Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa (Dalmatian: Republica de Ragusa; Latin: Respublica Ragusina; Italian: Repubblica di Ragusa; Croatian: Dubrovačka Republika; Venetian: Repùblega de Raguxa) was an aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (Ragusa in Italian and Latin; Raguxa in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost Croatia) that carried that name from 1358 until 1808. It reached its commercial peak in the 15th and the 16th centuries, before being conquered by Napoleon's French Empire and formally annexed by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1808. It had a population of about 30,000 people, of whom 5,000 lived within the city walls.[2] Its motto was "Non bene pro toto libertas venditur auro", a Latin phrase which can be translated as "Liberty is not well sold for all the gold".[3]
"Dubrovnik Republic" redirects here. For former Serb proto-state, see Dubrovnik Republic (1991).
Republic of Ragusa
Sovereign state which was a Tributary state of:
- Kingdom of Hungary (1358–1458)
- Ottoman Empire (1458–1684)
- Habsburg Austria (1684–1806)
- French Empire and Kingdom of Italy (1806–1808)
Nikša Sorgo
Sabo Giorgi
c. 614
1358
1205
27 May 1358
from 1458
from 1684
26 May 1806
9 July 1807
31 January 1808
90 000 in the XVI Century
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Names[edit]
Originally named Communitas Ragusina (Latin for "Ragusan municipality" or "community"), in the 14th century it was renamed Respublica Ragusina (Latin for Ragusan Republic), first mentioned in 1385.[4] It was nevertheless a Republic under its previous name, although its Rector was appointed by Venice rather than by Ragusa's own Major Council. In Italian it is called Repubblica di Ragusa; in Croatian it is called Dubrovačka Republika (Croatian pronunciation: [dǔbroʋat͡ʃkaː repǔblika]).
The Slavic name Dubrovnik is derived from the word dubrava, an oak grove; by a folk etymology.[5] The name Dubrovnik of the Adriatic city is first recorded in the Charter of Ban Kulin (1189).[6] It came into use alongside Ragusa as early as the 14th century.[7]
The Latin, Italian and Dalmatian name Ragusa maybe derives its name from Lausa (from the Greek ξαυ: xau, "precipice"); it was later altered to Rausium, Rhagusium, Ragusium or Rausia (even Lavusa, Labusa, Raugia and Rachusa) and finally into Ragusa. Another theory is that the term "Ragusa" derivatives from or is related to Proto-Albanian *rāguša meaning 'grape' (compare Modern-Albanian rrush (meaning "grape")), according to V. Orel.[8] The official change of name from Ragusa to Dubrovnik came into effect after World War I.
It is known in historiography as the Republic of Ragusa.[9]
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Population[edit]
The historian Nenad Vekarić used tax evidence from the Dubrovnik littoral (Croatian: Dubrovačko Primorje) and a census to find that the Republic of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) had a population of nearly 90,000 by 1500. From then to 1700 the population declined: in the first half of the 16th century it had more than 50,000 inhabitants; in the second half of the 16th century, between 50,000 and 60,000; in the 1630s, about 40,000; and in 1673–74, only 26,000 inhabitants. In the second half of the 15th century, due to Turkish expansion, Dubrovnik received a large number of Christian refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, offering them the less fertile land. Numerous epidemics, the Candian War of 1645–69, the 1667 earthquake, and emigration greatly reduced the population levels. The population of the republic never again reached its previous levels.[60]
Historical background[edit]
Origin of the city[edit]
According to the De Administrando Imperio of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos, the city was founded, probably in the 7th century, by the inhabitants of the Roman city of Epidaurum (modern Cavtat) after its destruction by the Avars and Slavs c. 615.[11] Some of the survivors moved 25 kilometres (16 miles) north to a small island near the coast where they founded a new settlement, Lausa. It has been claimed that a second raid by the Slavs in 656 resulted in the total destruction of Epidaurum.[12] Slavs settled along the coast in the 7th century.[13] The Slavs named their settlement Dubrovnik. The Romans ("Latin") and Slavs had an antagonistic relationship, though by the 12th century the two settlements had merged. The channel that divided the city was filled, creating the present-day main street (the Stradun) which became the city centre. Thus, Dubrovnik became the Slavic name for the united town.[14] There are recent theories based on excavations that the city was established much earlier, at least in the 5th century and possibly during the Ancient Greek period (as per Antun Ničetić, in his book Povijest dubrovačke luke). The key element in this theory is the fact that ships in ancient time traveled about 45 to 50 nautical miles (83 to 93 km; 52 to 58 mi) per day, and mariners required a sandy shore to pull their ships out of the water for the rest period during the night. An ideal combination would have a fresh water source in the vicinity. Dubrovnik had both, being halfway between the Greek settlements of Budva and Korčula, which are 95 nautical miles (176 km; 109 mi) apart.[15]
Early centuries[edit]
