Časlav of Serbia

Časlav was the ruler of Serbia from 927/928 to possibly 943/944. Časlav belonged to an exiled branch of the Serbian dynasty and was brought up in Bulgaria as a political hostage. Following years of Bulgarian-Serbian conflict, he was sent with the Bulgarian army against Serbian ruler Zaharija in 924 or 925/926, and was to be instated as the Serbian ruler when Zaharija fled the country. On the premise of accepting Časlav as the new ruler, the Bulgars assembled Serbian župani (counts) and then tricked them and had them captured with Časlav and imprisoned in Bulgaria. After the death of powerful Bulgarian emperor Simeon in 927, Časlav escaped captivity and returned to Serbia, where he consolidated power with the help of Byzantine emperor Romanos Lekapenos. Časlav was active during the threat of the Magyars (Hungary) and is mentioned in a later legendary account as having been captured and drowned in the Sava river.