Stefan Nemanja : a case of sacral kingship
This PhD thesis investigates how the successors to the first ruler of an amalgamation of Serb lands, the RaĆĄkan Serb Veliki Ćœupan, Stefan Nemanja, sought to create legitimacy for what otherwise may have been the passing successes of one local chieftain. The question is approached through the Lives of Nemanja written by his sons, PrvovenÄani and Sava, whose tasks were to stabilise the immediate succession and consolidate the longer lasting power of the dynasty. Through a close reading of the two Lives, the thesis identifies and compares the motifs used by the authors to portray Nemanja as a saintly ruler divinely inspired by God to 'lead and unite' his people. Without an existing Serbian literary tradition, the thesis investigates how the authors found inspiration, looking first at the European-wide phenomenon of holy rulers and their associated texts, before considering the general literary environment surrounding the RaĆĄkan Serbs, to place the writing of Nemanja's Lives into context. The motifs highlighted in the Lives are compared with those in a selected group of texts, potentially available to the authors, to identify possible models which each other may have copied, adapted or transformed. The secondary
Vukovojac, Marija
Stefan Nemanja : a case of sacral kingship. This PhD thesis investigates how the successors to the first ruler of an amalgamation of Serb lands, the RaĆĄkan Serb Veliki Ćœupan, Stefan Nemanja, sought to create legitimacy for what otherwise may have been the passing successes of one local chieftain. The question is approached through the Lives of Nemanja written by his sons, PrvovenÄani and Sava, whose tasks were to stabilise the immediate succession and consolidate the longer lasting power of the dynasty. Through a close reading of the two Lives, the thesis identifies and compares the motifs used by the authors to portray Nemanja as a saintly ruler divinely inspired by God to 'lead and unite' his people. Without an existing Serbian literary tradition, the thesis investigates how the authors found inspiration, looking first at the European-wide phenomenon of holy rulers and their associated texts, before considering the general literary environment surrounding the RaĆĄkan Serbs, to place the writing of Nemanja's Lives into context. The motifs highlighted in the Lives are compared with those in a selected group of texts, potentially available to the authors, to identify possible models which each other may have copied, adapted or transformed. The secondary
case sacral kingship phd investigate successor first ruler amalgamation land seek create legitimacy otherwise may pass success local question approach lives write son whose task stabilise immediate succession consolidate longer last power dynasty close_read lives identifies compare motif use author portray ruler divinely inspired god lead unite people without exist literary_tradition investigate author find inspiration look first european wide phenomenon holy ruler associate text consider general literary environment surround place write lives context motif highlight lives compare select_group text potentially available author identify_possible model may copy adapt transformed secondary