Free State of Fiume
Encyclopedia
The Free State of Fiume was an independent free state
which existed between 1920 and 1924. Its territory of 28 km² (10.8 sq mi) comprised the city of Fiume (known as Rijeka
since the end of World War II, and now in Croatia
) and rural areas to its north, with a corridor to its west connecting it to Italy.
gained autonomy for the first time in 1719 when it was proclaimed a free port of the Holy Roman Empire
in a decree issued by the Emperor Charles VI
. In 1776, during the reign of the Empress Maria Theresa
, the city was transferred to the Kingdom of Hungary and in 1779 gained the status of Corpus separatum
within that Kingdom. From then until 1924 Fiume existed for practical purposes as an autonomous entity with elements of statehood.
The city briefly lost its autonomy in 1848 after being occupied by the Croatian ban
(viceroy) Josip Jelačić
, but regained it in 1868 when it rejoined the Kingdom of Hungary
, again as a corpus separatum.
In the 19th century the city was populated by Croats
, Italians, Hungarians, and other nationalities. National affiliation changed from census to census, as at that time nationality was mostly defined by the language a person spoke. The special status of the city, being placed between different states, created a local identity among the majority of the population. The official languages in use were Italian
, Hungarian
, and German
, most business correspondence was carried out in Italian
, while most families spoke a local dialect, a blend of Venetian
with a few words of Croatian. In the countryside outside the city, the Croatian Chakavian dialect
was spoken.
After the First World War
and the demise of Austria-Hungary
, the question of the status of Fiume became a major international problem. At the height of the dispute between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
) and the Kingdom of Italy
, the Great Powers advocated the establishment of an independent buffer state
. President Woodrow Wilson
of the US became the arbiter in the Yugoslav-Italian dispute over the city. He suggested that Fiume be set up as an independent state, and indeed as the potential home for the League of Nations
organisation.
The dispute led to lawlessness, and the city changed hands between a South-Slav National Committee and an Italian National Council, leading finally to the landing of British and French troops who took over the city. This confusing situation was exploited by the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
who entered the city with his anarcho-fascist movement on 12 September 1919 and began a 15-month period of occupation. A year later after failure of negotiations with the Italian government D'Annunzio proclaimed the Italian Regency of Carnaro
.
On 12 November 1920, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes signed the Treaty of Rapallo
by which both parties agreed to acknowledge "the complete freedom and independence of the State of Fiume and oblige to respect it for eternity". With this act the "Free State of Fiume" was created, which, it turned out, would exist as an independent state for about one year de facto, and four years de jure. The newly-created state was immediately recognized by the United States
, France
and the United Kingdom
. D'Annunzio refused to acknowledge the Agreement and was expelled from the city by the regular forces of the Italian Army
, in the "Bloody Christmas" from the 24th to the 30th of December 1920.
In April 1921 the electorate approved the plan for a Free State and for a consortium to run the port and the first parliamentary elections were held, which were contested by the autonomists and the pro-Italian National Bloc. The Autonomist Party, which was supported by votes from the majority of the Croats, gained 6558 votes, while the National Bloc, composed of Fascist, Liberal and Democratic parties, got 3443 votes. The leader of the Autonomist Party, Riccardo Zanella
, became the President.
However, control over the Free State was in an almost constant state of flux. Following the departure of D'Annunzio's troops in December 1920, the local authorities assumed control and appointed a provisional government. A pact between them and the local Italian commander handed control to the military on January 18, 1921, but this lasted just three days before there was a nationalist rebellion, which appointed an extraordinary government which itself fell two days later. In June 1921 an Italian Royal Commissioner was appointed, whose control lasted two weeks, whereupon a group of D'Annunzio loyalists seized part of the town, until they were in turn pushed out in September. In October, Riccardo Zanella, an autonomist president was appointed ; his rule lasted until 3 March 1922, when fascists carried out a coup d'état
and the legal government escaped to Kraljevica
. On 6 March the Italian government was asked to restore order and Italian troops entered the city on 17 March who returned control to the minority of the constituent assembly, loyal to the Italian annexationists. This lasted for 18 months until Italian military forces resumed control.
