Raà ¡ka (; ) is a geographical and historical region of Serbia. Initially a small borderline district between early medieval Serbia and Bulgaria (city/area of Ras), and the Byzantine Empire, it became the center of the Grand Principality of Serbia and of the Serbian Kingdom in the mid-12th century. From that period on, the name of Raà ¡ka became associated with the state of Serbia, eventually covering the south-western parts of modern Serbia, and historically also including north-eastern parts of modern Montenegro, and some of the most eastern parts of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its southern part covering the modern region of Sandà ¾ak.
The name is derived from the name of the region's most important fort of Ras, which first appears in the 6th century sources as Arsa, recorded under that name in the work De aedificiis of Byzantine historian Procopius. By the 10th century, the variant Ras became common name for the fort, as attested by the work De Administrando Imperio, written by Constantine Porphyrogenitus, and also by the Byzantine seal of John, governor of Ras (c. 971âÂÂ976).
At the same time, Ras became the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Eparchy of Ras, centered in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. The name of the eparchy eventually started to denote the entire area under its jurisdiction and later, thus becoming the common regional name.
Under Stefan Nemanja (1166âÂÂ1196), the region was finally conquered by the Serbs and the fortress of Ras was re-generated as the state capital, and as such it became the eponymous name for the Grand Principality of Serbia and mainly the Kingdom of Serbia (1217âÂÂ1346). The first attested use of the term Raà ¡ka ( or Rassia) as a designation for the Serbian state was made in a charter issued in Kotor in 1186, mentioning Stefan Nemanja as the ruler of Rascia.
Without any evidence and support in the historical sources, the early historical region of Raà ¡ka is commonly misidentified and misunderstood as a synonym for Serbian state before the mid-12th century (influenced by the semi-mythical 14th century Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja which anachronistically calls the Principality of Serbia as Raà ¡ka). The high medieval chronicle also gives the impression that Raà ¡ka was not considered as the central and capital part of medieval Serbia, but as a separate small domain within Serbia. In the modern sense, Raà ¡ka region would be an area situated in the southwestern modern Serbia (including Stari Vlah, see below).
The 10th-century De Administrando Imperio mentions Rasa (Stari Ras) as a border area between Bulgaria and Serbia at the end of the 9th century. It was not mentioned among the inhabited cities of early medieval Serbia, and there is no general consensus as to whether Ras was on the Serbian or Bulgarian side of the border, as well as whether its mention in DAI referred to a fortress or an area. The consideration that the Serbian border was further to the Southeast of Ras is poorly substantiated. Newer research indicates that the principal settlement of Ras and its region in the 9th and 10th century was part of the First Bulgarian Empire. Bulgarian borderline was at Peà ¡ter plateau and to the north at ÃÂaÃÂak.
In 971, the Byzantine Catepanate of Ras was established, but in 976 Bulgarian control was restored. Basil II recaptured it in 1018, and by 1032, the overall commander of the region was strategoi and doukes Constantine Diogenes, as part of a defensive line of Byzantine watchtowers alongside Lipjan, ZveÃÂan, , Jeleàsouth of Ras and north of Ras, watching to the west over a "no-man's-land" named Zygos mountains beyond which was Serbia. Recent archaeological research supports the notion that the Byzantines held control of Ras during Alexios I Komnenos's reign (1048âÂÂ1118), but possibly not continuously. In the time of Alexios, Ras was one of the northern border military strongholds that was fortified. His seal which dates to the period 1081âÂÂ1092 was found in 2018 near the site. It is possible that Vukan may have temporarily taken Ras and other watchtowers in the early 1090s, but although John Ducas regained most of them, in 1093 Vukan "ravaged the neighbouring towns and districts. He even got as far as Lipjan, which he deliberately burnt down", but when Alexios came close, Vukan escaped to ZveÃÂan and started peace negotiations, and reportedly his attack on the watchtowers was a countermeasure against their commanders who ravaged Serbian eastern frontiers.
The Byzantine border fort of Ras was most likely burnt , and this is probably the reason why John II Komnenos undertook a punitive campaign against the Serbs, during which many Serbs from the region of Raà ¡ka were deported to Asia Minor. The alliance between Hungary and the Serbian rulers remained in place and Ras was burnt again by the Serbian army in 1127âÂÂ1129. Its last commander was a Kritoplos who was then punished by the Emperor for the fall of the fortress. In 1149, Manuel I Comnenus recovered the fortress of Ras and GaliÃÂ, and the following year, continued to successfully fight off the Serbians and Hungarians, with the Serbs swearing loyalty to the Byzantines. Somewhere in the next decades, Serbians conquered and started to fully control Ras, with Stefan Nemanja building the monastery of ÃÂurÃÂevi stupovi in celebration of the feat, with an inscription showing that the end of the construction was in 1170-1171. It became a royal residence, but it was not a permanent residence or that of his successors as the ruling dynasty also ruled over other such palatial centres in its territory. Byzantine intervention continued until the end of the 12th century and the Serb feudal rulers of the region were often under Byzantine suzerainty. The full independence of Serbia including Raà ¡ka's region was recognized by the Byzantines in 1190 after an indecisive war between Isaac II Angelos and Stefan Nemanja. However, the Bulgarian-Serbian border in the late 12th and early 13th century probably was still "very fluid".
The town which had developed near the fortress of Ras and the territory which comprised its bishopric were the first significant administrative unit which Serb rulers acquired from the Byzantine Empire. As it was made the seat of the Serbian state in Latin sources of the era, Serb rulers began to be named Rasciani and their state as Rascia. The name was used among Hungarians and Germans up until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In 1833, some northern parts of the historical Raà ¡ka region, up to the confluence of rivers Raà ¡ka and Ibar, were detached from the Ottoman rule and incorporated into the Principality of Serbia. In order to mark the occasion, prince Miloà ¡ Obrenovià(1815âÂÂ1839) founded a new town, that was also called Raà ¡ka, situated at the very confluence of Raà ¡ka river and Ibar, right at the border with Ottoman territory.
In 1878, some southwestern parts of the historical Raà ¡ka region, around modern Andrijevica, were liberated from the Ottoman rule and incorporated into the Principality of Montenegro. In order to mark the occasion, prince Nikola of Montenegro (1860âÂÂ1918) decided to name the newly formed Eastern Orthodox diocese as the Eparchy of Zahumlje and Raà ¡ka (). In the 19th century the region also became part of the wider "Old Serbia" historiographical term.
In 1912, central parts of the historical Raà ¡ka region were liberated from the Ottoman rule, and divided between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Montenegro, with eponymous medieval fortress of Stari Ras belonging to Serbia.
Between 1918 and 1922, Raà ¡ka District was one of the administrative units of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Its seat was in Novi Pazar. In 1922, a new administrative unit known as the Raà ¡ka Oblast was formed with its seat in ÃÂaÃÂak. In 1929, this administrative unit was abolished and its territory was divided among three newly formed provinces (banovinas). Within the borders of modern Serbia, post mid-12th century historical Raà ¡ka region covers (approximately) the territorial span of three districts: Raà ¡ka, Zlatibor and Moravica.
Some of the churches in western Serbia and eastern Bosnia were built by masters from Raà ¡ka, who belonged to the Raà ¡ka architectural school. They include: Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Stari Ras, and monasteries of Gradac and Stara Pavlica.