After his mother's death, around 1046, Mihailo, the son of Prince Vojislav is proclaimed the lord (prince) of Duklja. He ruled for about 35 years, first as a prince, and then as a king. During his reign, the state continued to rise (the Byzantine emperor concluded a treaty of alliance and friendship with Duklja). During the reign of Michael, there was a church split in 1054, East-West Schism. This event took place ten years after the independence of Duklja, and the border line of the two Christian churches crossed the territory occupied by today's Montenegro. This border from 1054 followed the same imaginary line as in 395, when the Roman Empire split into East and West. After the schism of the Christian church, Prince Mihailo supported the greater independence of the Church in Zeta and the state's orientation towards the West. In 1077, Mihailo received the royal insignia (rex Sclavorum) from Pope Gregory VII, which also recognized Duklja as a kingdom. This event is depicted in the later era, during the reign of Nemanjić.

As the future heir of King Mihail, Bodin played a significant role in the uprisings against Byzantium in the Balkans, so during his reign, the influence and territorial area of ​​Duklja expanded to neighboring countries: Raška, Bosnia and Bulgaria. Namely, towards the end of the reign of King Michael, major changes in the balance of power on the Balkan Peninsula took place after 1071, the year of Byzantium's defeat at the Battle of Manzikert, as well as of the Norman conquest of southern Italy. King Mihailo was mentioned for the last time in 1081.