Grand Župan

{{see|Bulgars#Social structure|First Bulgarian Empire}}

A decorated silver cup with a Medieval Greek inscription attests to the use of the title zoupanos megas in 9th-century Bulgaria. The inscription refers to a certain Sivin (Bulgar name{{cite book |first=Kiril |last=Petkov |date=2008 |title=The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century: The Records of a Bygone Culture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjPEtxSOuYgC |publisher=Brill |page=37 |isbn=9789004168312}}), who appears to have held that position at the time of Kniaz Boris I (852–889). Sivin was among the Bulgarian boyars who supported the official Christianization, as the subsequently added line "May God help" suggests.{{cite book|last=Бешевлиев|first=Веселин|author-link=Veselin Beshevliev|title=Прабългарски епиграфски паметници|trans-title=Bulgar Epigraphic Records|year=1981|publisher=Издателство на Отечествения фронт|location=София|language=Bulgarian|oclc=8554080|pages=160–162}}{{cite book|last1=Андреев|first1=Йордан|last2=Лазаров|first2=Иван|last3=Павлов|first3=Пламен|title=Кой кой е в средновековна България|trans-title=Who is Who in Medieval Bulgaria|year=1999|publisher=Петър Берон|language=Bulgarian|isbn=978-954-402-047-7|page=338}} The title zoupan tarkanos was also interpreted as having same or similar meaning.{{cite book |last=Curta |first=Florin |author-link=Florin Curta |date=2006 |title=Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250 |url=https://archive.org/details/southeasterneuro0000curt |url-access=registration |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=164 |isbn=9780521815390}}{{Cite book|last=Pohl|first=Walter|author-link=Walter Pohl|title=The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822|year=2018|location=Ithaca and London|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1501729409|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoR1DwAAQBAJ|page=367}}

{{see also|Serbian royal titles|Serbian noble titles}}

In the Middle Ages, the Serbian veliki župan (велики жупан) was the supreme chieftain in the multi-tribal society. The title signifies overlordship as the leader of lesser chieftains titled župan.{{cite book|author1=Francis William Carter|author2=David Turnock|title=The States of Eastern Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zr8UAQAAIAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-1-85521-512-2|page=252}} It was used by the Serb rulers in the 11th and 12th centuries.{{cite book|author1=Сима Ћирковић|author2=Раде Михальчић|title=Лексикон српског средњег века|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AypYAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Knowledge|page=73|isbn=9788683233014 |quote=ВЕЛИКИ ЖУПАН - 1. Титула српског владара у XI и XII веку. Гласила је велнм жупднк и била превођена одговарајућим терминима, грчки арџ- ^огтагот, игуа^огтауге, цеуаХа? ^огтожх, латин- ски те^ајирапиз, та§пиз ...}} In Greek, it was known as archizoupanos (ἄρχιζουπάνος), megazoupanos (μεγαζουπάνος) and megalos zoupanos (μεγάλος ζουπάνος).

In the 1090s, Vukan became the veliki župan in Grand Principality of Serbia.{{cite book|author=John Van Antwerp Fine|title=The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0NBxG9Id58C&pg=PA225|year=1991|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=0-472-08149-7|pages=225–}} Stefan Nemanja expelled his brother Tihomir in 1168 and assumed the title of veliki župan,{{cite book|author=Paul Stephenson|title=Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ILiOI0UgxHoC&pg=PA267|date=29 June 2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-77017-0|pages=267–}} as described in the Charter of Hilandar ({{small|и постави ме великог жупана}}).{{cite book|author=Jovo Radoš|title=Počeci filozofije prava kod Srba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GRMlAQAAIAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Prometej|isbn=9788676394906 }} A Latin document used mega iupanus for King Stefan the First-Crowned ({{small|Stephanus dominus Seruie siue Rasie, qui mega iupanus}}).{{cite book|title=Radovi|volume=19|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VXkxAQAAIAAJ|year=1972|page=29}} Afterward, it was a high noble rank with notable holders such as Altoman Vojinović ({{floruit}} 1335–59).

It was used in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1922–29) as a governmental title for the head of the oblast (an administrative division),{{cite book|author=Yugoslavia.|title=Stenografske beles ke Narodne skups tine Kraljevine Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca: Redovan saziv|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xlGAQAAMAAJ|year=1922|page=29}} the state was divided into 33 oblasts.

{{Reflist}}

• Ćirković, S. (1999) Veliki župan 1. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić [ed.] Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73
• Mihaljčić, R. (1999) Veliki župan 2. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić [ed.] Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 73

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Zupan}}

Category:Heads of state

Category:Serbian noble titles

Category:Bulgarian noble titles