Directory:Korcula History 2

If we put aside political correctness, concerning Korcula's history

If we put aside political correctness, one could ask the question what happened to the Roman families when the Slavs invaded the island of Korčula? The Slavic tribes invaded the Dalmatian province of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).

Events

Events could have unfolded (and most probably did) which led to the Roman families of Korčula (Corcyra Nigra) being attacked and killed. The survivors could have fled from Korčula to Ragusa (Dubrovnik), then a place of refuge. Maybe some survived and remained on the island. Nikola Ostojic a 19 century Historian from Korčula (Blato) describes the actual invasion of the Neretljani Slavs in his book "Historical Compendium of the Island of Korcula" which was written in 1858. The old Roman cities of Dalmatia; Epidaurum, Narona and Salona which were then part of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire), were destroyed or just abandoned. This was due to the fact that the cities were not strategically set up for defence from constant invasions. According various sources the Avars participated in these events too. The Avars were a nomadic people from Eurasian who invaded the Balkans at the same time as the Slavs. In this historic period it is recorded that many of the churches on the island of Korčula were destroyed (then rebuilt at a later stage). The Ostrogoths (a Germanic tribe) also invaded Dalmatia in the 6th century. According to Nikola Ostojic, the Roman families survived. They spoke the Romance language - Dalmatian.

The new population probably settled in the centre of the island (near the village Cara) and they spoke old Chakavian-Croatian. The centre of the island had its strategic qualities which allowed protection on all sides from attack by sea. It also had fertile land which allowed cultivation. After the invasion of Slavic tribes, the region stabilised to a certain extent. The Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) and the Republic of Venice and others, started to exert a political influence over the region. These events have been recorded historically by both Empires in chronicles of the time.

Romanized Slavs

Dalmatians of Roman ancestry brought Mediterranean cultural to the Slavs. Christianity was one aspect of this. In essence Slavs on the island were Romanized. The 19th century theories concerning the identity of these early Slavs is flawed. The latest scholarly and archaeological research states that the Slavs of Southern Dalmatian were identified as neither Croatians or Serbs. They were called Slavs.This term was first used by the Byzantines and was written in the 6th century in Byzantine Greek. Then latter they also identified themselves as Croatians. There is archaeological evidence from 16 century where the Croatian identity was used. Stone writings in Zavalatica are dedicated to events from 889 AD. It describes a clash between the Slavic population and the Venetian army. Marinko Gjivoje wrote about the find in 1972. The stone writings use: Hrvat Dalmatinac in its writings. Hrvat means Croat in Croatian.

Later the Slavic peoples started to identify themselves and separated (or by others) into different groups. It seems that in Southern Dalmatia the Slavic identity lasted much longer. As centuries went by Dalmatian Slavs started to referer to themselves as just Dalmatians.

Signor Arneri stated: Historic quote taken from Researches on the Danube and the Adriatic: By Andrew Archibald Paton. Chapter 4. The Dalmatian Archipelago.p164 (1861)

“

These three pears you see on the wall," said he, "are the arms of my family. Perussich was the name, when, in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, my ancestors built this palace; so that, you see, I am Dalmatian. All the family, fathers, sons, and brothers, used to serve in the fleets of the Republic (Republic of Venice); but the hero of our race was Arneri Perussich, whose statue you see there, who fought, bled, and died at the Siege of Candia, whose memory was honoured by the Republic, and whose surviving family was liberally pensioned; so his name of our race. We became Arneri, and ceased to be Perussich (Here is a perfect example of Slavic family surname becoming later Venetian in character. According to Marinko Gjivoje, Perussich is Piruzović.)

”

Korcula Dialect

Korčula Dialect is a Croatian dialect from the island of Korčula in Croatia. According to the Croatian Anthropological Society in their Collegium Antropologicum (Volumes 15-16) the language base of the Korčula dialect is Chakavian Croatian (it is also intermixed with Shokavian). The dialect has remnants of the extinct Romance language, Dalmatian. The Dalmatian remnants within the dialect have been referred to as Corzulot. Additionally it has influences of Venetian:

• Defora in old Venetian means "from the outside".
• Regarding the Shokavian dialect (taken from-Land of 1000 Islands by Igor Rudan):

“

However, the clashes between the Ottoman Empire and Venetian Republic produced extensive migrations from the mainland areas, especially from today's Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the eastern parts of the islands of Brač, Hvar, Korčula, and Pag. The newcomers brought their gene pool and a variety of cultural specificities, including the “Shokavian” dialect of the Croatian language to the predominantly “Chakavian” area. The most extensive migrations to these islands occurred during the Cypriote (1571-1573), Candian (1645-1669), and Morean wars (1684-1699). The newcomers were given land and awarded special privileges “The Paštrović Privileges”.

