Hrvatsko plemstvo u borbi protiv Osmanlija. Primjer obitelji Berislavića Grabarskih iz Slavonije
Croatian nobility in clash with the Ottoman Empire Examples of the Berislavići Grabarski from Slavonia

Summary/Abstract: The leading role of aristocracy in the medieval kingdom of Hungary and Croatia was rather obvious during the wars against Ottomans. Members of this class were backbone of the military force of the Kingdom, they maintained important state duties, and above all many of them financed war and defense against Ottomans. Barring this in mind, situation in Slavonia was not much different than in the rest of the Croatian lands. Moreover, importance of nobles in this region was related with the fact that fighting the Ottomans they in fact defended south-eastern borders of the Kingdom, especially after Bosnian Kingdom had collapsed under the Ottoman rule (1463). In this article author examines noble kindred Berislavić Grabarski and their participation in the clash with Ottomans. Members of this family preformed many important state duties, such as ban of Jajce and Srebrenik. Sources mention Franjo Berislavić Grabarski as ban of Jajce in 1494 and in the period between 1499 and 1503. His cousin Ivan was ban of Srebrenik in 1494, and he preformed duty of ban of Jajce between 1511 and 1513. Moreover, Bartol Berislavić Grabarski, who was prior of very important monastery in Vrana, was also ban of Jajce in 1507, and Ivan and his son Stjepan preformed duty of Serbian despot and responsible for the defense of the south Hungary. Reasons for such exceptional success were rather prosaic – this family owned many landed property and thus king could rely that they will be able to finance defense by themselves. By the same token, position of these possessions nearby border with Ottomans encouraged members of Berislavić family to play an active role in the defense of the Kingdom. Similarly, they enforced their actions by rebuilding of the old fortifications, building of roads, settling of refugees and recruiting them for the defense. The last part of the article discusses years just before Slavonia came under the Ottoman rule. During these years situation in the Kingdom was terrible – royal treasury was empty, Ottoman wades more often, and after the death of king Louis (1526) Kingdom was thrown into a war for crown between John I Zápolya and Ferdinand Habsburg. Therefore, author examines attempts of Stjepan Berislavić Grabarski to retain his possessions and life, often collaborating even with Ottomans. However, these attempts were not successful since after the Stjepan’s death his land came under the Ottoman rule.

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