Župan in the context of "Ispán"

The Albanian nobility was an elite hereditary ruling class in Albania, parts of the western Balkans and later in parts of the Ottoman world. The Albanian nobility was composed of landowners of vast areas, often in allegiance to states like the Byzantine Empire, various Serbian states, the Republic of Venice, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Naples in addition to the Albanian principalities. They often used Byzantine, Latin or Slavic titles, such as sebastokrator, despot, dux, conte and župan. Notably, they also constructed religious sites, castles and had powerful courts. The Albanian principalities were usually divided in history except during the Principality of Arbanon when there was only one Albanian state ruled by one dynasty, and also during the League of Lezhë where most of the Albanian nobility and peasant communities unified under a military alliance against the Ottoman Empire.

A župa, or zhupa, is a historical type of administrative division in Southeast Europe and Central Europe, that originated in medieval South Slavic culture, commonly translated as "county" or "parish". It was mentioned for the first time in the eighth century and was initially used by the South and West Slavs, denoting various territorial units of which the leader was the župan.

In modern Serbo-Croatian, the term župa also refers to an ecclesiastical parish, in Slovene likewise for župnija, while the related županija is used in Croatia for lower administrative subdivisions, and likewise by Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina (as a synonym for kanton).

The Belojević clan (Serbian Cyrillic: Белојевић), colloquially Travunian dynasty, was a local Slavic ruling clan from region surrounding Trebinje, a center of an early Slavic polity, Travunia. The clan was in vassal relations with the first Serbian Principality's ruling Vlastimirović's, but constantly strived for independence starting with the clan's progenitor Beloje, who sought to free himself of Serbian rule. Beloje was mentioned as the župan of Travunia in the chapter on the Serbs in De Administrando Imperio (DAI) of Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII (r. 945–959). Prince Vlastimir (r. 836–851) married his daughter to Beloje's son Krajina, and elevated him to the rank of archon, sometime prior the Bulgar–Serb War (839–842). Krajina's descendants were entitled to rule the region comprising the hinterland of Dubrovnik and Boka Kotorska, with seat at Trebinje, still under Serbian suzerainty. The clan is later mentioned in the semi-mythical Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, which mentioned that a descendant of Hvalimir, Dragomir, ruled Travunia in the second half of the 10th century, his brother Petrislav ruling Duklja and his son Stefan Vojislav later ruling Duklja and founding the Vojislavljević dynasty.

This is an archontological list of Serbian monarchs, containing monarchs of the medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia.The Serbian monarchy dates back to the Early Middle Ages. The Serbian royal titles used include Knyaz (Prince), Grand Župan (Grand Prince), King, Tsar (Emperor), and Despot.

Grand Župan, also Great or Chief Župan (Serbian: Велики жупан, Veliki župan, Latin: magnus iupanus, Greek: ζουπανος μεγας, romanized: zoupanos megas) is a common English rendering of a medieval South Slavic title that designates a hierarchically senior župan, who is first among, or superior to other župans (chiefs of a regional units called župa). It was most commonly attested in Medieval Serbia, where it was used as a princely title by rulers of the Grand Principality of Serbia, from the end of the 11th century, up to 1219, when it was replaced by royal title, upon the established of the Kingdom of Serbia.

Beloje (Serbian Cyrillic: Белоје; Greek: Βελάης; fl. 839), was a local Slavic chieftain from the region surrounding Trebinje, who ruled the area with a title of župan, sometime in the first half of the 9th century. Travunia was a polity centered in Trebinje (now in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina), and at the time subject to the Principality of Serbia. Mentioned in De Administrando Imperio (DAI) of Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII (r. 945–959), Beloje was a contemporary of Serbian ruler Vlastimir (r. 836–851). It is unknown how he came to the position; it might have been through the primogeniture principles, however, there is no definite answer. Vlastimir married his daughter to Beloje's son Krajina, and "desiring to ennoble his son-in-law", elevated his rank to archon (prince) and made him independent. Travunia was thus elevated from a župa into an archonty (principality), practically independent, while Vlastimir oversaw his son-in-law. T. Živković theorized that Beloje sought to free himself of Serbian rule, and that Vlastimir prevented this through a political marriage between the two families, possibly prior to the Bulgar–Serb War (839–842). Krajina's descendants were entitled the rule of Travunia under Serbian suzerainty.

There is a hypothesis that the legendary king Pavlimir Belo (or Belimir) mentioned in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja (CPD) was supposedly based on Beloje. The CPD is a primary source dating to ca. 1300–10 largely discredited in historiography (events in the Early Middle Ages deemed useless). The CPD mentions this individual, Belo, as being born as Pavlimir, receiving his nickname from his relatives and other Romans from bello, "because he very much loved war". The legend of Pavlimir-Belo continues with his stint at Syrmia, where he defeated the Syrmians and Hungarians, and his defeat of Rascian župan Ljutomir. Belo is mentioned in the CPD as a Rascian župan, while DAI mentions Beloje as a Travunian župan. N. Banašević noted that while the two names were similar, they were not identical.

Krajina Belojević (Serbian: Крајина, Greek: Κράινα), was the 9th century local Slavic chieftain from the region surrounding Trebinje, who ruled the area with a title of župan. The same region centered on Trebinje, also known as Travunia, was earlier ruled by Krajina's father, the local lord Beloje. At the time of Krajina's rule, the region was still under suzerainty of the Principality of Serbia, and he was in vassal relation to its ruling Vlastimirović's. In 847/848, after the Bulgarian–Serbian War (839–842), victorious Prince Vlastimir of Serbia (r. ca. 836-850) married his unnamed daughter to Krajina, thus elevating his and his province rank. In doing so his father-in-law, eponymous founder of the Vlastimirović's, dynasty which rule Serbia until 969, granted them independence. Although Krajina's father sought to free himself and his province from Serbian suzerainty, and though Krajina succeeded in achieving that goal through marriage with Vlastimir's daughter, he continued to serve in office as župan under Mutimir (r. 850–891). With the Vlastimir's daughter Krajina had a son that would succeed him, Hvalimir (Greek: Φαλιμἑρης). Hvalimir in turn had a son, Čučimir (Greek: Τζουτζημέρης; r. first half of 10th century), who was the last known Belojević in charge of Travunia before it was annexed by the Byzantines.