”

The new arrivals to the island were predominately Slavic (Shtokavian) speakers. This must have put the Slavic speaks (Old Croatian Slavic - Chakavian + Slavic - Shtokavian) on the island in a majority. Interesting today some Croatians and Serbs share this dialect. Venetian was still Lingua franca on the island and must have replaced Latin as the official written language.

Korčula dialect and Venetian

Template:Col-break

• adio/goodbye - Venetian: adio
• afitat/rent - Venetian: afìt
• ala/come on - Venetian: ala
• aria/air - Venetian: aria
• arma/armed - Venetian: arma
• balun/football - Venetian: balón
• banak/bench - Venetian: banca
• baraka/shed or shack - Venetian: baràca
• barba/uncle - Venetian: barba
• barilo/ barrel - Venetian: barìla
• barka/type of local boat - Venetian: bàrca
• bareta/ cap, hat - Venetian: bareta
• bevanda/wine with water- Venetian: bevànda "watery wine"
• beštimat/swear - Venetian: bestiemàr
• bićerin/small glass - Venetian: bicér "glass"
• bira/beer-Venetian: bira
• biskot/cookies-biscot
• boca/bottle - Venetian:boca
• bonaca/the sea is dead calm - Venetian:bonàca
• bonbon/sweet - Venetian: bonbon
• botun/ botton - Venetian: boton
• bova/ bouy - Venetian: bova
• Brigela/ local nickname - Venetian: brighela (meaning joker)

Template:Col-break

• britva/ knife- Venetian: britolada
• bura/ northern wind - Venetian: bora
• burin/ light northern wind - Venetian: borin
• buža/ hole - Venetian: bus or buxa
• čorav/blind - Venetian: ciòro "blind person"
• Defora in old Venetian means "from the outside".
• karoca/ small carriage - Venetian: carosa (carriage)
• kartun/ cupboard - Venetian: carton
• kasa/ case - Venetian: casa
• katrida/ chair - Venetian: carega
• klapa/an a cappella form of music - Venetian:clapa "singing crowd"
• kužin/ cousin - Venetian:cuxìn
• Levant/ strong easterly wind - Venetian: Levantera
• Maragun/wood worker - Venetian: Marangòn
• mezo/in between - Venetian: mèzo "half"
• mudante/underwear - Venetian: mudande
• perun/fork - Venetian: pirón from Greek: pirouni
• pirula/ pill - Venetian: pirola
• pitar/ pot - Venetian: pitar (vas, jar)
• šiloko/local wind - Venetian: siròco
• šporko/dirty - Venetian: spórco
• šufit/ attic or loft - Venetian: sofìta

Template:Col-end (Referenced from: Venetian-English English-Venetian: When in Venice Do as the Venetians by Lodovico Pizzati)

Historic classifies of Korcula's political life in the following phases

• The indigenous population of Korčula were Mesolithic and Neolithic peoples. Archaeological evidence has been found at Jakas Cave near the village of Zrnovo and on the west end of the island (Vela Spila).
• The island was then settled by Illyrians. It is believed that the Illyrians arrived in the Balkans approximately 1000 BC.
• A Greek colony was founded on Korčula. Greek colonists from Corcyra (Corfu) formed a small colony on the island in the 4th century B.C. The Greeks named it "Black Corfu" after their homeland and the dense woods on the island.

Note: Lumbarda Psephisma is a stone inscription from the island of Korčula, in modern-day Croatia. It is believed that the psephism is from the 4th century B.C. The Greeks established a settlement on the basis of a prior agreement with the representatives of the local Illyrians who were Pil and his son Daz. According to the 2nd century AD literary work "Periegesis Hellados" it mentions a second Greek Cnidian colony on the island of Nigra Kerkyra (Korčula)

• The island became part of the Roman province of Illyricum. After the Illyrian Wars. Roman migration followed and Roman citizens arrived on the island. In 10 AD Illyricum was split into two provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. Korčula became part of the ancient Roman province of Dalmatia.
• In the 6th century it came under the Eastern Roman Empire-Byzantine (by then the Greek families would have been Romanized). The Illyrian population immediately after the Illyrian Wars suffered greatly under the Romans. A large portion of the Illyrians were executed and sold off to slavery.
• Migrations of the late 7th and 8th century, brought the Slavic peoples into the Dalmatian region. The Neretljani Slavs invaded the island and occupied it. The Old-Slavic term for Korčula for was Krkar.
• Conquered by the Republic of Venice under the management of the doge Pietro Orscolo from 999 to 1100.
• Held by the Genoese from 1100 to 1129.
• Recaptured by Popone Zorzi, from the Republic of Venice and ruled from 1129 to 1180, from 1252 to 1254, and from 1258 until 1357.
• Statute of Korčula was drafted in 1214.

