EMPEROR HERACLIUS AND THE CONVERSION OF THE CROATS AND THE SERBS Florin Curta “Fora numberof years the Croats of Dalmatia were subject tothe ranks, as they had formerly been in their own countrys but the Franks treated them with such brutality that they used to murder Croat infants at te breast and east them tothe dogs. The Croats, unable to endure ‘such treatment from the Franks, revolted from them, and slew those of them whom they had for princes." When a Frankish army was sent 10 «quell the rebellion, a Tong, protracted war began, atthe end of which, vevet, the Croats managed to prevail and to defeat the Frank, "From that time they remained independent and autonomous, and they requested the holy baptism from the bishop of Rome, and bishops ‘were sent who baptized them in the time of Porinos thee prince." So 4id Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus dseribe in the mid-tenth ‘century the conversion of the Croats to Christianity, an event which he explained in terms of victory obtained atthe end of a long war of liberation from Frankish oppression. There are no details in the story toallow fora dating ofthis event with any degree of precision, Prince PPrinos isnot known from anyother sources, bt some have advanced the ida tht hiding behind that name is Bora, the “duke of Daatia and Liburni,” whose envoys appeared in 818 AD at the court of Louis the Pious in Herstal.® The Christianization of the Croats, the ‘work of missionaries from Rome, could thus be dated to the eatly * Contains Frpyogsius, De adnan beri 30 t Mra a * hoya Frankish Amal sa. 88, a Kuz 19S: p48 Rlag oer the ‘anki com For Poor sr Bras Hote 9861-6; Kone WHO 48-ma MEDIEVAL CHRISTIANITAS ninth century? However, trusting Constantine Porphyrogenitus on ‘maitre relating to the conversion of the Croats would imply also to take at face value his story of a Croat migration from the lands “be= ‘yond Bavari, where the Belocroats are now’ under the leadership of the five brothers, Kloukas, Lobelos, Kosentzis, Mouchio, and Chroba- tos. One would have to accep also thatthe Croats conquered Dalmatia from the Avars, after yet another long war atthe end of which they “prevailed and killed some ofthe Avars and the remainder they com- pelled to be subject to thorn." As a matter of fact, this is precisely how many historians still approach the evidence of Constantine Por phyrogenitus. Those who embraced the idea of a Croatian migration from a homeland located somewhere near Bavaria teat the account in the De administrando imperio a8 a “native” version of ethne history, and assume that the story was collected by a Byzantine informant from one ofthe major cites in Dalmatia, which was under Byzantine ccntrol throughout the ninth and tenth century” Recently, however, it thas been rightly noted that if chapter 30 of the De administrando i perio was indeed based on a pre-existing, Croatian origo gentis, then its testimony eannot in any way be teated as a realistic description of historical process, but only as an ideological bypraduct® Such a con- ‘clusion is substaniated by the observation thatthe Croatian migration Jed by five brothers is strikingly similar to an almost identical myth concerning the migration of the Bulgar, as reported by Theophanes Confessor and Nicephorus.’ Moreover, the problem of reliability and truth raised by De administrando imperio derives from the existence 9 Fe gargs of reset opinions reaating the conversion ofthe Crows, see Kola 1990 and Loto 1992 * conse Portage, De adnan inperi 0, in Moraes and Jenkins 167 12 128 Te eats he migration fhe Cras eno. Pe 2 kena, Sab 195, and Fen 1996, 5 Damar 1855: 57.56; tsk 191: p18; Grafs 1952 Mare 1977 tn 200, la 1984 an RS Fine 198525, SP: Pana 1997. See also Sh 198, * pain 2008p 198, ? Niephoras, Shon History 2, la Mango 1950p. 7: Teopanss Cones, ‘Chronoprapa AM 6, a go 957 498. The fst o aie the say ‘eoocn he sto bot the Croton rd Ble ths was PO 19S: p. 238 Florin Curta 3 of a second, much different account of the same event, the putative ‘migration of the Croats to Dalmatia ‘The Croats who now live in the egion of Dalmatia are de- scended from the unbaptized Croats, also called "whit, who live beyond Turkey and next to Francia, and have for Slav neighbors the unbaptized Serbs, ‘Croats’ inthe Slav tongue ‘means ‘those who occupy much teritory’. These. same Croats arrived fo claim the protection of the emperor of the Romans Herat before the Serbs claimed the protection of the same emperor Heraclus, at that time when the Avars had fought and expelled from those pars the Romani whom the «emperor Diocletian had brought from Rome and sted there, land who were therefore called ‘Romani’ from their having ben translated from Rome to those counties, I mean, 10 those now called Croatia and Serbia. These same Romani having been expelled by the Avars inthe days ofthis same ‘emperor of the Romans Heraclus, their countries were made desolate. And so. by command of the emperor Heraclivs these sine Croats defeated and expelled the Avars fom those pars, and by mandate of Heraclivs the emperor they seated down in that same country of the Avars, whore they ‘now dwell, These same Croats had at that time for prince the father of