Franjo Racki
Encyclopedia
Franjo Rački was a Croatia
n historian
, politician
and writer
. He compiled important collections of old Croatian diplomatic and historical documents, wrote some pioneering historical works, and was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts
.
, near Rijeka
. He completed his secondary education in Senj
and Varaždin
. He graduated theology
in Senj, where he was ordained Catholic
priest by the bishop
Ožegović in 1852. Rački received his PhD in theology in Vienna
in 1855.
His career as a historian began as soon as he started working as a teacher in Senj. An industrious man, full of patriotic fervor, Rački organized the research of Glagolitic documents on the islands of Kvarner. He often went to the village of Baška
on Krk
, the location of the famous Baška Tablet
. After analyzing the tablet for a long time, he published Viek i djelovanje sv. Cirilla i Methoda slavjamkih apošlolov (The Age and Activities of Saints Cyril
and Methodius, the Apostles among the Slavs).
He was moved from Senj to Rome
in 1857. There he worked in the Croatian Institute of St Jerome for three years, in difficult circumstances. He went around Roman archives in search of documents on Croatian history. He also attended courses in paleography and related historical sciences.
In Rome he found many documents on Bogomils
, collected by the Catholic Church during the medieval
struggle against that heresy
. Fifteen years later, Rački would publish Bogomili i Patareni (Bogomils
and Pataria
(or rather Catharism)). It was a milestone in the research on the Bosnian Church
. In the book, Rački founded the "Bogomil hypothesis
", saying that the Bosnian Church was influenced by the dualist
heretic teachings from Bulgaria
, originating in the 9th century. As it was very controversial and intriguing, that theory dominated the research for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, but its general premises have been mostly refuted.
Although Rački is more important as a promoter of culture than as a historian, his original historical works are important for their pioneering nature and wealth of information. Aside from the mentioned Bogomili i patareni, he wrote Povjesnik Ivan Lučić (The Historian Joannes Lucius), Nutarnje stanje Hrvatske prije XII. stoljeća (The Internal Organization of Croatia Before the 12th Century), Stari grb bosanski (The Old Bosnian Coat of Arms), Povelje bosanskog kralja Tvrtka (Documents of the Bosnian king Tvrtko
). The pinnacle of his scientific work is the monumental Documenta historiae Croaticae periodum antiaquam illustrantia.
He started Književnik, the first Croatian scientific magazine for history and linguistics, and Obzor and Vijenac
, very influential magazines for culture and politics. He was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts
and greatly contributed to the expansion of the University of Zagreb
. Rački founded most editions of the Academy, which are published even today: Rad, Starine, and the Codex diplomaticus Regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, an exceptional monument of legal history. He founded the Academy library, archive and dictionary. His activities determined the work of the Academy for several decades, especially in its cultural and social aspects.
, Rački was the only peasant's child in the parliament.
Rački was a prolific political writer. He wrote about all the important Croatia-related topics and issues of his time. He promoted the merging of Dalmatia
with Croatia ruled by the ban
, he wrote discussions about the Croatian nature of Srijem and Rijeka
, but he spent most energy on analyzing the relationships between Croatia and Hungary
, fighting against the Hungarian expansionism. Along with the bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer
, Rački was a partisan of the idea of Yugoslavia
. They both promoted the cultural and political unity of the South Slavs
.
He died in Zagreb
.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He compiled important collections of old Croatian diplomatic and historical documents, wrote some pioneering historical works, and was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the national academy of Croatia. It was founded in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , and was known by that name for most of its existence.- History :...
.
Historian
Rački was born in FužineFužine
Fužine is a village and a municipality in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia.-Demographics:The total population of Fužine is 1,595, in the following settlements:* Belo Selo, population 52* Benkovac Fužinski, population 33...
, near Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
. He completed his secondary education in Senj
Senj
Senj , German Zengg, Hungarian Zeng and Italian Segna) is the oldest town on the upper Adriatic, and it was founded in the time before the Romans some 3000 years ago on the hill Kuk. It was the center of the Illyrian tribe Iapydes. The current settlement is situated at the foot of the slopes Mala...
and Varaždin
Varaždin
Varaždin is a city in north Croatia, north of Zagreb on the highway A4. The total population is 47,055, with 38,746 on of the city settlement itself . The centre of Varaždin county is located near the Drava river, at...
. He graduated theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
in Senj, where he was ordained Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
priest by the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Ožegović in 1852. Rački received his PhD in theology in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1855.
