Vojnomir remains an enigmatic historical personality. Even the correct reading of his name is unclear. Instead of Vojnomir the original
Wonomyro (
Uuonomiro,
Uuonomyro) could also be read as Zvonimir, just like the name of the Croatian king
Demetrius Zvonimir has been corrupted in
Svinimiro. Some authors interpret Vojnomir as having been a Croatian duke, a military leader of the Frankish army, or the prince of
Carniola. There are three most reliable hypotheses about his origin: the "Pannonian hypothesis", the "Career hypothesis" and the "Carniolan hypothesis". At least two explanations could be read in the context of modern nationalistic mythology:
Slovene and
German authors from the Austrian part of
Austria-Hungary are prone to support the Carniolan origin and
Croatian authors are prone to support the Pannonian or the Istrian origin. according to Francis Dvornik, he launched a joint counterattack with the help of
Frankish troops under King
Charlemagne in 791, successfully driving the Avars out of Croatia. In return for the help of Charlemagne, Vojnomir was obliged to recognize the Frankish sovereignty and convert to
Christianity.
Nicephorus I of the
Byzantine Empire and Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire settle their imperial boundaries in 803.
Career hypothesis The military hypothesis claims that Vojnomir was only a Slav making a career in the Frankish troops. He was not a ruler. From the only reliable contemporary source,
Annales regni Francorum, it is known that Vojnomir was a military leader. His status as a duke or a prince is not mentioned at all. In the past most of the historians described Vojnomir as one of Slavic dukes or princes in the neighbourhood of Friuli. However, according to
Peter Štih, it is hard to believe that a leader of a foreign land could be accepted as a Frankish military leader by the Franks; he was probably only an exceptional Slavic individual who made his career in the Frankish army and perhaps he was only a Friulian Slav. According to
Nenad Labus, Vojnomir could also have been a military leader from
Istria. Carniolans also hated their Avarian enemies. There are claims that the ancestors of the Croats were not the subjects of the Franks at this time. The Carniolans on the other side were already ruled by the Franks from 791 AD with their basic autonomy and the rule of their own domestic princes retained until the rebellion of
Ljudevit. Regarding the subordination of the Croat ancestors it was proved only for the Slavs in Dalmatia, whereas the Pannonian Slavs could have been subjected to the Franks already in the year 791. ==See also==