Stefan Dušan’s imperial title followed the Byzantine tradition, which was in turn based on the tradition of the Roman Empire.
Stefan Dušan from the Nemanjić dynasty was crowned the Emperor of Serbia on this day in 1346. Prior to that, he had been the Serbian king, taking the name Stefan Uroš, just like his father (known as Stefan Dečanski). Dušan’s imperial coronation was held on Easter Day near Skopje in today’s Macedonia. On that same day, the Serbian Orthodox Church received its first patriarch (prior to that it had been led by an archbishop).
Dušan’s imperial title followed the Byzantine tradition, which was in turn based on the tradition of the Roman Empire. Thus, it also contained the Greek terms “basileus” and “autokrator” and territorially encompassed not only Serbia, but also the Roman Empire (just like the Byzantine imperial title).
