Pro tempore, No. 20, 2025.
Review article
Presenting National Continuity: Gregory of Nin in the Works of Historian Grga Novak (Summary)
Stanka Mujo
Abstract
This paper focuses on the analysis of the article “Grgur Ninski” by Croatian historian and archaeologist Grga Novak, published in 1929 in the journal Nova Evropa. Novak wrote this article three years after the celebration of the thousandth anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom, at a time of constant Italian territorial ambitions along the Adriatic coast. Since the government in Belgrade showed little interest in the Adriatic question, Croatian intellectuals took matters into their own hands. Through this work, Novak sought to prove the continuity of Croatia’s historical right to Dalmatia dating back to the time of Gregory of Nin. By comparing Novak’s approach with various theoretical frameworks, it was established that the author (unconsciously) adopted and promoted a perennialist concept of the nation, aiming to trace its origins and continuity back to the early Middle Ages—based on the idea that whoever occupied a territory longer had a stronger claim to it. The paper also pays special attention to the mythologization of the Bishop of Nin within the process of forming a national historiography. Although Novak’s interpretation was, in some parts, inconsistent and flawed, it must be understood in light of the political uncertainty of his time, when historiography had to be developed despite many challenges. Nevertheless, Novak left an indelible mark on historical science—one that later generations continue to follow and critically reassess.
Keywords
Grga Novak; Gregory of Nin; nationalism; nationalistic historiography; national continuity; myth in history
Hrčak ID:
349418
URI
Publication date:
20.9.2025.
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