Note:The Statute itself was probably written by Latin (Roman) & Slavic Nobility. Below is a Historic quote taken from When Ethnicity Did not Matter in the Balkans by John Van Antwerp Fine:"In 1262 the Venetian praised the Slavs and Latins on the island of Korcula for submitting to the prince Venice had sent."

• Possessed on behalf of the king of Hungary from 1257 and with brief interruptions of the Genoese until 1418.
• Korčula was devastated by the plague in 1558.
• Devoting itself of its own accord to the Republic of Venice in 1420, and held by it with exemption from any tax until 1797.
• Surrendered with the Republic of Venice to France in 1797.
• Taken and held by the Russians for a year in 1808.
• Taken from the French by the English and guarded for themselves from 1813 to 1815.
• Occupied by Austria, first by obligation from 1797 to 1806, later by Vienna Treaty from 1815 to 1918.
• Under the Treaty of Rapallo (Nov. 12, 1920 between Italy and Yugoslavia), Korčula became part of Yugoslavia. It was interpreted back then as the formation of the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia & Slovenia.

Additional:

• Venetian & Ragusan (Dubrovnik) families.
• Second Slavic (Croatian) migration in 17th & 18th century.

In this editors opinion Korčula was originally a Roman town. It latter became a dual Latin (Roman)-Slavic town in the middle ages. With the arrival of Venitians in the 15th century it continued evolve as such until the end of the Republic itself in 1797. Today we have surnames on the island that are not of Slavic origin, for example:

• Izmaeli - originally de Ismael
• Gabrijeliċ - originally Gabriel
• Đunio - originally de Giunio

In 1918 Korcula was part of Dalmatia (Austro-Hungarian Empire)

In 1918 Korčula (then called Curzola) was part of Dalmatia. Dalmatia was a province in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was already more than a century old. Dalmatia itself as a region, dates back to the Roman Empire which was well before the Slavic invasions of the 7th and 8th century. According to the Austrian censuses it was predominately made up of Croatians and Italians (and other minorities). With the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Serbia started occupying the region (Italy did the same). This was part of the Treaty of Rapallo. It was interpreted back then as the formation of the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia & Slovenia.

The new kingdom had the support of Great Britain and France, who were the superpowers of the day. In retrospect this was a tragic move, one that the United States was against. The effects of this political stupidity are still felt today. It is interesting how this newly created state “Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia & Slovenia”, which later became better know as the ill fated Yugoslavia, was given a lot of support over the succeeding decades. This part of European history surely needs more academic attention.

Former Yugoslavia-History

The region of the former Yugoslavia-West Balkans has problems with interpreting multicultural and multiethnic history (& societies). The statement below comes from a book called Dalmatia (History, Culture, Art Heritage) written by Antun Travirka.

“

By the 14th century the city had become wholly Croatian

”

The book itself is primarily for the tourist market and is easily available in several languages. This quote is on page 137 and it’s referring to the Republic of Ragusa. The old Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) is now within the borders of the modern Croatia. This monolithic description is an outright lie and it’s a form of culture genocide. Additionally the book did not even mention Ragusa the name at all, which was used for more than a millennium.The peoples of Ragusa were a nation in their own right; the Republic was also made up of many ethnic nationalities. The Republic was a Maritime nation that traded all over the Mediterranean and even had trade with the Americas. Additionally it was in competition with Venice itself.

Concerning the former Yugoslavia (which Croatian was part of) the Cold War era played a major role in this style of historical documentation of the region’s history. Yugoslav Communist history is now dogma in Croatia. Many of today’s Croatians live with this dogma as their reality even though the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The Communist Party of Yugoslavia had a profound effect on the region. So much so that it’s created today’s political and cultural scene.

• Quote by contemporary historian Danijel Dzino:

“

Medieval studies in Croatia and in most of the former Yugoslav space were firmly rooted in political history and suffered from isolationism and lack of interest in foreign scholarship. In the communist era, especially after the 1960s, Marxist ideology and national and Yugoslav political-ideological frameworks strongly impacted on the research into medieval history in Croatia

”

• Quote from European Public Hearing on “Crimes Committed by Totalitarian Regimes":

“

Mystifying the crimes of the occupiers, Titoism covered its own crimes. The taboo to hide the crimes of Titoism was meant to conceal the War-time and post-War murders of civilians and prisoners of war without trials. Their graves were levelled and in Slovenia it was forbidden to talk about their fate. Repressive organs controlled the burials sites and the living were strictly forbidden to mention the victims or the graves. The so-called system of preserving and developing revolutionary heritage was used by the Communist Party to implement a monopoly on the truth.

”

Note: Communist Yugoslavia executed Historian - Kerubin Segvic. He was executed mainly for proposing a different historic model than that of Yugoslav regime state policies of Croatians arriving in the Western Balkans.

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References

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