian ships, but with little success. Before the end of his reign, Stjepan Držislav gave Svetoslav, his oldest son, the title of Duke and Svetoslav became his co-ruler. Držislav was preparing Svetoslav to be his successor.

It is probable that Svetoslav ruled concurrently with his father during the 990s. Stone panels from the altar of a 10th century church in Knin, reveal the following inscription in Latin: CLV DUX HROATOR IN TE PUS D IRZISCLV DUCE MAGNU. In English, this means: Svetoslav, Leader of the Croats at the time of Drzislav the Great Leader. The stone panels are kept at the Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments in Split. Stjepan Držislav died in 997, leaving three sons behind that would struggle for control over the Croatian Kingdom.