Croatian History

Los Seviri Augustales de Narona

by Isabel Rodà de Llanza

published in 'Mélanges Emilio Marin, Zbornik Kacic (Acta provinciae ss. Redemptoris ordinis fratrum minorum in Croatia)', XLI-XLIII, Zagreb, 2011, 189-209.

Se recogen aquí las 40 inscripciones alusivas a los seviros procedentes de la colonia de Narona y su territorio.... more Se recogen aquí las 40 inscripciones alusivas a los seviros procedentes de la colonia de Narona y su territorio. Narona fue sin duda una ciudad con una sociedad abierta en la que los libertos jugaban un papel primordial, promocionándose a través del culto inperial con el desempeño del sevirato, en muchas ocasiones asociado al magistrado mercurial, según han venido desarrolándose tradicionalmente las siglas MM con las que se menciona el cargo. Normalmente la secuencia sevir y MM se da en las inscripciones públicas y por lo general el título de sevir no es seguido por la especificación augustal. Muy elocuente resulta la onomástica de los personajes, de claro trasfondo itálico en buena parte de los casos y un ámplio porcentaje de los cognomina latinos.

Bishop on bishop: Critical review of the Fosco's analysis and transcript of the will made by Ivan Tomko Mrnavić / Biskup o biskupu: Kritika Foscove analize i transkripcije oporuke Ivana Tomka Mrnavića

by Iva Kurelac

Co-authored with Tamara Tvrtkovic, PhD, published in Historical Journal, vol. 64, no. 1, 2011, pp. 29-46.

The research is founded on the work of Bishop of Šibenik Giuseppe Antonio Fosco, "Vita di Giovanni Tonco... more The research is founded on the work of Bishop of Šibenik Giuseppe Antonio Fosco, "Vita di Giovanni Tonco Marnavić", published in 1890 in Šibenik. Fosco used a 1639 copy of Mrnavić's will made by notary from Šibenik Mihovil Parčić, now kept in the Zadar State Archives (collection: Notary Archives of Šibenik). Due to Fosco's inadequate knowledge of Latin, this paper offers a comprehensive and detailed analysis of all legatees and properties based on the copy of Mrnavić's will held in the State Archives in Zadar, as well as a more correct and contemporary transcript of the will, including notes and linguistic analysis of Fosco's transcript. The paper analyzes Mrnavić's will according to the most significant categories of legatees, and those are family, clergy and religious orders, religious institutions and charity institutions.

Key words: Ivan Tomko Mrnavić, Antonio Giuseppe Fosco, will, Zagreb, Zagreb Diocese, Šibenik, church history, Early Modern period

Newer data on the historian Dominic Zavorović, his family and in-laws / Novija saznanja o povjesničaru Dinku Zavoroviću, njegovoj obitelji i svojti

by Iva Kurelac

Published in Papers and Proceedings of the Department of Historical Research of the Institute of Historical and Social Research of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, vol. 25, 2008, pp. 183-202.

In the article are presented new data on the historian and humanist of Šibenik Dominic (Dinko) Zavorović, his family... more In the article are presented new data on the historian and humanist of Šibenik Dominic (Dinko) Zavorović, his family and in-laws, found by research into archival sources from the archival series Šibenski notarski arhiv (the Notarial Archive of Šibenik) and Šibenski općinski arhiv (the Communal Archive of Šibenik) of the State Archive of Zadar and by means of the analysis of a certain number of documents from the Diocesan Archive of Šibenik. The introductory part of the work briefly analyses the former results of Croatian historiography on that subject and it is established that some crucial data on the Zavorovići, several times presented in scholarly literature, are in fact incorrect and incomplete. The purpose of this article is, among other things, to correct such matters. The methods and goals of research into archival sources, encompassing a period of approximately ninety years, are focused on the person of Dominic Zavorović and some other members of his family. After the results are presented, the relevant parts of the notarial documents are transcribed in their Latin original form. The most important corrections found in the archival sources refer to the issue of origin of Zavorović’s mother, but also to his relationship to the Vrančići. Given as appendices to the article there are the genealogical scheme centred on Dominic Zavorović, the transcript of the marital contract of Dominic Zavorović and Claire Vrančić, the transcript of a charter containing data on the ancestry of the Zavorovići and the list of archival boxes from the archival series Šibenski notarski arhiv of the State Archive of Zadar researched up to now.
 
Keywords
historiography; humanism; Dalmatia; Šibenik; Dinko Zavorović; the Zavorovići family

The Illyrica Historia of Faustus Vrančić / Illyrica Historia Fausta Vrančića

by Iva Kurelac

Published in Papers and Proceedings of the Department of Historical Research of the Institute of Historical and Social Research of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, vol. 22, 2005, pp. 173-187.