After the proclamation of the Rapallo Treaty, the Communist Party of Fiume
(Partito Comunista di Fiume - Sezione della III.a Internazionale) was instituted on November 1921. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world. It was founded following the principles of the Third International, according to which each sovereign state had to have its own Communist Party organization. In the state over-stamped Austro-Hungarian notes - the Fiume Krone
- were used as official currency.
In January 1924 the Kingdom of Italy
and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes signed the Treaty of Rome
(27 January 1924), agreeing to the annexation
of Fiume by Italy and the absorption of Sušak
by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; this took effect on 16 March. The government-in-exile of the Free State considered this act invalid and non-binding under international law
and continued its activities.
, the Rijeka issue became topical again and in 1944 a group of citizens issued the "Liburnia Memorandum" in which it was recommended that a confederate state be formed from the three cantons of Fiume, Sušak
and Ilirska Bistrica
. The islands of Krk
(Veglia), Cres
(Cherso) and Lošinj
(Lussino) would enter the common condominium as well. President Zanella of the government-in-exile still sought the re-establishment of the Free State.
The Yugoslavian
authorities, who liberated the city from German occupation on 3 May 1945, objected to these plans. The leaders of the autonomists - Nevio Skull, Mario Blasich and Sergio Sincich - were killed. With the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947, Rijeka and Istria
officially became part of Yugoslavia.
Free state (government)
Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states.In principle the title asserts and emphasises the freedom of the state in question, but what this actually means varies greatly in different contexts:...
which existed between 1920 and 1924. Its territory of 28 km² (10.8 sq mi) comprised the city of Fiume (known as 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...
since the end of World War II, and now in Croatia
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 ...
) and rural areas to its north, with a corridor to its west connecting it to Italy.
History
FiumeHistory of Rijeka
- Origins :Fiume is located in the northern tip of the Quarnero in the northern Adriatic.The region of Quarnero fell within the Holy Roman Empire, with the acquisition of the titles of Margraves of Istria and Dukes of Merania by the Andechs family...
gained autonomy for the first time in 1719 when it was proclaimed a free port of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
in a decree issued by the Emperor Charles VI
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VI was the penultimate Habsburg sovereign of the Habsburg Empire. He succeeded his elder brother, Joseph I, as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia , Hungary and Croatia , Archduke of Austria, etc., in 1711...
. In 1776, during the reign of the Empress Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa of Austria
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands and Parma...
, the city was transferred to the Kingdom of Hungary and in 1779 gained the status of Corpus separatum
Corpus separatum (Fiume)
The Corpus separatum of Fiume was the name of the legal and political status of the city of Fiume , instituted by Empress Maria Theresa in 1776, determining the semi-autonomous status of Fiume within the Habsburg Empire until the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 - the longest-lasting...
within that Kingdom. From then until 1924 Fiume existed for practical purposes as an autonomous entity with elements of statehood.
The city briefly lost its autonomy in 1848 after being occupied by the Croatian 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...
(viceroy) Josip Jelačić
Josip Jelacic
Count Josip Jelačić of Bužim was the Ban of Croatia between 23 March 1848 and 19 May 1859...
, but regained it in 1868 when it rejoined the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, again as a corpus separatum.
In the 19th century the city was populated by Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
, Italians, Hungarians, and other nationalities. National affiliation changed from census to census, as at that time nationality was mostly defined by the language a person spoke. The special status of the city, being placed between different states, created a local identity among the majority of the population. The official languages in use were Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, most business correspondence was carried out in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, while most families spoke a local dialect, a blend of Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
with a few words of Croatian. In the countryside outside the city, the Croatian Chakavian dialect
Chakavian dialect
Chakavian or Čakavian is a dialect of the Croatian language. The name stems from the word for "what?", which is "ča" in Čakavian...
was spoken.
Politics
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the demise of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, the question of the status of Fiume became a major international problem. At the height of the dispute between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
) and the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, the Great Powers advocated the establishment of an independent buffer state
Buffer state
A buffer state is a country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them. Buffer states, when authentically independent, typically pursue a neutralist foreign policy, which distinguishes them from satellite...
. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
of the US became the arbiter in the Yugoslav-Italian dispute over the city. He suggested that Fiume be set up as an independent state, and indeed as the potential home for the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
organisation.
The dispute led to lawlessness, and the city changed hands between a South-Slav National Committee and an Italian National Council, leading finally to the landing of British and French troops who took over the city. This confusing situation was exploited by the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
who entered the city with his anarcho-fascist movement on 12 September 1919 and began a 15-month period of occupation. A year later after failure of negotiations with the Italian government D'Annunzio proclaimed the Italian Regency of Carnaro
Italian Regency of Carnaro
The Italian Regency of Carnaro was a self-proclaimed state in the city of Fiume led by Gabriele d'Annunzio between 1919 and 1920.-Impresa di Fiume:...
.
On 12 November 1920, the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes signed the Treaty of Rapallo
Treaty of Rapallo, 1920
The Treaty of Rapallo was a treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , signed to solve the dispute over some territories in the upper Adriatic, in Dalmatia and in the region which became known as the Julian March.The treaty was signed on 12 November 1920 in...
by which both parties agreed to acknowledge "the complete freedom and independence of the State of Fiume and oblige to respect it for eternity". With this act the "Free State of Fiume" was created, which, it turned out, would exist as an independent state for about one year de facto, and four years de jure. The newly-created state was immediately recognized by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. D'Annunzio refused to acknowledge the Agreement and was expelled from the city by the regular forces of the Italian Army
Italian Army
The Italian Army is the ground defence force of the Italian Armed Forces. It is all-volunteer force of active-duty personnel, numbering 108,355 in 2010. Its best-known combat vehicles are the Dardo infantry fighting vehicle, the Centauro tank destroyer and the Ariete tank, and among its aircraft...
, in the "Bloody Christmas" from the 24th to the 30th of December 1920.
In April 1921 the electorate approved the plan for a Free State and for a consortium to run the port and the first parliamentary elections were held, which were contested by the autonomists and the pro-Italian National Bloc. The Autonomist Party, which was supported by votes from the majority of the Croats, gained 6558 votes, while the National Bloc, composed of Fascist, Liberal and Democratic parties, got 3443 votes. The leader of the Autonomist Party, Riccardo Zanella
Riccardo Zanella
Riccardo Zanella was the only elected president of the short lived Free State of Fiume.Zanella was born to an Italian father and Slovene mother in Rijeka, Austria-Hungary . He attended Hungarian Commercial School in Rijeka and Budapest. Soon he was professor of bookkeeping in the same school in...
, became the President.
However, control over the Free State was in an almost constant state of flux. Following the departure of D'Annunzio's troops in December 1920, the local authorities assumed control and appointed a provisional government. A pact between them and the local Italian commander handed control to the military on January 18, 1921, but this lasted just three days before there was a nationalist rebellion, which appointed an extraordinary government which itself fell two days later. In June 1921 an Italian Royal Commissioner was appointed, whose control lasted two weeks, whereupon a group of D'Annunzio loyalists seized part of the town, until they were in turn pushed out in September. In October, Riccardo Zanella, an autonomist president was appointed ; his rule lasted until 3 March 1922, when fascists carried out a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
and the legal government escaped to Kraljevica
Kraljevica
Kraljevica is a town in the Kvarner region of the country of Croatia, located between Rijeka and Crikvenica, approximately thirty kilometers from Opatija and near the entrance to the bridge to the island of Krk...
. On 6 March the Italian government was asked to restore order and Italian troops entered the city on 17 March who returned control to the minority of the constituent assembly, loyal to the Italian annexationists. This lasted for 18 months until Italian military forces resumed control.
After the proclamation of the Rapallo Treaty, the Communist Party of Fiume
Communist Party of Fiume
The Communist Party of Fiume was instituted on November 1921, after the proclamation of the Free State of Fiume created by the Treaty of Rapallo. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world at the time...
(Partito Comunista di Fiume - Sezione della III.a Internazionale) was instituted on November 1921. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world. It was founded following the principles of the Third International, according to which each sovereign state had to have its own Communist Party organization. In the state over-stamped Austro-Hungarian notes - the Fiume Krone
Fiume Krone
The Fiume Krone was introduced in the Free State of Fiume on 18 April 1919 by the stamping the previous Austro-Hungarian krone notes by the Italian National Council of Fiume who effectively exercised power in the City...
