Niko Kapetanić’s Latest Book
- nikolaradonich
- Sep 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 29
Review of:
The Parish of Konavle before the Establishment of the Dubrovnik Republic Administration
Croatian title: Župa Konavle prije uspostave dubrovačke uprave
See the bottom of this article for an explanation of surname evolution.
Since Konavle was under the rule of Dubrovnik from the beginning of the 15th century, we have been able to follow the historical events and social dynamics of the area thanks to the Dubrovnik Archives. Documents on legal and other types of events are kept there, and from them we can indirectly find other information about the region. However, the history of Konavle from the time before Dubrovnik owned it is quite unexplored. The scientific community has not yet answered numerous questions from this time.
The Middle Ages of our region (around 400-1400 AD) were a time of great powers, from Byzantium, the Franks, Hungary to Venice and the Ottomans. The fate of the population of these areas at these times depended on their cooperation and conflicts with these powers. The Middle Ages were a time of the formation of states, and the spread of the Glagolitic script. In the eastern Adriatic areas that were once ruled by Rome, the Latin and Byzantine traditions intertwined, two Christianities developed, and the battles with the Ottomans began. In the dynamics of this area, Croatia and Konavle found themselves in the most challenging part of Europe at that time.
We know that Konavle was an autonomous part of the Byzantine Empire in the 10th century, and from the 12th to the 14th centuries numerous rulers were in charge. As early as 1376, Konavle was conquered by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I, after which it remained under Bosnian rule until the Dubrovnik acquisition in the 1420s. All aspects of Konavle history have been studied through the Dubrovnik Archive documents. The well-organized and well-regulated Dubrovnik Republic kept documentation of its entire territory, therefore much can be learned about Konavle after Dubrovnik took over. However, information about the time before is scarce.
Niko Kapetanić, the foremost expert on the history of Konavle, has brought new information about the life of Konavle at that earlier time in his latest book, The Parish of Konavle before the Establishment of the Dubrovnik Republic. His research for this book consisted of analyzing the personal names of Konavle residents from the 12th to the 14th centuries. The sources of the names were lawsuits and business contracts, so female names are less represented due to the social patriarchal nature of that time. The researched names trace the relationship between the old folk names and Christian names. Among the Slavic corpus of names, Christian influences are visible.
The late Middle Ages are also interesting in other areas of today’s Croatia as it was a key time for the creation of new Croatian personal names and the increasing presence of Christian names.
Among Konavle names, Kapetanić found names of previously unknown Konavle chieftains (kefali and župans). Konavle chieftains were called kefali by the Dubrovnik administration (from the Greek kefali – head, chieftain). They were the chieftains of Konavle until the arrival of Bosnian authorities, when župans are mentioned again. In 1391, Konavle was divided into two parts, that of Pavlović and that of Sandal. During that period, each part had its own župan, whose mandate ended after the Dubrovnik takeover. Konavle at that time was feudal, inhabited by the Konavle nobility and their serfs.
The purchase of Konavle by the Dubrovnik Republic in the 1420s was followed by the process of turning all the inhabitants of Konavle into serfs by the Dubrovnik nobility. Every inhabitant of Konavle had to recognize the authority of the aristocracy of Dubrovnik and, after the division of the land, to serve a specific lord in Dubrovnik. Many of the Konavle nobles could not come to terms with the new situation and many emigrated, not wanting to give up their status. In this book, Niko Kapetanić speaks about these people for probably the first time, shedding light on individual events, so that while reading we can feel the real life of that time.
The history of the churches of that time is extremely interesting. The author points out that Konavle was indisputably Catholic, under the influence of episcopal centers from Kotor to Bar on the one hand and Dubrovnik on the other. However, Orthodoxy appeared at the end of the 12th century with the expansion of the Raška (pre-Serbian) authority of the coastal regions around Konavle.
Kapetanić mentions the monastery at Poljice, most likely at the site of Mirine on the border with Mikulići, the priestly family of Uskoplje, as well as a succession of church dignitaries connected to the monastery of St. George in Popovići. The author believes that from the end of the 12th century, Orthodoxy appeared in Konavle, coexisting with the Catholicism of this area, and that after the Dubrovnik administration the area was religiously unified to Catholicism.
He pays special attention to the names of settlements, which are an important indicator of feudal estates, as they were most often named after their feudal lords. Today, many Konavle settlement names are from that time. For example, Dunave (1387 - Velun, son of Milatko Dunav from Konavle) or Mrcine (1392 - Obrad Mrcina from Dobruša Radonjina in Konavle). Furthermore, the Gabrili were named after the Gabrilovićes from the 14th century. The same applies to Čilipi, Miočići, Komaji, Radovčići and Mikulići (Nikulić).
The author also describes the economic activities of Konavle before the Dubrovnik period. From numerous trade contracts it is evident that, even before Dubrovnik ruled Konavle, the people of Dubrovnik cooperated with the people of Konavle in raising livestock, in producing honey and in training falcons. There are various contracts on grazing and selling animals, and on falconry and beekeeping that are of particular interest. The information on falconry confirms that Konavle was the center of regional falconry, which is shown by numerous scenes of falcons with riders that appear on stećci tombstones throughout Konavle.
In addition, the people of Konavle supplied the people of Dubrovnik with grain, rye, millet, timber, manure for their gardens, and animals. Some of the people of Konavle went to the city to receive vocational training or simply to find employment.
Kapetanić lists the names of clothing worn by the inhabitants of that time, and which were previously unknown. In previous research, clothing was not considered to be a source of information that tells us about local production, trade, influences, etc. Service contracts list the parts of clothing that servants would receive after their contract was concluded. He shows the names of the clothing items in the original language, as he found them. In this way, he has created a new corpus of information to aid further research into the culture of the Konavle people.
Thus, from the initial intention to process personal names from the 12th to the 14th centuries, the author has shed light on the centuries before the Dubrovnik Republic, and opened important questions to pave the way for further research into the Konavle Middle Ages.
The book has a 3-page Summary in English, which can be seen at Archive.org/details/konavle-book1
Names evolved gradually over time, starting with simple one-word names to names that included the father’s name (patronyms) and eventually to surnames. Surnames, as we know them today, did not exist in the Middle Ages except for some among the aristocracy.
Photography: All photos were taken from the book and used only for the purpose of this blog.
