It is facile for people of the twentieth century, and particularly so
for non-Slavs, to say that this Serbian Empire of Du[vs]an, Lord of
the Serbs and Bulgars and Greeks, whom the Venetian Senate addressed
as "Graecorum Imperator semper Augustus," resembled the earlier
Bulgarian Empire of Simeon, who called himself Emperor of the Bulgars
and the Vlachs, Despot of the Greeks, in that we would consider
neither of them to be an empire; and that therefore, in celebrating
their glories, with pointed reference to their Macedonian glories, the
Serbs and the Bulgars are living in a fool's paradise. No doubt a
great many persons dwelt in this Macedonia of Simeon and Du[vs]an
without being aware of the fact, for those who called themselves
Bulgars or Serbs appear to have been chiefly the warriors, the nobles
and the priests; a large part of the people were--as they are
to-day--indifferent to such niceties. But there is latent in the Slav
mind a longing for the absolute, which, except it be in some way
corrected, inclines towards a moral anarchy, a social nihilism and
indifference as to the destinies of the State. Looking merely at the
consequence, it does not greatly seem to matter how this attitude is
brought about.... One must admit that these two realms occupied in
their world most prominent positions--positions to which they would
not have attained if Simeon and Du[vs]an had not been altogether
exceptional men, for on their death there was not anybody great
enough to keep the great men of the State together. We have spoken of
Simeon's peaceful labours--we might cultivate more than we do the
literature of that age if it were less dedicated to religious topics,
which anyhow at that time gave little scope for originality--his
consummate ability as a soldier and statesman is revealed in the
existence of his empire; we find in the Code of Du[vs]an, before such
a thing flourished in England, the institution of trial by jury, while
Hermann Wendel[17] has pointed out that the peasants were protected
from rapacious landowners much more effectively than in the Germany of
that age.... We need not try to establish whether the simple
Macedonian desired to be under Simeon or Du[vs]an; but even if these
two monarchs had, each of them, as far as was then possible, complete
control of the country, one would scarcely urge that after all these
centuries this is any reason why Macedonia should fall to Bulgaria or
to Serbia. We shall have to see whether by subsequent merits or
activities either of them has acquired the right to absorb these
outlying Slavs who, be it noted, if in our day they are questioned as
to their nationality, will often reply--and even to an enthusiastic,
armed person from one of the interested States--the worried Macedonian
Slavs, of whom a quarter or maybe a third do really not know what they
are, will reply that they are members of the Orthodox Church.
Du[vs]an perceived that an alliance with Venice would serve his ends;
he did not cease trying to persuade the Venetians that such an
arrangement was also in their interest. After having sent an army to
Croatia, in the hope of liberating that people from the Hungarians, he
conquered Albania, and in 1340 asked to be admitted as a citizen of
the Most Serene Republic. In 1345 he informed the Senate that it was
his intention to be crowned in _imperio Constantinopolitaneo_, and at
the same time suggested an alliance _pro acquisitione imperii
Constantinopolitani_. But Venice, while reiterating her protestations
of friendship, declined his offers; for she could not bring herself to
join her fortunes to those of an ally who might become a rival.