Professional paper
Summary: The first postal stamp from Krk: D’Annunzio’s occupation of the Kvarner islands of Krk and Rab in 1920
Ivan Martinaš
Abstract
Often in postal history, the first stamp from some area or state is an interim or occupation issue. By the same token, from the historical standpoint postal stamps are a reflection of the formal/legal polity in a given area, so they sometimes do not reflect the majority will of the people who actually live in that area. This was indeed how the island of Krk obtained its first postal stamps, which have printed on them the name ‘Veglia’ (Italian for Krk), during the occupation of Gabriele D’Annunzio’s legionnaires, i.e., they were the stamps of D’Annunzio’s self-proclaimed state in the city of Rijeka, the ‘Reggenza Italiana del Carnaro’, issued in 1920. Besides the island of Krk, the idea was to also incorporate the island of Rab into this self-proclaimed state, so at the same time Rab also had stamps bearing the island’s Italian name, ‘Arbe’. This entire military and political adventure only lasted for a few months, so that by the end of January 1921, Gabriele D'Annunzio's legionaries left Krk and Rab, and the first stamps bearing the name Veglia were relegated to history.
Keywords
postal stamps; D’Annunzio’s occupation; Krk; Rab
Hrčak ID:
284379
URI
Publication date:
11.11.2021.
Visits: 687 *