ABSTRACT
It was during the reign of Stephen Dusan that Byzantino-Serbian rivalry reached its height. According to G. C. Soulis, author of the most complete study on Dusan's relations with Byzantium, the assumption of the imperial title signified undoubtedly the climax of Dusan's struggle with Byzantium. In the history of previous Byzantino-Serbian relations we are able to distinguish some typical relationships between rulers, a kind of model effective in providing balance and stability. From the christianisation to the downfall of Byzantium in 12th century the model of toparches in which the ruler of a Serbian principality was considered and treated in Constantinople as a local governor might be regarded as representative. A kind of rehabilitation of the old imperial idea could be recognized in the case of the Serbian despots in the 15th century. But the period of identification with the Empire opened the way to further rapprochement and made possible the relationship typical of the last period of Byzantino-Serbian relations.