Besides numerous significant works concerning the fields of both natural and humanistic disciplines written by the... more Besides numerous significant works concerning the fields of both natural and humanistic disciplines written by the famous Renaissance scholar Faustus Vrančić, there is also a less well-known manuscript, Illyrica historia, fragmenta ex variis Historicis, cum Latinis, tum Graecis, hinc inde collecta a Fausto Verancio Siceno, Episcopo Chanadiensi. This article deals with precisely that unfinished compilation of fragments from the works of Greek and Roman authors. A detailed analysis of quotations included in this manuscript shows Vrančić’s good knowledge of the Greek and Roman literary corpus, and places him among the supremely learned persons of his times. The Illyrica historia presents Faustus Vrančić as an versatile Renaissance scholar and thinker. This work of his fully meets the criteria of quality of the contemporary historiography of his age, but today does not have a great scholarly value. However, the sources quoted in this compilation of fragments testify not only to the level of preservation and accessibility of particular works, but also to the interest of Vrančić himself, who by this work represented himself as a versatile Renaissance scholar. Besides the all mention above, this manuscript is valuable also because it contains quotations from some today less well-known and less often used works.
 
Keywords
historiography, Dalmatia, Šibenik, cultural history, humanism

Raritates typographicae quae in Bibliotheca Academiae scientiarum et artium Croaticae asservantur: Catalogus incunabulorum et librorum saeculo XVI typis impressorum / Rijetkosti u Knjižnici Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti: Katalog inkunabula i knjiga 16. stoljeća, sv. 10, ur. Anica Nazor, sastavila i bilješkama popratila Tamara Runjak, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, Zagreb, 2011.

by Iva Kurelac

Book review published in Papers and Proceedings of the Department of Historical Research of the Institute of Historical and Social Research of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, vol. 29, 2011, pp. 406-409.

Henry VIII - the king who made the father of Croatian literature popular in England / Henrik VIII. - kralj zbog kojega su Englezi počeli obožavati oca hrvatske književnosti

by Iva Kurelac

A popular science article, published in Hrvatska revija: časopis Matice hrvatske, vol. XI., no. 2, Zagreb, 2011, pp. 68-75.

Four century long search for the truth: Dinko Zavorović a humanist and historan from Šibenik - the first Dalmatian historan / Potraga za istinom duga četiri stoljeća: šibenski humanistički pisac Dinko Zavorović - prvi povjesnik Dalmacije

by Iva Kurelac

A popular science article, published in Hrvatska revija: časopis Matice hrvatske, vol. XI, no. 1, Zagreb, 2011, pp. 100-105.

The nature of Jewish identity in Croatian Lands during the long nineteenth century

by Michal Brandl

A Man and His Environment, on the Border between Habsburg and Ottoman Empires; Podravina (the River Drava Valley) at Crossroads with Multiple Borders in Early Modern Period

by Hrvoje Petric

Published in Journal Podravina.Vol.4, No. 7, 2005.

This paper shows an interrelation between man and his environment, on the Habsburg-Ottoman imperial borders in early... more This paper shows an interrelation between man and his environment, on the Habsburg-Ottoman imperial borders in early modern period. As an example, we researched borderline areas alongside Drava River on the Habsburg Monarchy side of the border. This region is primarily the river Drava valley, the term ‘Podravina’, ‘Podravina multiborder area’ (region alongside Drava) was chosen. The center of this region is area surrounding the free royal town of Koprivnica, being the Military Frontier stronghold and administrative seat at the same time. This »case stud«y is an example of a man and his environment in border territory oin early modern period. Chronology data focus on 16th and 17th century, when this area was a frontier to both the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires. The paper focuses on borderline character, which influenced both man and his environment.

US Foreign policy blunders in Yugoslavia

by Nemanja Sukalo

A paper that looks into the complicated relationship between Belgrade and Washington DC.
The paper also takes a closer look at how the US-Serbian relations have a direct direct impact on the relationship between Belgrade and Brussels.
Unfortunately the limit was 9,000 words so I had to leave a lot of information out of the paper.

