Odnosi gradskoga plemstva i bribirskih knezova Šubića: Prilog poznavanju međusobnih odnosa hrvatskih velikaša i srednjovjekovnih dalmatinskih komuna
The relationship between the urban nobility and the counts Šubić of Bribir: a contribution to the study of the relationship between Croatian magnates

Summary/Abstract: The relationship between Croatian magnates and the nobility of medieval Dalmatian communes has not been neglected by Croatian historians. Already “the father of Croatian historiography” John Lučić-Lucius, himself a Trogir patrician, dedicated considerable attention to that topic, and so did medieval chroniclers-historians writing on the Croatian territories. Yet in spite, or perhaps precisely because, of that both the older and more recent Croatian historiography took a rather one-sided perspective. They observed the events from the urban perspective and so communicated to the readership an anachronistic and incorrect picture of the medieval reality. By doing so, they created an impression that Dalmatian communes were the most important and almost dominant factor in the polygon of forces that in the late Middle Ages emerged around them under the influence of the king of Croatia-Hungary, Croatian magnates, Venice and the towns themselves, headed by their nobilities. This historiographical problem becomes obvious when studying the history of the Croatian magnate kindred, the counts of Bribir, also known since the fourteenth century as the Šubić family. They are the most prominent heroes and anti-heroes of the mentioned medieval chronicles. This article will briefly outline the chronology of the events and describe the character of their relationships with Dalmatian communes and their nobilities. The members of the kindred first obtained committal posts in Dalmatian towns in the early thirteenth century. The rule over these urban communities became, from the 1220s, an important item in the political plans of the leading family members: counts Višen, Gregory, Stephen, Stjepko, who succeeded in imposing their rule over the majority of the towns by the early 1250s, as well as in acquiring the position of leading magnates in Croatia. Under Paul I and his brothers, the Šubić successfully legalized their position by Paul’s appointment as the ban of Croatia. In this period, all the towns in the area from Velebit to Omiš, with the exception of Zadar, came under their direct rule. The importance of that area further increased when the Šubići became directly involved in the dynastic crisis in the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia. They became the most prominent supporters of the Neapolitan Anjou in the struggle for the crown, for which they needed an unimpeded maritime access to Southern Italy. Although the cities had tried to resist the excessively strong influence of Paul and his brothers until the mid-1280s, they soon realized that their opposition was futile and reconciled themselves with the situation. Moreover, the rule of the Šubići provided them with palpable benefits. The urban communities became part of a strong and well-organized territorial unit, which in turn provided conditions for their peaceful and safe development. The occasional lesser resistances of the cities to the policies of Ban Paul and his successor Ban Mla

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