Stefan Vojislav
Stefan Vojislav (; ; 1034–d. 1043) was the Prince of Duklja from 1040 to 1043. Beginning in the year 1018, he served as a Byzantine governor, until 1034 when he led an unsuccessful revolt that landed him in a prison at Constantinople. He managed to escape and returned home, this time successfully gaining the independence of his statelet and expanding his rule over southern Dalmatia and its hinterland. He is the eponymous founder of the Vojislavljević dynasty. Origin and early life The contemporary Byzantine writers call him either a Serb or a Dukljan (Βοϊσθλάβος ὁ Διοκλητιανός), but do not mention his genealogy, while the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, a posterior, more dubious source, calls him a cousin to previous ruler Jovan Vladimir (r. 990–1016). Having reached its pinnacle during the long reign of emperor Basil II, the Byzantine empire entered a steady decline following his death in 1025. This was particularly evident in the Balkans, where the elimination of the perennial Bulgarian threat combined with an insensitive taxation policy helped spur liberation movements. Vojislav the Dukljan held the title of archon, and toparch of the Dalmatian kastra of Zeta and Ston (ἦν δὲ εἰς τὰ κάστρα Δαλματίας εἰς