Fluvial-Aeolian Sands in Croatia. Environmental History Case Study: Djurdjevac Sands (Đurđevački Pijesci)

by Hrvoje Petric

environmental history; Croatian history; early modern history

This paper deals with sand dunes area of fluvial and aeolian origins in South-East Europe, the northwest of... more
This paper deals with sand dunes area of fluvial and aeolian origins in South-East Europe, the northwest of Croatia, nearby the small town of Djurdjevac, due northeast of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, close to the Hungarian state border. These sands cover an area of approximately 1000km2 owing to combined effects of fluvial and aeolian processes during the Quaternary Period. Based on research of aeolian sheet sands on a greater region of Pannonian Valley, we can establish three stages of fluvial and aeolian formation of sand accumulation in Croatia: Stage1: approx. twenty thousand years ago (Würm glacial, the last Ice Age); stage2: Older Holocene; stage3: triggered by man and prolonged well into the Early Modern Period. This paper will deal with this third stage. Based on contemporary level of research, medieval archives do not provide any notice of «open» sands in this area; they might have been covered by humus before the Middle Ages. Under the influence of man, in the Early Modern Period (17th and 18th centuries) connective stems of plants (roots) gradually disappeared. There was aeolian erosion, so the sands reappeared on the surface. This brought up the issue of viable, sustainable development or rather, unsustainable one: is reappearance of Croatian sands (that previously had been under the humus layers) an example of disturbed ecosystem? As we consider the previous ‘coexistence’ of local population here with the sands, it’s logical to assume that early medieval ‘reappearance’ of sand dunes wasn’t just due to anthropogenous factor, but also to climate changes as well? The author leaves a door open to assumptions, that anthropogenous factors here, in the manner that change in economies (and/or new techniques and agrarian methods, as well as introduction of new plants) here influenced creation of «bare» sands, its resurface and move. It took great efforts to reattach these «bare» sands; the efforts put in motion since the late 19th century onwards. The plants that were introduced in the sand zone were quickly adjusting to the new terrain and life on sands. These plants enabled creation of humus substrate in the soil here. Slowly the new fertile lands appeared on the layers of sand, which in the 20th century grew with forest and grass vegetation and various agricultural crops; the sands here were covered various flora and fauna, quite atypical for other regions of Croatia. It’s important to notice how stopping of aeolian sheet layers, that had begun in the 19th century, is now revived and undergoing process until present day, by planting pine trees and spreading pine forests.

Non-ethnic Origins of Ethnofederal Institutions: The Case of Yugoslavia

by Karlo Basta

MEDICINE ON CROATIAN POSTAGE STAMPS FROM 1991 TO 2008

by Igor Salopek

HILLS OF KALNIK IN EARLY MODERN AGE: CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

by Hrvoje Petric

This paper brings an overview of Mt. Kalnik (in Croatia) natural and geographical characteristics, with an attempt to... more This paper brings an overview of Mt. Kalnik (in Croatia) natural and geographical characteristics, with an attempt to reconstruct what it was like in the early Modern Age, with further anthropization processes of Kalnik. The paper tries to define models of environmental history research in peri-Pannonian hills in the Early Modern Age, shown on a study case of Kalnik hills. This paper explores the hills of Kalnik, to the limited extent permitting (16th to 18th century documents) of the early Modern Age, focused on environmental history approach.

Fire and Urban Environment in Early Modern Cities and Towns of Croatian and Slavonnian Kingdom (Varaždin, Križevci, Koprivnica, Zagreb)

by Hrvoje Petric

During the Early Modern Times, the most populated cities of Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonnia were the ones with royal... more During the Early Modern Times, the most populated cities of Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonnia were the ones with royal privileges and the title of a free royal borough: Zagreb, Varaždin, Križevci and Koprivnica. These cities were densely populated within their urban cores, surrounded by city walls. Public and privately-owned buildings were mostly built of mud and wood, with straw roofs. Those building materials were highly flammable, catching up fire quickly. From the mid-Sixteenth century onwards, Koprivnica was a walled-in city, surrounded by bulwark, a fortress defending the border between the two empires: The Ottoman and the imperial Hapsburg. In 1559, Koprivnica was ravaged by fire, deliberately set off by a refugee from the Ottoman Empire; this had a great damaging effect on the population, who fled destroyed city; Koprivnica lost its central functions and suffered economic decline.In 1736, another great fire struck, destroying most of the houses in the centre and neighboring rural suburbs. Cities and towns mostly suffered from ravaging fires every 30 or so years. For example, Zagreb had great fires in 1624, 1645, 1674, 1706, 1731 and 1786. The biggest fire in Zagreb erupted in 1645, caused by a drunken student. The spreading of fire was greatly helped by high winds. Citizens and rural population from neighboring villages were robbed of their food, so the town authorities organized help in food and later on encouraged the use of bricks for building of homes and public buildings. However, this process lasted for decades. This also affected spatial dispersion of population and building of new streets with canals, providing water for fire extinguishing. Due to new building style, cities established brickyards, for manufacture of bricks and roofing tiles. In order to have some fire alert system, cities hired night watchmen, as early as the Seventeen century. The night watch servicemen were individuals, who would walk the streets at night and watch over possible sparks or fire. Cities also had numerous draw wells, providing water to extinguish fires. The Croatian government at the time (known as Croatian Royal Council) in 1771 decreed that all orders on fire be publicly read aloud at artisan guilds' meetings; guild members were obliged to take action in case of fires, providing active support and help. The Croatian Royal Council decreed that houses be built of bricks; also, the order specifically mentioned that chimneys be above rooftops. In 1776, the city of Varaždin, the capital city in the second half of Eighteenth century, was destroyed by great fire, caused by a boy smoking tobacco. The fire spread on by gunpowder explosion in the house of a merchant. The consequence was devastating - 62% city houses and half the houses in suburbs were burned down to the ground. After this great fire, the Croatian Royal Council moved the capital to the city of Zagreb, which has been the capital city ever since. Varaždin was decreed to build houses of bricks exclusively, which reduced the danger of having new fires. From the second half of Nineteenth century, there were firefighting volunteers brigades all over Croatia and Slavonnia (the very first one established in Varaždin in 1864).

