Pribina

Pribina
Pribina (centre) depicted on the reverse of the 10 koruna coin of the Slovak Republic
Prince of Nitra (?)
Reign 825 –833
SuccessorMojmír I
Duke of Lower Pannonia
Reign846–861
SuccessorKoceľ
Bornc. 800
Died861
IssueKoceľ
Muntimerus Sclav.[1]
House(?)
One view about the borders of the Principality of Nitra around 833

Pribina (c. 800 – 861) was a Slavic prince whose adventurous career, recorded in the Conversion of the Bavarians and the Carantanians (a historical work written in 870), illustrates the political volatility of the Franco–Slavic frontiers of his time.[2] Pribina was the first ruler of Slavic origin to build a Christian church on Slavic territory in Nitra, and also the first to accept baptism.[3]

He was attacked and expelled from his homeland by Mojmir I, duke of Moravia.[4] Pribina first fled to Ratpot, one of the border lords in East Francia.[4] Thereafter he was wandering in Central and Southeastern Europe for several years.[4] Finally, in the late 830s, Louis the German, king of East Francia granted Pribina lands near Lake Balaton (now in Hungary) where he set up his own principality under the king's suzerainty.[4][5] He died fighting against the Moravians.[6]

  1. ^ Wolfram 1979, p. 179ff.
  2. ^ Goldberg 2009, pp. 16, 83–84
  3. ^ Spiesz et al. 2006, p. 20.
  4. ^ a b c d Curta 2006, p. 333
  5. ^ Kirschbaum 2007, p. 232
  6. ^ Goldberg 2009, p. 267