Porgas. The emperor Heraclis sent and brought Priests from Rome, and made of them an archbishop and a bishop and elders and deacons, and baptized the Croats; and at that time these Croats had Porgas For their prince” Although here Croats are also converted by missionates from Rome, the account i very dfferet from tht in chapter 30, Thee are ‘no Franks, no war af liberation, and the migration and conversion of| the Croats are now explained in terms of decisions taken by Emperor Heraeus. A few elements may raise suspicion and warn agains tke the probe site compoure hy iis hat cape 30, which ols the spony “nave veian of Cra sory was ween ony ar Emperor CConsaine's eth by aifere, known ath, Soe Bry 1906 Fos eg of such clas sea Buds 198, ConaminePrpytogenits, De admins ingen Moras ant Jenkins 1967 108re (MEDIEVAL CHRISTIANITAS ing this story at face value, Desiving the name of the Croats from Slavic as meaning “those who occupy much teritory” is simply ‘wrong, but it makes sense as a narrative strategy by means of which Emperor Constantine prepares his reader for accepting the idea that 2s ‘many Croats as Romani were needed to populate those counties, which were left deserted by Avar depredations at the ime of Emperor Heraclus. The full story ofthe Romani brought from Rome by Em- peror Diccetian appears inthe preceding chapter 29, n which respon: ible for their removal fom the lands “now ealled Croatia and Serbia" fe the “unarmed Slavonic nations, who are also called Avars” and ‘who took captured Roman arms and standards to wage war upon the Romani!” The latter are stid To. have escaped to such cities on the ceast a4 Ragusa, Spalato, Diadora, and others, “the inhabitants of Which are called Roman to this day." The Romani are an essential Ingredient in the narrative of chapter 31. Without them, there would be no continuity between two decisions taken by two separate Roman emperors (Diocletian and Heracius) to setle on essentially Roman {emiory colonists from Rome or from the “lands beyond Turkey and next to Francia.” However, it would be a mistake to associate the Ro- mani only with the story ofthe Croatian migration, for Diocletian and his Romani ae stereotypically mentioned no less than three: more times in the De administando imperio, always in relation to some ‘group descending from the “unbptized Serbs” who moved to Dalma: tia, the Zachlumi, the Diocletians, the Terbouniotes, or the Paga ‘One is left with the impression that, when lacking more substantial in- formation about any one of those groups, Emperor Constantine “pad- © Conan Pophyropesits, De adminiande perio 2, in Morvesik and dein 1967 12218 3 Coin pyro, De cnn pe in on ening 1967, 124125 he langage wh tose habia ate called oman is vit the mpage oe Romans” whch Emperor Consanne ‘intngished sn bt lvoe and re See Dar 1986 BE Containe Prpytogens, De adinirando nero 38,98, 36 Morvan eis 196 T6016, 16-06%, 160168. nal he css, ie Roe unde hte pot a Bs ben made "n th sary a0 the Cro" 0 ‘Seu Inenape 3 Florin Cute i dea his narrative with ready-made “talking pain those lands had once belonged 1 the Roman Ernie.” If s, then the account ofthe Croatian Landhale in chapter 31 may also be seen asa barely veiled attempt to lay claims of Roman (Byzantine) sovereignty over Croatia tis important to note that the main actors in the narrative of chapter 30 are the Croats: they revolt and slay the rulers imposed by the Pranks upon them, they then pre- vail over their enemies, become independent, and finally request mission of conversion ffom Rome. By contrast, the Croats of chapter 31 are devoid of any will of their own. When they migrate they do so because they seek protection from Heracius, as if they cannot defend ‘themselves agains their enemies." When finally defeating and expel- Ting the Avars, they do not act oa their own, but "by command of the ‘emperor Heracius.” As a consequence, when setting dawn in the lands now freed of Avars they do so "by mandate of Heraclvs." Al- ‘though they have a prince, Porgas, he apparently takes no decisions of ‘any significance. When in need of conversion to Christianity, the Croats ‘are given priests, whom Emperor Heraciys summons fom Rome. Deprived of any historical agency, the baptized Croats are in fact incapable of any independent military action: bout how all ‘These baptized Croats will not fight foreign countries outside the borders of their own: for they received a kind of oracular response and injunetion from the pape of Rome sho inthe time of Heraclivs, emperor of the Romans, sent priests and ‘baptized them. For afer their baptism the Croats made a covenant, confirmed with their own hands and by oaths sure and binding in the name of St. Petr the apostle, that never ‘would they go upon a foreign country and make war on it, but rather would live at peace with all who were willing to do 0 and they received from the same pope of Rome a benedi tion to this effect. that if any other foreigners should come 2 far “paling” aa mae tsk I De ans peri, se Sevan 199-919, au theend of caper, he eer sadn ae ht hse Cos nh reine in "Gent Crt cd“ vet a ap mi conta stacks {nl depron by Fras, Tirk, nd Poche See Costntne Popes, Deadniisrands peri I, Nsesci an enn 1967 15258