Croatian Identity

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Croatia (Hrvatska)

The first factual primary source, to mention the Croatian (Hrvat)[1] identity in the Balkans was that of Duke Branimir (Latin: "Branimiro comite dux cruatorum cogitavit" c. 880 AD). [2] Duke Branimir was a Slav from Dalmatia.

 
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The first evidence of the Croat name, dux/rex Croatorum, does not appear until the ninth century. The Charter of Duke Trpimir is indeed the oldest text that mentions the Croat name, dux Chroatorum but its authenticity is disputed for good reason. The earliest certain evidence is the title dux Cruatorum from duke Branimir's inscription (c. 880), so that before this date we cannot assume with certainty that the Croat identity existed at all. [3]
 

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A group of Slavic [4] tribes invaded and then settled in the Dalmatian Hinterland (Roman Dalmatia). Ducatus Croatiae was created in the late 9th century which evolved from Dalmatian Ducatus which at the time was part of the Carolingian Empire (Franks). Later it became a independent kingdom which was called the Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102 AD).

The new Kingdom of Croatia (Regnum Chroatorum) was ruled by Slavic nobility from the Dalmatian hinterland. The kingdom was named after the ruling class, which at the time ruled a medieval multi-ethnic state. The term Slav was first used by the Byzantines-Eastern Roman Empire (i.e. Procopius-Byzantine scholar, Jordanes- 6th century Roman bureaucrat) and was recorded in the 6th century (cia. 550) in Greek (Σκλαβῖνοι-Sklabenoi). Later in Latin, Sklabenoi was written Sclaveni.

Hrvat is a word of Sarmatian (Persian) origins. [5] In 1853 a Russian archaeologist Pavel Mikhailovich Leontjev discovered the Tanais Tablets. The Tanais Tablets mention three men: Horoúathos, Horoáthos, and Horóathos (Χορούαθ[ος], Χοροάθος, Χορόαθος). They are written in Greek and are from the 3rd century AD from the city of Tanais, today's Azov, Russia. At that time the region had a mixed Greek - Sarmatian population.

Tanais Tablet B containing the word Χοροάθος (Horoáthos).

From the information above one can conclude that we are dealing with contact between Slavic and Sarmatian tribes from late antiquity. From a modern day perspective the Sarmatian historical footprint is non existent. All traces of these people have disappeared other than Slavic terms surrounding the word or name Hrvat which translates to English as Croat. Radoslav Katicich a Croatian linguist (and a classical philologist, Indo-Europeanist, Slavist and Indologist) said that the names from the Tanais Tablet are personal and not national ones.[6] Furthermore it also could be said that these names are not related to any ethnic identity. Historically the term Croat became fully established as a constructed identity in the 19th century.

Recent DNA Studies

It is also very interesting to note that recent DNA studies have stated that more than three quarters of today's Croatian men are the descendants of Europeans who inhabited Europe 13 000-20 000 years ago.[7] From a DNA studies perspective, the peoples who were living in Roman Dalmatia (prior to the arrival of Slavic tribes) were genetically dominant and remain so to this day. The peoples who were living in Roman Dalmatia in that period predominately were of an Illyrian-Roman Latin population. [8]

Roman Dalmatia and the Old Kingdom

The Roman province of Dalmatia (pink colour) in the Western Roman Empire. 476 AD

Slavic tribes invaded the region of Roman Dalmatia in the early Middle Ages. Prior to the arrival of the Slavs, Roman Dalmatia was mainly inhabited by a Roman Latin-Illyrian population. Sections of the old Roman Dalmatian province became part of the Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102 AD).

Contemporary historian Danijel Dzino states that the 19 century theories of mass movements of people into the old Roman Province of Dalmatia are questionable. Modern Archaeological and Scholarly research seems to be saying that we are looking at much smaller groups of Slavs invading the region. According to historians Florin Curta and Danijel Dzino the term Slavs was first used by outside observers of the day (Greco-Roman) to describe the newcomers. The Slavs used the term to describe themselves at a later stage. Thus began the construct identity of the new arrivals. Later the Slavic peoples started to identify themselves and separated (or were separated by others) into different groups. There was also a good deal of interaction between the groups as shown by DNA studies.

