principality · Balkans and Hungary
Pagania
Origins
The Narentines were Slavs who settled the coast between the Cetina and Neretva rivers in the 7th century. By the 9th century they formed a principality, called Pagania by the Byzantines because they accepted Christianity late. Constantine VII lists its towns, including Mokro and Ostrog, and the islands of Brač, Hvar, Korčula and Mljet.
Rule and society
Ruled by its own princes and assembly of clans, Pagania lived largely from the sea, raiding and taxing Adriatic shipping. Venice had to pay for safe passage, and in 887 the Narentines killed Doge Pietro I Candiano in battle. They accepted Byzantine missionaries in the late 9th century.
Decline and legacy
In 1000 Doge Pietro II Orseolo led a fleet that broke Narentine sea power. Pagania then came under the Kingdom of Croatia (925-1102) and later Zachlumia, and the name fades by the 11th century.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pagania. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pagania
- MLA
- “Pagania.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pagania. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Pagania.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pagania.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pagania’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pagania (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