Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/y7v64t45ey
Grude in Imota: People, Lineages, and Demographic Movements
Vlado Pavičić
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Grude is a settlement and the administrative centre of the municipality bearing the same name in western Herzegovina. The discovery of the name of the earliest known inhabitant of Grude – as well as the settlement itself in the late Middle Ages – served as the impetus for this paper. This finding also provided a starting point for a broader analysis of the history of Grude’s population and its demographic movements. Historical-demographic research was primarily conducted through the study of local lineages and surnames, as well as their migrations and population trends over a two-and-a-half-century period, based on church and state censuses. Our research shows that the largest segment of the Grude population consists of indigenous families, with a significant portion made up of settlers who arrived by the end of the 18th century, primarily from the neighbouring village of Ružići. A smaller portion includes settlers from the surrounding Herzegovinian region who arrived by the end of the 19th century. These migrations into Grude were largely facilitated by the emigration of the original Grude population, most of whom moved to the region along the Sava River in Bosnia, and beyond, from the first half of the 18th century. As indigenous lineages expanded, they adopted new surnames – likely derived from earlier nicknames – to aid in identification within this rural context. In summarizing demographic trends over the course of three centuries, it is evident that the defining feature is steady population growth, despite significant migratory outflows and various hardships endured by the local population. These challenges ranged from ecological and health-related issues to those rooted in social subjugation.
Keywords
Grude; Imota; Bekija; Hum; Herzegovina; Trogir; migrations; lineages; surnames; historical demography.
Hrčak ID:
333142
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2025.
Visits: 426 *