During its first centuries the city was under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire.[11] The Saracens laid siege to the city in 866–867; it lasted for fifteen months and was raised due to the intervention of Roman Emperor Basil I, who sent a fleet under Niketas Ooryphas in relief. Ooryphas' "showing of the flag" had swift results, as the Slavic tribes sent envoys to the Emperor, once more acknowledging his suzerainty. Basil dispatched officials, agents and missionaries to the region, restoring Byzantine rule over the coastal cities and regions in the form of the new theme of Dalmatia, while leaving the Slavic tribal principalities of the hinterland largely autonomous under their own rulers. The Christianization of the Croats and the other Slavic tribes also began at this time.[16] With the weakening of Byzantium, Venice began to see Ragusa as a rival that needed to be brought under its control, but an attempt to conquer the city in 948 failed. The citizens of the city attributed this to Saint Blaise, whom they adopted as their patron saint.[17]
The city remained under Byzantine domination until 1204, with the exception of periods of Venetian (1000–1030) and later Norman (1081–1085, 1172, 1189–1190) rule.[11] In 1050, Croatian king Stjepan I (Stephen) made a land grant along the coast that extended the boundaries of Ragusa to Zaton, 16 km (10 mi) north of the original city, giving the republic control of the abundant supply of fresh water that emerges from a spring at the head of the Ombla inlet.[17] Stephen's grant also included the harbour of Gruž, which is now the commercial port for Dubrovnik.[17]
Thus the original territory of the Ragusan municipality or community comprised the city of Ragusa, Župa dubrovačka, Gruž, Ombla, Zaton, the Elafiti islands (Šipan, Lopud and Koločep) and some smaller islands near the city.
The famous 12th century Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi mentioned Ragusa and the surrounding area. In his work, he referred to Ragusa as the southernmost city of Croatia.[18][19][20]
In 1191, Emperor Isaac II Angelos granted the city's merchants the right to trade freely in Byzantium. Similar privileges were obtained several years earlier from Serbia (1186) and from Bosnia (1189). The Charter of Ban Kulin of Bosnia is also the first official document where the city is referred to as Dubrovnik.[21]
Venetian suzerainty (1205–1358)[edit]
In 1202, the Venetian Republic invaded Dalmatia with the forces of the Fourth Crusade, and Ragusa was forced to pay tribute. Ragusa began supplying Venice with products such as hides, wax, silver, and other metals. Venice used the city as its naval base in the southern Adriatic Sea. Unlike with Zadar, there was not much friction between Ragusa and Venice as the city had not yet begun to compete as an alternative carrier in the trade between East and West; in addition, the city retained most of its independence. The people, however, resented the ever-growing tribute.[22]
In the middle of the 13th century the island of Lastovo was added to the original territory. On 22 January 1325, Serbian king Stefan Uroš III issued a document for the sale of his maritime possessions of the city of Ston and peninsula of Pelješac to Ragusa.[23][24] In 1333, during the rule of Serbian king Stefan Dušan (Stefan Uroš IV, r. 1331–1355), the two possessions were handed over to Ragusa.[25] In January 1348, the Black Death struck the city and decimated the urban population.[26]
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Culture and ethnic groups[edit]
Dalmatia, a region originally inhabited by Illyrians and later Romanized, consisted of a group of coastal cities that, after the fall of the Roman empire, functioned much like independent states with extensive autonomy. These Dalmatian city-states were characterized by common Latin laws, Catholic religion, language, commerce, and political and administrative structures; their rural hinterland, however, was controlled by the Slavic tribes who arrived after 640 AD.[73] Among them was Ragusium (Ragusa in Italian and Dubrovnik in Croatian). The original native language of the Ragusans was a local dialect of Dalmatian, a Romance language.
Due to a number of factors, including the geographic and cultural proximity of the Italian civilization (separated only by the Adriatic sea and whose Italian language formed with Dalmatian a common group of Romance languages), the alliance with Ancona, the influence and heritage of Venice, Ragusa became an Italianized maritime republic: the Italian language came to be spoken by Ragusans and, after 1420, it was adopted by the Republic as an official language along with Latin; the city attracted numerous Italians, including merchants for trade and architects for building projects; and several noble and rich families took pride in being of Italian descent, whether it was real or invented tradition.[74][75][76][77]
As more and more Slavs moved into the city from the hinterland, a process of Slavicization began, and many Ragusans came to speak a local variant of the Shtokavian dialect, the same dialect upon which modern Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin and Serbian are all based. Hence, the Croatian identity of Ragusa developed.[78][79]
The history of Dubrovnik produced many bilingual poets and writers of the Republic of Ragusa, such as Savino de Bobali, Dinko Ranjina, and Ruggero Giuseppe Boscovich, who wrote in both Croatian and Italian. The Italian element survived the fall of the Republic of Ragusa but faded away under Austrian rule: by 1900, 6.5% Ragusans were identified as Italians in contrast to 72.3% identified as Croatians.[80]
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Media related to Republic of Ragusa at Wikimedia Commons
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