The issue of dates is an interesting one. Historians from the 18th and 19th century place the settlement of the Slavs into the Western Balkans in the 7th century but the more modern research undertaken by scholars and archaeologists[9] cannot confirm this. The arrival and settlement of the Slavs in slightly larger groups by some has now been thought to be more in the region of the late 8th century or early 9th century.[10] The early sources must have reflected the raid activity of the Slavic tribes within Roman Dalmatia with minor settlement.

According to the Baska tablet from 1100 AD they spoke old Slavic Chakavian. Baska tablet-mp3 [11]

Baska tablet 1100 AD from Baska, on the island of Krk-Croatia.

Editor's Note

Duke Branimir from the 880s, spoke old Slavic Chakavian and was from the Dalmatian hinterland. Mr Branimir is, I believe the first Croatian or the first Southern Slav to describe himself as a Croatian (recorded as such and based on the current records that we have). In my opinion his tribe, who were the old Slavic Chakavian speakers, are the first Croatians (Hrvati or more accurately Hrovati).

The early medieval Western Balkans must have had multiple small Slavic ethnic tribes. It appears that their history has not been recorded accurately. From a Greco-Roman perspective they were all identified as Slavs. The Slavs found themselves living in a medieval multi-ethnic region and it was the most powerful chieftains (the main political players) who left a mark on history. The old language groups which have become diluted over time and are slowly becoming extinct (now referred to as dialects) may reflect the many Slavic tribes who invaded Roman Dalmatia.

Over a period of time in the middle ages we had new identities of Southern Slavs emerging. Among these were; Croatians, Narantani, Bulgarians, Serbs and others. It is important to stress that these dialects in early medieval time could have been seen as languages. Current dialect groups within modern Croatia are:

  • Chakavian dialect
  • Kajkavian dialect
  • Shtokavian dialect
Distribution of central South Slavic dialects before 16th century migrations.In blue Chakavian dialect witch could have gone further south before they intermixed.

The region south of the river Cetina has been sometimes historically referred to as Red Croatia, which would indicate Croatian influence was felt beyond the river Cetina. Historians F.Rački and V. Klaić think there might have been Croatians as far south as Kosovo.

 
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F. Rački and V. Klaić think these Croats may have operated not only along the coast but inland as far east as what is now Kosovo, intermixed with Serb or other Slavic tribes... [12]
 

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When the Serbian forces were annihilated in the Battle of Kosovo by the Ottoman Empire in 1389 very large groups of peoples started to migrate westward. The Ottomans caused huge instability in the area and actually managed to twice besiege Vienna. The Western Balkans from that period forward began to acquire new groups of people in its regions (i.e., new Croatians, Serbs, Albanians, Greeks, Turks & others), thus creating new ethnic mixes. I believe that due to these events the old Slavic tribal borders, what was left of them, changed forever during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

It is true that some of the origins of some of these words denoting southern slavic groups (i.e. Horvat, Sorb) can be traced further back in history. Some have wrongly associated the etymology of these words to proclaim ethnicities or national identities back deep into the past. To my understanding there is no real hard historic proof that these ethnic identities existed.


Language and Identity, Politics of Language Standardisation, Nationalistic and Communist Ideologies

The politics of language standardisation is the issue at heart when it comes to the telling of the story of Southern Slavic languages. In the 19th century, Slavic language standardisation entered into the mix.[13] This event had a huge influence on the region and its impact has to be fully examined. One question which can be asked.

Did the 19th century scholars and linguists do their research scientifically or were they seriously influenced by the politics of the 19th Century Pan Slavic movement?

(plus - is it continuing today?)

In this editors opinion, the answer is yes - they where very seriously influenced by the politics of the Pan-Slavic movement? The Pan slavic movement was heavily influenced by European Imperialism with an overriding attitude directed towards creating a unifying language for a state that negated the history of the various southern slavic language bases that where part of up the Western Balkans. With this in mind the linguist of the day created a construct Serbo-Croatian language with a Shtokavian base.

