State assembly in medieval Serbia

The state assembly in the time of the Nemanjić dynasty was so influential that it was almost equated with the ruler himself. What matters were debated by the state assembly depended on the rulers initiative. Rules that shaped the way the matters were decided were influenced by customary law.

During the reign of Stefan Nemanja and his successors the assembly consisted of two classes : the nobility and the clergy. Every member of the nobility, also known as vlastela, with the exception of the vlasteličići, had the right to participate in the assembly since they were called upon by the ruler who also, other than deciding the matters to be debated, also chose the time and place of the assembly. The clergy chosen to participate in the assembly were the highest ranking of the Serbian orthodox church who were called upon by the head of the church. The rulers spouse, his mother and the heir to the throne also had the right to be present at the assembly as they were members of the royal family.[4]

All participants were regularly invited through a written invitation. Even though the total sum of participants was never fixed, nor was it great, the number of nobles was greater than that of the clergymen. One of the reasons for this was the nobilities influence over the state assembly: they were the backbone of the army, together with the ruler they performed important state business and showed him political support. In this way, even though the ruler is the most important person in the state and the assembly, the ruler was to a certain extent limited by the interests of the nobility and that was the determining factor in choosing the matters to be debated by the assembly.[5] Therefore, it can be said that the state assembly, under pressure from the nobility, to some extent limited the ruler's will. However , the total number of participants in the assembly was not particularly high : around 100 of the most prominent figures in the Serbian state.[6]

The state assembly debated over:

• Changes on the throne (proclamation of the heir to the throne, coronation of a new ruler, the act of proclaiming a new ruler, the abandonment of the throne);

• Internal and foreign policy of the state (Matters of war and peace, conflicts among the heirs of the throne, elevation of the state to a higher rank);

• Legislation concerning the territory of the whole country (a notable example being Dušan's Code from 1349. and 1354. The code was accepted by the state assembly and officially confirmed by Emperor Uroš on a state assembly held in 1357.);

• The privileges and rights granted to the members of the government;

• Questions concerning the dynasty (establishment of ruler's endowments, canonization of deceased rulers)[7]

Before making a decision, the ruler sought the opinion of the participants in the state assembly. This is because they were usually more informed about specific circumstances and the situation in the country. The issue that the state assembly necessarily debated was the election of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.[8]

The assembly was held on the territory of the Serbian state. If the ruler was absent, and if something very urgent needed to be debated on the assembly, the ruler could be replaced by his wife in the work of the assembly.

During his reign (1166-1196), several state assemblies were held, primarily due to the ruler's decisions, which were often in contradiction with the principles on which customary law was based at the time, which required acceptance of such decisions by the representative body, the state assembly. The first assembly that Stefan Nemanja held after his ascension to the throne was held due to the ruler's intention to suppress the spread of heresy and to fight heretics. During this assembly, a young noblewoman married to a heretic was interviewed as a witness, whose testimony served as proof that heretics endanger the family as the basic building block of society, and thus the order of the state, which had to be prevented. However, as measures in the fight against heresy should have also been used against the actions of the ruler's subjects, which did not agree with customary law, the support of the state assembly was a necessary step in further suppression of heresy and Stefan Nemanja needed to use it. Over time, based on the evidence provided, the state assembly confirmed the ruler's proposal, and then began the suppression of heresy. These facts prove that this state assembly had a practical, not a ceremonial character, and that it held a debate before a decision was made.

The state assembly was held in 1196. due to Stefan Nemanja's decision to leave the throne and thus the governance of the state to his middle son, Stefan Nemanjić, instead of Vukan Nemanjić, to whom the throne belonged according to the principle of primogeniture. This shows the importance and power of this representative body when it comes to its circle of jurisdiction and powers. Nemanjina's decision was not only in contradiction with the principles of customary law at the time, but also set a precedent in a political sense that could not be easily and rashly accepted. In other words, such a change threatened to ruin the stability of state order due to potential resistance from the nobility or the people. The ruler has held a state assembly so that he can have its political support on this side. On that occasion, the clergy, which this time had a lesser influence on the work of the assembly, was represented by the Bishop of Raška Kalinik, who turned Nemanja into a monk, while the representatives of the nobility were prominent members of the local administration, the Duke as military commanders and "soldiers", in addition to the ruler, his wife and sons.[10] Nemanja's eldest son, Vukan, as a way of compensation for the loss of his right to the throne, was granted the title of "great prince" and a certain amount of land for him to govern, thus equating his position with that of "grand župan". This act was necessarily done in public to gain the support of the state assembly in order to reduce the chances of turmoil in the state.[11]

Nevertheless, the confirmation of the newly established order by the state assembly was no guarantee that the ruler's decision would be accepted in the long run. That's why, after he became a monk, even though that right was no longer formally his,[12] Stefan Nemanja held the third and last state assembly during his reign to strengthen the new state order. Nemanjina's sons Stefan and Vukan attended the state assembly with their nobility, representatives of state administration and other prominent nobles. Even though, this state assembly did not prevent clashes and rifts between the two brothers for several years after the assembly was held.