Kocel

Kocel was the second son of Pribina, a Slavic dux installed by the Franks in Lower Pannonia in ca. 838{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=203}} or 840.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=325}} Bowlus believes he was born in ca. 820.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=203}} In 861, Kocel made a significant donation to the Freising monastery, showing that he had a solid social and political standing.{{sfn|Hellēnikē Hetaireia Slavikōn Meletōn|1999|p=92}} According to Bowlus, this document indicates that Pribina had died, and Kocel succeeded him.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=139}} Louis the German installed Kocel as a ruler in Lower Pannonia in 864.{{sfn|Goldberg|2006|pp=273–274}} Kocel held "Lower Pannonia" (Pannonia inferioris) in 865, when Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg visited his lands twice.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=156}} In 869, Kocel had requested for Byzantine missionary Methodius to be sent into Pannonia as a papal legate.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=184}} In midsummer, Kocel sent Methodius to Rome with twenty men to petition for his elevation to bishop.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=184}} Hadrian II appointed Methodius the archbishop of Sirmium, and sent confirmations to, among others, Kocel, whose land lay within the jurisdiction.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=185}} Frankish Pannonia was held by Kocel and Bavarian margraves in 871; Kocel enjoyed independence, as evident from his talks with the pope.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=176}} In 874, following the Moravian conflict, Kocel continued to rule the Drava Valley, presumably under Carloman of the March of Pannonia.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=184}} Kocel disappears from sources after 874,{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=203}} and was either dead or removed from his office {{circa}} 876,{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=201}} certainly dead by 880.{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=192}}

Some historians consider that Kocel can be identified with Frankish military commander Kotzil/Kotzilis mentioned in De Administrando Imperio regarding the armed revolt by the Croats (presumably in the time of Duke Domagoj) who "managed to prevail and killed all the Franks and their archon, called Kotzil" (also identified with Cadolah of Friuli d. 819), most probably in 874 which coincides with Kocel's disappearance from the sources.{{sfn|Dvornik|1962|p=119}}{{Cite book|last=Živković|first=Tibor|author-link=Tibor Živković|title=De conversione Croatorum et Serborum: A Lost Source|year=2012|location=Belgrade|publisher=The Institute of History|url=https://www.academia.edu/1231887|pages=129–140}} According to Francis Dvornik, the DAI's account is possibly "telescoping" different events related to Ljudevit, Borna, and finally in which Kocel "had perished in 876".{{sfn|Dvornik|1962|p=119}} Neven Budak concluded that the DAI's account about Croatian revolt against the Franks cannot be connected to Kocel.{{Cite book |first=Neven |last=Budak |author-link=Neven Budak |year=2018 |title=Hrvatska povijest od 550. do 1100. |trans-title=Croatian history from 550 until 1100 |url=http://www.leykam-international.hr/publikacija.php?id=167 |publisher=Leykam international |page=140 |isbn=978-953-340-061-7}}

• "Count of Slavs" (comes de Sclavis nomine Chezul), 861 Latin gift deed{{sfn|Hellēnikē Hetaireia Slavikōn Meletōn|1999|p=92}}
• "Duke" (Chezil dux), posthumously between 876 and 880{{sfn|Bowlus|1995|p=207}}

{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha}}

{{Cnote2|a|He is known from Bavarian and Papal documents mostly as Chozil, Chezil, Chezul, and Gozil.{{sfn|Hellēnikē Hetaireia Slavikōn Meletōn|1999|p=92}} Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum uses Chozil, Chezil, and Chezilo.{{cite book|author=John Tuzson|title=István II (1116-1131): A Chapter in Medieval Hungarian History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_99nAAAAMAAJ|year=2002|publisher=East Europe Monographs|isbn=978-0-88033-500-3|page=12}} The most used rendering is Kocel. His name is also spelt Koceľ in Slovak,{{cite book|author=Elena Mannová|title=Studia Historica Slovaca|volume=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CeoPAQAAMAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Historický ústav SAV|isbn=978-80-88880-42-4|page=23}} and Kocelj (Коцељ) in Slovenian and Serbo-Croatian.{{cite book|author=Vatroslav Jagić|title=Književnik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXFIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA100|year=1866|publisher=Brzotiskom Dragutina Albrechta|pages=100–}}}}

{{Cnote2 End}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{cite book|last=Bowlus|first=Charles R.|title=Franks, Moravians, and Magyars: The Struggle for the Middle Danube, 788-907|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZhnAAAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=978-0-8122-3276-9}}
• {{cite book |editor1-last=Jenkins|editor1-first=Romilly|editor1-link=Romilly Jenkins|author1=Francis Dvornik|author2=Romilly Jenkins|author3=Bernard Lewis|author4=Gyula Moravcsik|author5=Dimitri Obolensky|author6=Steven Runciman|ref={{harvid|Dvornik|1962}}|year=1962|publisher=The Athlone Press, University of London|title=De Administrando Imperio: Volume II Commentary|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.168258|location=London}}
• {{cite book|last=Goldberg|first=Eric Joseph|title=Struggle for Empire: Kingship and Conflict Under Louis the German, 817-876|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oyiTg0wgl58C|year=2006|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=0-8014-3890-X}}
• {{cite book|author=Hellēnikē Hetaireia Slavikōn Meletōn|title=Thessaloniki, Magna Moravia: proceedings of the International conference, Thessaloniki, 16-19 october 1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnCgAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Hellenic Association for Slavic Studies|page=92|isbn=9789608595934}}

{{Dukes of Lower Pannonia}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:820s births

Category:Year of birth uncertain

Category:870s deaths

Category:Year of death uncertain

Category:9th-century dukes in Europe

Category:9th-century counts in Europe

Category:9th-century Slavs

Category:9th-century people from East Francia

Category:9th-century Hungarian people

Category:Medieval Slovenian people