TE17 Mysterious Montenegro

Milovan Radojević

the Voislavić dynasty, 6 where we had recently buried the earthly remains of King Gradihna. 7

At the discretion of Archbishop Gregory, we were to assemble a delegation from all the bishoprics of the Dioclean Church, to sail as soon as possible to see the Archbishop of Spalata, 8 to reaffirm the alliance with him in our common striving to convince the Pope regarding our old rights, whichwere in jeopardy. And Abbot Martin informed me that I would be part of that delegation, on his decision and at the request of the archbishop himself, since it had become known that I was familiar with the archives and could thus be of use for such an endeavor. As I searched for words to express my gratitude for his trust, Brother Lucian eyed mewith envy. The monk Elia bowed and unrolled a scroll, on which the authorization was written, and I added my signature. There were also those of Gregory’s secretary Maraldus, and canon Dominik, who had gained fame for his fiery sermons. At the beginning of May of that year, I boarded a galley and we set sail on a peaceful sea for the famous city of Spalata, on the central Illyrian coast. Dominik was a man of broad shoulders, high brow, and piercing gaze, and he spoke with us brethren sternly and captivated us with the confidence he radiated. I recall our first, strange conversation, which arose by chance as I stood on deck 6. Voislav (d. 1043) was a Dioclean prince who defeated Byzantine armies in several battles and established an independent kingdom. His successors were known as the Voislavićs. 7. King of Dioclea from 1131–1141 8. Split

14