DRAVA RIVER FLOODING IN VARAŽDIN AND KOPRIVNICA

by Hrvoje Petric

Co-authored with Ivan Obadić.

In this paper, the authors speak of Drava River flooding in the area of Varaždin's and Koprivnica's Podravina during... more In this paper, the authors speak of Drava River flooding in the area of Varaždin's and Koprivnica's Podravina during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, placing this micro region into a wider, Central European context. The first detailed plans for Drava regulation are brought up, originally dating back to late 18th century. Regulations were needed to keep the local population safe from relatively frequent flooding, which brought significant danger. Drava water regulation was so important, as flooding brought harsh consequences. For example, 19th century flooding affected the population so some people, living in areas along Drava, were forced to move across the river to vicinity of today's village of Gola. Additionally, flooding had impact on administrative changes, so 1829/1830 flooding cased the village of Drnje to lose a number of administration functions, which were moved to the nearby village of Peteranec, safely away from river flooding.

When Seve Met Bregović: Folklore, Turbofolk and the Boundaries of Croatian Musical Identity

by Catherine Baker

Nationalities Papers 36:4 (2008): 741-64

Popular Music and Political Change in Post-Tuđman Croatia: 'It's All the Same, Only He's Not Here'?

by Catherine Baker

Europe-Asia Studies 62:10 (2010): 1741-59

'Death to fascism isn't in the catechism': legacies of socialism in Croatian popular music after the fall of Yugoslavia

by Catherine Baker

Narodna umjetnost 47:1 (2010): 163-83

This paper discusses both textual and structural legacies of socialism in Croatian popular music since the collapse of... more This paper discusses both textual and structural legacies of socialism in Croatian popular music since the collapse of socialism and Yugoslavia. Yugoslav socialism struggled to reconcile socialist consciousness and capitalist consumerism, forcing the producers of popular culture to make sense of the political field that surrounded them and put ideology into practice. The structural conditions of cultural produc- tion under socialism, the use of socialist iconography and memory as resources in post-socialist popular music and the negation of the socialist experience by patriotic musicians reflect three layers of socialist legacy in contemporary Croatian popular culture.

Asinius Pollio in Dalmatia: What happened in Salona 39 BC?

by Danijel Dzino

Klio: Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte 93/1 (2011), 158-166.

This paper re-examines the sources reporting on the campaigns of Asinius Pollio in 40/39 BC, and reviews the scholarly... more This paper re-examines the sources reporting on the campaigns of Asinius Pollio in 40/39 BC, and reviews the scholarly debate about the targets and aims of his campaigns. In the debate a new source is introduced, the passage on Pollio’s conquest of Salona, from the medieval Historia Salonitana of Thomas the Archdeacon of Spalatum (Split). The analysis shows that the passage from Thomas does not correspond with any known source and it suggests that he used a more substantial report on the siege and capture of Salona, probably from the textual tradition of the Vergilian scholia, which sprung from the lost commentary of Aelius Donatus. The existence of this textual tradition about Pollio’s campaign in central Dalmatia in the Vergilian scholia and the epitomes of Florus, in conjunction with Horace’s mention of Pollio’s Dalmatian triumph, makes it more certain that Pollio campaigned in central Dalmatia.