A decorated silver cup with a Medieval Greek inscription attests to the use of the title zoupanos megas in 9th-century Bulgaria.
[1] The inscription refers to a certain Sivin (Bulgar name[1]), who appears to have held that position at the time of Kniaz Boris I (852–889).
Sivin was among the Bulgarian boyars who supported the official Christianization, as the subsequently added line "May God help" suggests.
[4][5] In the Middle Ages, the Serbian veliki župan (велики жупан) was the supreme chieftain in the multi-tribal society.
[8] Stefan Nemanja expelled his brother Tihomir in 1168 and assumed the title of veliki župan,[9] as described in the Charter of Hilandar (и постави ме великог жупана).