His career as a historian began as soon as he started working as a teacher in Senj. An industrious man, full of patriotic fervor, Rački organized the research of Glagolitic documents on the islands of Kvarner. He often went to the village of Baška
Baška
At only a few hours distance from the centres of European major cities, lies Baška , a hidden gem of the Croatian Adriatic. This cultural and historical centre famous for its inscribed stone monument from 1100 and a hundred year tradition in tourism, has developed into a popular resort for a great...
on Krk
Krk
Krk is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
, the location of the famous Baška Tablet
Baška tablet
Baška tablet is one of the first monuments containing an inscription in the Croatian language, dating from the year 1100.The tablet was discovered by scholars in 1851 in the paving of the Romanesque church of St. Lucy in Jurandvor, near Baška, on the island of Krk...
. After analyzing the tablet for a long time, he published Viek i djelovanje sv. Cirilla i Methoda slavjamkih apošlolov (The Age and Activities of Saints Cyril
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
and Methodius, the Apostles among the Slavs).
He was moved from Senj to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1857. There he worked in the Croatian Institute of St Jerome for three years, in difficult circumstances. He went around Roman archives in search of documents on Croatian history. He also attended courses in paleography and related historical sciences.
In Rome he found many documents on Bogomils
Bogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
, collected by the Catholic Church during the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
struggle against that heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. Fifteen years later, Rački would publish Bogomili i Patareni (Bogomils
Bogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
and Pataria
Pataria
The pataria was an eleventh-century religious movement in the Archdiocese of Milan in northern Italy, aimed at reforming the clergy and ecclesiastic government in the province and supportive of Papal sanctions against simony and clerical marriage...
(or rather Catharism)). It was a milestone in the research on the Bosnian Church
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
. In the book, Rački founded the "Bogomil hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
", saying that the Bosnian Church was influenced by the dualist
Dualism
Dualism denotes a state of two parts. The term 'dualism' was originally coined to denote co-eternal binary opposition, a meaning that is preserved in metaphysical and philosophical duality discourse but has been diluted in general or common usages. Dualism can refer to moral dualism, Dualism (from...
heretic teachings from Bulgaria
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
, originating in the 9th century. As it was very controversial and intriguing, that theory dominated the research for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, but its general premises have been mostly refuted.
Although Rački is more important as a promoter of culture than as a historian, his original historical works are important for their pioneering nature and wealth of information. Aside from the mentioned Bogomili i patareni, he wrote Povjesnik Ivan Lučić (The Historian Joannes Lucius), Nutarnje stanje Hrvatske prije XII. stoljeća (The Internal Organization of Croatia Before the 12th Century), Stari grb bosanski (The Old Bosnian Coat of Arms), Povelje bosanskog kralja Tvrtka (Documents of the Bosnian king Tvrtko
Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Stjepan Tvrtko I was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King....
). The pinnacle of his scientific work is the monumental Documenta historiae Croaticae periodum antiaquam illustrantia.
The Academy
Vijenac
Vijenac is a biweekly magazine for literature, art and science, established in December 1993 and published by Matica hrvatska, the central national cultural institution in Croatia.-Historical background:...
, very influential magazines for culture and politics. He was a key founder of the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the national academy of Croatia. It was founded in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , and was known by that name for most of its existence.- History :...
and greatly contributed to the expansion of the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
. Rački founded most editions of the Academy, which are published even today: Rad, Starine, and the Codex diplomaticus Regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae, an exceptional monument of legal history. He founded the Academy library, archive and dictionary. His activities determined the work of the Academy for several decades, especially in its cultural and social aspects.
Politician
In 1861, as the church representative from Senj, he became a member of the Croatian Parliament, convened after a pause of 12 years. Along with Ante StarčevićAnte Starcevic
Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
, Rački was the only peasant's child in the parliament.
Rački was a prolific political writer. He wrote about all the important Croatia-related topics and issues of his time. He promoted the merging of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
with Croatia ruled by the ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
, he wrote discussions about the Croatian nature of Srijem and Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, but he spent most energy on analyzing the relationships between Croatia and Hungary
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen
The historical term Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen was used to denote a group of territories connected to the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary...
, fighting against the Hungarian expansionism. Along with the bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a Croatian politician, Roman Catholic bishop and benefactor.-Early life and rise as a cleric:...
, Rački was a partisan of the idea of Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. They both promoted the cultural and political unity of the South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
.
He died in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.