Vlastimir's intent to connect to the ruling house of Travunia shows, in context, that his reputation among the neighbouring Serbian "archontes" and "župani" was on the rise, as well as the political importance and military strength of Serbia. It is possible that, prior to Vlastimir's reign, the Travunian "župan" sought to free himself from Serbia's influence, but that Vlastimir found the solution in the political marriage of his daughter to Krajina. The elevation of Krajina's title (which meant the practical independence of Travunia) strongly suggests that Vlastimir was a Christian ruler who understood very well the monarchal ideology that developed in the early Middle Ages. There is a possibility that the marriage took place before the conflict with the Bulgars, which makes another theory likely: that the Bulgars reacted to Vlastimir's rising political position, particularly given that he had the right to confirm rulers in the neighbouring Serbian principalities with Byzantine sanction. Although Vlastimir's elevations of titles were merely symbolic, rather than a reflection of administrative-political relations, it does show that he had the right to act this way, which undoubtedly puts him at the head of all Serbian "archontes"—"viz.", the leading ruler among the Serbian principalities.