Original scientific paper
The Document Instrumento della Cessione del Scoglio della Comunità di Curzola Alli Padri Minori Osservanti di San Francesco l' Anno 1394.
Nada Bulić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7759-1756
; University of Zadar, Department of classical philology, Zadar, Croatia
Ivana Posedi
; State Archives in Varaždin, Varaždin, Croatia
Abstract
The document Instrumento della cessione del scoglio della comunità di Curzola alli Padri minori osservanti di San Francesco l' Anno 1394. presents the privilegium by which the Grand Council of the commune of Korčula fulfills the request and requirement of the Bosnian Vicar Bartholomeus of Tuscia and confirms the ownership of the Franciscan order of the Fratres Minores over part of the island of Otok (Badija) near Korčula, extending the privilege to the entire island. The text of the document has been preserved in two variants dating from a later date, of which one is the document noted in the title of this paper, and the other is a copy made by an unknown author. The variants show a large amount of content overlap, as well as differences which lead to questions on which of the two represents the original text. The document is researched in this paper; its diplomatic, lexical and stylistic features are analyzed, as well the circumstances in which they were decided upon, in order to determine its authenticity. In its diplomatic appearance the document exhibits all of the characteristics expected of a public document, and in some portions of the document and in regard to the ordering of these characteristics, show characteristics of loca credibilia as published by both notary and authentic documents. The document was written by one individual, in an extremely legible cursive minuscule. With regard to content, the document seems to be consistent; with regard to vocabulary and stylistics it corresponds to legal acts both of its own and previous eras in its terminology and formulae, as well as the firm logical order of its contents, and can be placed within the continuity of the enactment of legal acts and an administrative style of writing. The second preserved variant of the text of the document, written by an unknown author, displays inserted text whose origin cannot be precisely determined according to its current state; nor can its purpose be determined, seeing as the inserted texts does not change anything in terms of the privileges given. Both of the preserved texts exhibit signs of having been copied by a number of copyists, as well as of at least two branches of copying. An analysis of other historical sources and of the circumstances of the adoption of the document has shown that the requests of the Franciscans have a legal base in an older testament, dating from 1368, showing thus the legal succession of the adoption of the privilege. The contents of the concession itself are without a doubt confirmed by the analysis of Litterae ducalis VIIIa, dating from 1441. Along with it, a true picture of life on the island of Korčula during the end of the 14th century is discernable from certain elements of the document demonstrating the administrative structure and economic activities of the island. The authors conclude that the document displays traits which prove the originality of the text and the ownership of the entire island of Otok (Badija) near Korčula by the Franciscan order of the Fratres Minores.
Keywords
Franciscans (Friars Minor), Badija, friary, diplomatic analysis.
Hrčak ID:
254187
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2020.
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