- were used as official currency.
In January 1924 the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes signed the Treaty of Rome
Treaty of Rome, 1924
The Treaty of Rome of January 27, 1924 was an agreement by which Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes revoked the parts of the Treaty of Rapallo from 1920, which had created the independent Free State of Fiume...
(27 January 1924), agreeing to the annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
of Fiume by Italy and the absorption of Sušak
Sušak
Sušak is a part of the city of Rijeka in Croatia, where it composes the eastern part of the city.In 1924, Rijeka belonged to the independent Free State of Fiume, which had been created four years earlier under the Treaty of Rapallo, but in the Treaty of Rome the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and...
by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes; this took effect on 16 March. The government-in-exile of the Free State considered this act invalid and non-binding under international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and continued its activities.
Aftermath
With the surrender of Italy in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Rijeka issue became topical again and in 1944 a group of citizens issued the "Liburnia Memorandum" in which it was recommended that a confederate state be formed from the three cantons of Fiume, Sušak
Sušak
Sušak is a part of the city of Rijeka in Croatia, where it composes the eastern part of the city.In 1924, Rijeka belonged to the independent Free State of Fiume, which had been created four years earlier under the Treaty of Rapallo, but in the Treaty of Rome the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and...
and Ilirska Bistrica
Ilirska Bistrica
Ilirska Bistrica is a town and a municipality in Slovenia. It belongs to the traditional region of Primorska.The town of Ilirska Bistrica is the major economic centre of the district of the same name...
. The islands of 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....
(Veglia), Cres
Cres
Cres is an Adriatic island in Croatia. It is one of the northern island in the Kvarner Gulf and can be reached via ferry from the island Krk or from the Istrian peninsula ....
(Cherso) and Lošinj
Lošinj
Lošinj is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, in the Kvarner Gulf. It is almost due south of the city of Rijeka and part of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar county....
(Lussino) would enter the common condominium as well. President Zanella of the government-in-exile still sought the re-establishment of the Free State.
The Yugoslavian
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
authorities, who liberated the city from German occupation on 3 May 1945, objected to these plans. The leaders of the autonomists - Nevio Skull, Mario Blasich and Sergio Sincich - were killed. With the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947, Rijeka and Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
officially became part of Yugoslavia.
2011 Croatian census
During the Croatian census of 2011 there was a movement for the people to declared as Riječani or as Istrijani in the nationality section. Movement gathered few thousands of people in facebook groups. There's also website http://www.rijeka-drzava.com/ for the "Free State of Rijeka".See also
- Charter of CarnaroCharter of CarnaroThe Charter of Carnaro was the constitution of the Italian Regency of Carnaro, a short-lived government in Fiume , proclaimed by Gabriele D'Annunzio on 8 September 1920...
- Communist Party of FiumeCommunist Party of FiumeThe Communist Party of Fiume was instituted on November 1921, after the proclamation of the Free State of Fiume created by the Treaty of Rapallo. The Communist Party of Fiume was the smallest Communist Party in the world at the time...
- Free City of DanzigFree City of DanzigThe Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
- Free Territory of TriesteFree Territory of TriesteThe Free Territory of Trieste was to be a city-state situated in Central Europe between northern Italy and Yugoslavia, created by the United Nations Security Council in the aftermath of World War II and provisionally administered by an appointed military governor commanding the peacekeeping United...
- List of governors and heads of state of Fiume
- Istrian exodusIstrian exodusThe expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
- List of countries in 1923
- Postage stamps and postal history of FiumePostage stamps and postal history of FiumeAfter World War I, the city of Fiume was claimed by both the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and Italy. While its status was unresolved, its postal system was operated by a variety of occupation forces and local governments....
- TIGRTIGRTIGR, abbreviation for Trst , Istra , Gorica and Reka , with the full name Revolutionary Organization of the Julian March T.I.G.R. was a militant anti-Fascist and insurgent organization active in the 1920s and the 1930s in the eastern Italian border region known as the Julian March.The...