South Slavic people in the context of "White Carniola"

Travunia (Serbo-Croatian: Travunija / Травунија; Greek: Τερβουνία, romanized: Tervounía; Ancient Greek: Τερβουνία, romanized: Terbounía; Latin: Tribunia) was a South Slavic medieval principality that was part of Medieval Serbia (850–1371), and later the Medieval Bosnia (1373–1482). The principality became hereditary in a number of noble houses, often kin to the ruling dynasty. The region came under Ottoman rule in 1482. Its seat was in the city of Trebinje.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Župa of Travunia was held by the Belojević noble family, who were entitled the rule during the reign of Prince Vlastimir (r. 830–850), of the Vlastimirović dynasty. After the death of Časlav, the last dynastic member, the principality disintegrated, and the provinces were annexed by the Bulgars and Byzantines. In 1034, Stefan Vojislav (the founder of the Vojislavljević dynasty) incited a rebellion and renounced Byzantine rule, becoming the Prince of Serbs, ruling from the seat at Duklja. In the early 12th century, Desa of the Vukanović dynasty wrestled the region, and it continued under the rule of the Nemanjić dynasty (1166–1371), either held by dynastic members or close associates (most often military commanders), of which was the notable Vojinović noble family. After Nikola Altomanović, the holder of a large province during the fall of the Serbian Empire, was defeated in 1373, his estates were divided between Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović of Serbia, Đurađ I Balšić of Zeta, and Ban Tvrtko I Kotromanić of Bosnia. Trebinje continued under the Bosnian crown in the hands of the Pavlović family, and from 1435 under the Kosača family. It was finally annexed in 1481 by the Ottomans and organized into the Sanjak of Herzegovina.

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.

The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia (Serbian: Велика Србија, romanized: Velika Srbija) describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, including regions outside modern-day Serbia that are partly populated by Serbs. The initial movement's main ideology (Pan-Serbism) was to unite all Serbs (or all territory historically ruled, seen to be populated by, or perceived to be belonging to Serbs) into one state, claiming, depending on the version, different areas of many surrounding countries, regardless of non-Serb populations present.

The Greater Serbian ideology includes claims to various territories aside from modern-day Serbia, including the whole of the former Yugoslavia except Slovenia and part of Croatia. According to Jozo Tomasevich, in some historical forms, Greater Serbian aspirations also included parts of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. Its inspiration comes from the medieval Serbian Empire which existed briefly in 14th-century Southeast Europe from 1346 to 1371, prior to the Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. Some territories intended to be incorporated in the Greater Serbia exceeded the boundaries of the Serbian Empire, however.

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.