Hrvoje Vukcic
Encyclopedia
Kotor Varoš
Kotor Varoš is a town and municipality in northwestern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:The city was first mentioned in the 10th century, when it was called Kotor. Varoš, added later, means "town" in Hungarian...
around 1350 – 1416) was a Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia
Ban of Croatia was the title of local rulers and after 1102 viceroys of Croatia. From earliest periods of Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Bans as a rulers representative and supreme military commander. In the 18th century, Croatian bans eventually become chief government officials in...
, Grand Duke of Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and a Herzog of Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
. He was the most prominent member of the Croatian
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...
noble House of Hrvatinić
House of Hrvatinic
Hrvatinić dynasty was a medieval Bosnian/Croatian noble house which ruled over various parts of Bosnia, Croatia and Dalmatia between the 13th century and the 15th century....
and the strongest of the three main large feudalists of early feudal medieval Bosnia. In 1403 he was named regent for Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, 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 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....
, and was made Duke of Split.
Family Connections
Hrvoje was the eldest son of Duke Vukac HrvatinićVukac Hrvatinic
Vukac Hrvatinić was a Duke in the service of Ban Tvrtko Kotromanić of Bosnia. He was a member of the Croat House of Hrvatinić.In 1363 Bosnia was invaded by the Hungarian King. The city of Soko on Pliva was defended by Vukac during the King's siege on 8-10 July...
. He had three brothers: Vuk (who was 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...
of 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 ...
), Dragiša and Vojislav. He was married to Jelena Nelipčić
Jelena Nelipčić
Jelena Nelipčić was Duchess of Split by her first marriage and Queen of Bosnia by her second marriage. By birth, she was a member of the Croatian Nelipić noble family, having estates in Dalmatian Zagora....
, granddaughter of the powerful Croatian noble Ivan I Nelipac (Prince Nelipić)
Ivan I Nelipac (Prince Nelipić)
Ivan I Nelipac or Prince Nelipić , a Croatian prince and member of the Nelipić noble family, was a ruler of Knin and Drniš and region around rivers Cetina, Čikola, Krka and Zrmanja. He ruled from his seat in fortified town Knin....
and sister of Ivan III Nelipac (Ivaniš Nelipić)
Ivan III Nelipac (Ivaniš Nelipić)
Ivaniš Nelipić was Ban of Croatia and a member of one of the most powerful Croatian noble families at the time. At his greatest power he ruled areas in inner Croatia from the mountain of Velebit to the Cetina river. From 1401 to 1434, he ruled over Klis Fortress, although his main seat was at Knin...
. He is first mentioned in 1376 as being prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
and knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
during the reign of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Louis I. The territories over which he reigned were the Lower Edges in Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
, facing 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 Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
westwards.
Rise of Vukčić's power
He was made DukeDuke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
by King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Stephen Tvrtko Kotromanić of Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
in 1380, granting him a seat in Lašva
Lašva
The Lašva is a river in Central Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a left tributary of the Bosna.It originates from the confluence of two "little Lašva", Karaula Lašva and Komarska Lašva in Turbe. The Lašva flows through Travnik, then through Vitez before draining into the Bosna....
. In 1387 Duke Hrvoje's first action is leading a squadron of Bosnian troops to 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 ...
to raise the siege of Bishop Ivan Horvat 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...
. After the death of king Louis I he participated in the battles of succession between Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
and Ladislaus of Naples. He sided with Ladislaus with the promise of becoming ban of Croatia and Dalmatia in 1391. During the reign of King Stephen Dabiša of Bosnia, he participated in the fights against the Ottoman Turks in Bosnia in 1392 - earning Dabiša's eternal gratitude. Hrvoje became Dabiša's main guarantee of staying at the throne - as he declared that he is a faithful servant of the Hungarian King in all cases but those that might damage King Dabiša in 1393. In the heat of internal struggles in Bosnia in 1397 during the reign of Queen
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Jelena Gruba
Jelena Gruba
Helen Gruba was the Queen regnant of Bosnia from 1395 to 1398. She was the only female ruler of Bosnia.Helen came from the noble House of Nikolić, which ruled a part of Zachlumia.-Queen consort:...
