The Branimir inscription ( hr, Natpis kneza Branimira) is the oldest preserved monument containing an inscription defining a Croatian medieval ruler as a duke of Croats – '. The inscription was originally a part of templon of a church in Šopot at Benkovac built by

Duke Branimir Branimir ( la, Branimiro) was a ruler of Croatia who reigned as duke ( hr, knez) from 879 to 892. His country received papal recognition as a state from Pope John VIII on 7 June 879. During his reign, Croatia retained its sovereignty from both F ...

, who ruled Croatia from 879–892.

Description

The

inscribed {{unreferenced, date=August 2012 An inscribed triangle of a circle In geometry, an inscribed planar shape or solid is one that is enclosed by and "fits snugly" inside another geometric shape or solid. To say that "figure F is inscribed in figur ...

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

and gable fragments contain a Latin language reference to Branimir as ("the count Branimir… considered duke of the Croats…"). The first two words are inscribed on the beam fragment, and the rest on the wide and tall gable fragment. Both of the fragments have matching ornamentation along the top edge, with a cross executed in

Croatian interlace The Croatian interlace or Croatian wattle, known as the or in Croatian, is a type of interlace, most characteristic for its three-ribbon pattern. It is one of the most often used patterns of pre-romanesque Croatian art. It is found on and with ...

on the gable and a pair of birds, one to either side of the cross. The fragments were originally parts of a templon in a church completed in the 9th century and consecrated to Saint Jerome. The church was built by Branimir, who reigned in 879–892. The inscription is kept in

Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments The Museum of Croatian Archaeological Monuments ( hr , Muzej hrvatskih arheoloških spomenika) located at Meštrovićevo šetalište 18, Split, Croatia, is the only museum in the country dedicated to researching and presenting cultural artifacts of ...

in Split.

The inscription is significant for the history of Croatia as it represents one of the oldest surviving references to a Croatian ruler, but also the earliest fully recorded use of the particular name for Croats. There are five other preserved stone inscriptions mentioning Branimir, found in Nin, Ždrapanj near Skradin, Otres near Bribir, in Muć Gornji near Split, and latest found in Lepuri near Benkovac. The one found in Muć contains the consecration year, dating the inscription to year 888. The oldest epigrahic inscription of a Croatian ruler are most probably those of Mislav of Croatia. A possibly older references to a Croatian

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

have been confirmed in a church inscription found in

Bijaći Bijaći ( it, Santa Marta) is a village in Croatia, northeast of Trogir, at the contact point between the Trogir part and the Lower Kaštela part of the Velo field. It was first mentioned in two old Croatian documents from AD 852 (Byaci) and AD ...

near Trogir dated to the end of the 8th or early 9th century; and a charter of duke Trpimir I of Croatia from the year 852, however, its original is lost, and analyses of its 1568 copy indicate it might not indeed be older than the Branimir inscription.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Branimir Inscription 9th century in Croatia Croatian culture Old Croatian inscriptions 888 Benkovac Medieval Latin inscriptions