Original scientific paper
Full Credibility of the Source on Croatian Kings in Franz Arens’ Article
Ivan Mužić
; Čiovka 2, Split, Hrvatska
Abstract
The author of the text, which was published in November
1940 in the journal “Hrvatska povijest” (Croatian
Review) under the title Važan prilog starohrvatskoj
povijesti (Important contribution to early Croatian
history), was Franz Christian Arens, who really existed
and worked as a serious scientist. It can be concluded
from the stylisation of Arens’ article that he received
a transcript of the cited source from an acquaintance.
It can be assumed that this person also gave him the
existing archive registration numbers and that he, as
a scientist who used the common methodology in
his works, submitted it to the editorial department of
Hrvatska revija. However, as this review from Zagreb
was not a scientific edition, but a monthly magazine
for culture, it is possible that some details about the
archival find were not printed.
The credibility of the source from the British Museum,
given by Arens, is confirmed by the mediaeval
Latin language used at that time as well as by the
content of its data mentioned in it. The source specifically
mentions also the “restoration of a painting
of King Trpimir”, and Trpimir being king is testified by Gottschalk, but also by Constantine Porphyrogenitus.
Gottschalk describes Trpimir in the 9th century
as a king who fights victoriously. On the other hand,
Porphyrogenitus places Trpimir and his heirs, son
Krešimir and grand-son Miroslav, as “archons” into the
same century. In the time of their ruling, Croatia was,
according to De administrando imperio, a very powerful
land and naval power. Apart from mentioning
Trpimir, the source from London cites also paintings
of other Croatian kings at that time. The only conclusion
to be drawn from these three entirely independent
sources is that they completely correspond with
each other in terms of Croatia, as a non-principality
during the period of Croatian kings in the second half
of the 9th century, being an independent state.
The content of the source on the paintings of
Croatian kings refers to the second half of the 9th century
and only one part, in which Tomislav is mentioned,
can be dated to the beginning of the 10th century.
This is why the written creation of the source can
be dated to the early decades of the 10th century the
latest and placed into Split.
Keywords
Franz Christian Arens; King Trpimir; painting of the king; Petar; Tomislav; Putalj; Ivo Guberina
Hrčak ID:
92550
URI
Publication date:
17.12.2012.
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