Unnamed 7th-century Serbian ruler
| Serbian archon | |
|---|---|
The Serbian archon led the Serbs to the Balkans according to the origins of the Serbs narrated in De Administrando Imperio | |
| Prince of Serbia | |
| Reign | fl. 626–50 |
| Born | late 6th century White Serbia |
| Died | before 680 Balkans |
| Dynasty | Vlastimirović (legendary progenitor) |
The unnamed 7th-century Serbian ruler or Serbian archon (Ancient Greek: ἄρχων τῶν Σέρβων, romanized: árchōn tōn Sérbōn) is a figure known from the 10th-century Byzantine chronicle, De Administrando Imperio. In it, he is reported to have been the leader of the Serbs, whom he led from White Serbia—their northern homeland—to settle in the Balkans during the reign of Heraclius. He is narrated to have died prior to the arrival of the Bulgars in the Balkans in 680. According to the narrative he was succeeded by a line of his descendants and though this figure is not named by the account, his progeny is stated to be the first Serbian dynasty—which is known today as the Vlastimirović dynasty.
This chronicle and its narrative of a White Serbian homeland have served as the foundation-stone narrative of traditional Serbian historiography. Historians following these perspectives commonly view him as related to Dervan, a leader of the Sorbs—in line with the dominant identification of White Serbia as the lands of the Sorbs common among them.