Hrvoje invited the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to offer assistance. As an opposer of Queen Jelena, he participated in the selection of Stephen Ostoja as the new King of Bosnia in May of 1398. Opposing King Sigismund's Hungarian pretensions, Hrvoje greatly influenced King Ostoja and was the real ruler of Bosnia.
Duke Hrvoje opposed King Sigismund's rule in Bosnia and actively worked to bring Ladislaus of Naples as the new King of Hungary - that would leave Bosnia alone since 1389, and the same year King Sigismund invaded Bosnia. Duke Hrvoje defeated his forces before they reached the City of Vrbas
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
and chased them across the river Una, invading and conquering the župa
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
of Dubica
Dubica
Dubica is a toponym used for two towns divided by the state border at the Una river:* Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the right bank, in Bosnia* Hrvatska Dubica, on the left bank, in Croatia...
. King Sigismund counterattacked in the fall by assaulting Bosnia. Here, Duke Hrvoje led the forces together with King Stephen Ostoja, Duke Sandalj Hranić and Pavle Radenović. By the end of 1402, Duke Hrvoje made all Dalmatian cities with the exception of Dubrovnik to recognize King Ladislaus' rule.
After the crowning of Ladislaus as the Hungarian King in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
in 1403, Hrvatinić was appoint regent of Croatia (with 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....
) and Slavonia as a political enemy of the former King Sigismund - and he exerted his influence over Bosnia. He was also named Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
of Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and given the islands of Brač
Brac
Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic...
, Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
and Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
. From then on he carried the title of Herzog (duke) of Split, viceroy of Dalmatia and Croatia, Duke of Bosnia and Prince of the Lower Edges. In 1406 Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić fortified and strengthen Prozor Fortress
Prozor Fortress
Prozor Fortress is a medieval fortress situated in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia county, in inland Dalmatia, just above the town of Vrlika in Croatia...
over the Vrlika
Vrlika
Vrlika is a small town and municipality in inland Dalmatia, Croatia. The closest large towns are Sinj, Knin, and Drniš. The town of Vrlika has a population of 959, while the municipality has a population of 2,705 . There are 2,670 Croatian speakers, 16 Serbian speakers and 19 speakers of other...
valley in Croatia, also given to him by Ladislaus of Naples. He was able to forge his own coins.
During this time the Hval Manuscript
Hval Manuscript
The Hval Manuscript or "Hval's Miscellany" is a 353 page 15th century Bosnian Church codex.It was written in 1404 by Hval Krstyanin in Bosnian/Croatian Cyrillic Script in ikavian dialect with a Glagolitic introduction that reads, "in honour of praised sir Hrvoje, duke of Split and the knight of...
and Hrvoje's Missal
Hrvoje's Missal
The Hrvoje's Missal is a 15th century Croatian Glagolitic missal, often considered the most beautiful and the most interesting Croatian Glagolitic book....
were written in cyrillic and glagolitic respectively. These documents were both dedicated to Hrvoje and are of great significance to both Bosnian and Croatian history. The Hval Manuscript is now located at the University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
while Hrvoje's Missal was plundered by the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and taken to the Topkapi Sarai library in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
today's Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
), where it still remains.
He came into conflict with King Ostoja and participated in the plot to remove him from the throne and replacing him with Tvrtko II Kotromanić in 1404. Together with Tvrtko II he formed a movement against Hungary and Sigismund of Luxembourg. After Sigismund's military intervention in 1408 and the massacre of the Bosnian army, he allied himself with Sigismund. However, Hungary's victory in Bosnia and the retaking of the throne by King Ostoja weakened him severely. He soon lost control over the islands he had been given, as well as Split. At this point he sought help from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. The Hungarian army was defeated at Lašva in 1415, but this would open the door to Ottoman expansion into Bosnia. Hrvoje died the following year and his widow, Jelena Nelipčić
Jelena Nelipčić
Jelena Nelipčić was Duchess of Split by her first marriage and Queen of Bosnia by her second marriage. By birth, she was a member of the Croatian Nelipić noble family, having estates in Dalmatian Zagora....
, married King Ostoja.