In 1918 a construct Serbo-Croatian language was introduced by government policy as the main language to be used within the created state of Yugoslavia (a mini version Pan-Slavic state). Before Yugoslavia was established the policy had already started to be implemented by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the west-end of the Balkans and it was also being implemented in the east, in the Kingdom of Serbia.

There appears to be a common misconception in the former Yugoslavian regions that if you are taught and you learn to speak the standardised Serbo-Croatian language that you have historical connections to a particular ethnic group. This is not necessarily factual as many other ethnic groups, with various ethnic backgrounds, were caught up in this system of standardisation. These people were being forced to speak a common standardised language (Serbo-Croatian[14]?). This does not accurately reflect the actual ancestry and ethnic history of the speaker (i.e is a Welshman a Englishman now that he can speak English?).

Another important question to ask is how far back does one go in proclaiming Croatian Identity and nationhood (or any other nationhood)? In the past the Yugoslav Communist party, Pan-Slavists and the Croatian Nationalistic movements have taken this to extremes. These extreme Pan-Slavic, Nationalistic and Communist ideologies, regarding language, ethnicity and history who are clinging to beliefs based on a false history of a single nationhood have created a great deal of pain, destruction and falsehoods.

For example does a seventh generation Australian with English background start saying in modern Australia that he is a Saxon and start a nationalistic movement to assert his beliefs upon others.

See also

Notes and References

Medieval Croatia - Croatian Dutcy (Map by Hxseek)
  1. ^ It is believed that Hrvat in medieval times was pronounced "Hrovat".
  2. ^ A History of the Croatian Language: by Milan Mogus (p.13)
  3. ^ Becoming Slav, Becoming Croat: New approaches in research of identities in post-Roman Illyricum by Danijel Dzino
  4. ^ Becoming Slav, Becoming Croat: Identity Transformations in Post-Roman and and Early Medieval Dalmatia by Danijel Dzino (p.195-p.196)
    • "... region ruled by the dukes Mislav, Domagoj, Zdeslav, and Branimir, to whom is referred in the sources to as principes or duces Sclavorum."
  5. ^ Note: The Sarmatian tribes have been referred to as being Persian in origin (modern: Iranian people).
  6. ^ Two Public Inscriptions from the Greek Colony of Tanais at the Mouth of the Don River on the Sea of Azov by Ante Skegro (p.17)
  7. ^ Vecernji.hr: Preživjeli ledeno doba: Hrvati su prastanovnici Europe (Vecernji.hr: Surviving an Ice Age: the Croats are descendants of prehistoric Europeans)
    • The article reports on the research work (12 years) of: prof. dr. Dragan Primorac, prof. dr. Pavle Rudan, prof. dr. Damir Marjanović, prof. dr. Peter Underhil and prof. dr. Richard Williams. Article released 14.06.2011
  8. ^ Note: Other peoples in the region were Liburnians, Greeks, Celts, Guduscani, Ostrogoths (the last two mentioned are Germanic tribes related to the Goths).
  9. ^ Becoming Slav, Becoming Croat: Identity Transformations in Post-Roman and Early Medieval Dalmatia by Danijel Dzino (p52).
  10. ^ Historians of this school of thought are D. Dzino, L.Margetic, Ancic, Rapanic and Sokol.
  11. ^ Note Baska tablet was translated in 1875, it's language is Old Slavic Croatian Chakavian with elements of liturgical Church Slavonic.
  12. ^ When Ethnicity Did not Matter in the Balkans: by John Van Antwerp Fine. (p62-p63) John V. A. Fine Jr
  13. ^ Other languages commonly used in the region included, Romance Dalmatian, Old Venetian, Hungarians (Magyars) and written Latin.
  14. ^ Language and Identity in the Balkans: Serbo-Croatian and Its Disintegration ... By Robert D. Greenberg

External Links

Coat of arms of Croatia (Hrvatska)



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