Clientele of the Counts of Krk in the Vinodol County from the Late 13th to the Late 15th Century

Abstract

Counts of Krk (Frankapan) had probably originated from the island of Krk from where their territorial expansion started. Their earliest possessions Vinodol and Modruš were obtained in the first half of 13^th century. In 15^th century they had considerable possessions in the Croatia and Slavonia. They had to organize officials through whom they could govern and effectively obtain revenues. This paper deals with their clientele in Vinodol. On the top of the hierarchy among clientele of counts were retinue of the count (familia / familiares) followed by officials (officiales) and servants (servitores). Appertaining to one of these groups did not exclude the possibility for pertinence to the other i. e. it was possible for some viscount (vicecomes) to be part of counts retinue. However, there was no reason that every official (even viscount) should be part of retinue. In the time of the Vinodol Law (1288) counts had dvornik of whole Vinodol (magister curiae) as highest official. Afterwards, he was replaced by number of viscounts which became the highest-ranking officials in the apparatus of counts. Number of viscounts varied in sources through centuries and it seems that corresponded to the number of counts who had in possession whole Shire of Vinodol. Family division of all possessions (among them Vinodol) in 1449 produced new organizational order. Number of viscounts’ probably corresponded to number of counts that divided shire among themselves. In 15^th century, as sources show, there were also chief (capitaneus) and vice chief. The first of them apparently had same status as viscount. Counts had their own courts organized on the similar model as courts of kings of Hungary. First in the hierarchy among their courtiers was dvorniks (magister curiae), followed by castellan (castellanus), cupbearers (dapifer) and cellarers (cro. konobar, lat. cellerarius). This was probably done in effort to make impression on others and to compete with magnates of the kingdom. All Counts of Krk on their possessions in Kvarner littoral had similar structure of officials.