Review article
People and Drava River in the Middle Ages in the Northwest of Krizevci County
Ranko Pavleš
; Podravka d.d., Koprivnica, Croatia
Abstract
The paper examines the available documents form the period, trying to show interrelation and mutual influence of people and the river Drava, from the times of Croats’ settlement to the end of the Middle Ages, from the area of Ludbreg down to the greater Virovitica; or rather, in the area where the medieval Krizevci County met the river Drava in the northwest. The first part describes several river crossings, analyzing their location and distribution across the river; their importance and links they enabled for those who used the river crossings. The most important crossings were located at Torcec, Peteranec and Struga aiming to provide the connection to the marketplace of Zakany; in the background, there were urban settlements in Rasinja, Koprivnica and Djurdjevac nobility estates. The navigation on Drava probably did not have a great commercial value in the Middle Ages; however, neither had the roads following the river. Other economic activities alongside the river that can be verified by documents included water mills on Drava and later, fish ponds nearby. Another documented activity included harvesting of acorn and/or pig feeding in the acorn forests alongside the river and the lumber from the high quality oak trees. The reasonable assumption why and how the river was useful in those times definitely included safe haven in the times of jeopardy - fleeing from danger and crossing the river to safety; it also provided fish for food in times of famine. Some authors hypothesize that there was an established borderline on the river Drava; however, strategic thinking could only be seen in formation of royal towns in Drava lowlands, mostly at some distance from the river. Today, the change of river bed and Drava flow in the Medieval times could only be assumed, as verification comes indirectly. The links between the populations on both sides of the river are seen in the large estates, as local nobility had lands on both sides, Croatian and Hungarian as well. However, the links between common people on the river banks are more difficult to establish and are poorly documented; we know of one marauding assault, the crossing of Drava and looting on the other side. Population density of settlements nearby the river could be established to some degree for the area from Peteranec to Podravske Sesvete, drawing a conclusion that the late Middle ages had solid settlement figures in most of this region, except for the place of today’s Ferdinandovac. For the earlier period, we have analyzed the 1334 list of the parishes, showing its concentration around the river crossings between today’s place of Djelekovec and Hlebine. Next, we listed all the toponyms, relating to the river of Drava. A special section is dedicated to the ties of the medieval writer Janus Pannonius and the river Drava; first, we can prove his undisputed birthplace and origins from Cesmica nearby today’s Bjelovar; next, we explore the assumption that J.Pannonius had spent his childhood by the river Drava. Finally, the extracted data from archeological excavations in Torcec area indicate what the everyday life of the local, common people would be here and how they were gradually occupying the area alongside the river Drava.
Keywords
Drava; traffic; economy; settlement; Janus Pannonius; archeology
Hrčak ID:
112955
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2013.
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