Raskan Zupans The state of Raska arose in the central and eastern part of what once was "Baptized Serbia", with its center being the walled town of Ras. From the early 11th c. it was under the rule of monarchs from Duklja (Zeta). Vukan - the family member appointed by king Bodin of Zeta to rule the province - assumed the local title of grand zupan, commanding all the local princes (zupans). During his long reign (ca. 1083 - ca. 1122) he managed - through a combination of military actions, timely (if often broken) promises and other diplomacy - to spin off from the declining Zeta and successfully resist the Byzantines, occassionally expanding to the south and east. By the 12th century, Hungary had gradually become an increasingly important factor in the Balkans, encroaching on nominally Byzantine possessions. Having incorporated Croatia in 1102, and shortly thereafter various parts of Srem, Dalmatia and Bosnia, it became a direct threat to the Byzantine state, which was in turn enjoying a centennial revival under the able Komneni dynasty. Under these circumstances, Raskan Serbia - wedged between the two - and her policies were conditioned by this broader context. This reminisced of the Bulgaro-Byzantine conflicts of 9-10th centuries, but with the Byzantine role reversed - now it was the closer, and thus more immediate foe. Generally bound by vassal status to Constantinople in peacetime, but quickly siding during wars with the Hungarian Arpad court (where family ties brought them considerable influence), and aligning ruling family feuds with foreign support - this pattern was repeated by the zupans of Raska throughout the middle part of the 12th century and the Hungaro-Byzantine wars. It was especially highlighted during open hostilities, like the conflicts of 1127 and 1150 - the latter ending with the battle of Tara, decribed by Greek chroniclers in epic terms, where Uros II and his Hungarian allies were defeated by Manuel Komnenos. This period saw the succession of three key grand zupans - Uros I, Uros II and Desa - and generally ends with the death of the last great Komnenos emperor, Manuel I (1180) - as well as the passing of the Raskan throne to what appears to be a side branch in the late 1160s. This new monarch, Stefan Nemanja, proved to be an extraordinary statesman, and founder of the most famous Serbian medieval dynasty.