Ostrovica Fortress (; hr, Tvrđava Ostrovica) is a ruined

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on a solid rock jutting from the top of the hill above the village of Ostrovica in

Zadar County Zadar County ( hr, Zadarska županija ) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar. Geography Among the largest towns in the county of Zadar are: Zadar, Benkovac, Bibinje, Bi ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. It is located between the two historical and geographical regions,

Bukovica Bukovica may refer to: Croatia *Bukovica, Dalmatia, a geographical region in Croatia * Bukovica, Sisak-Moslavina County, a village near Topusko * Bukovica, Brod-Posavina County, a village near Rešetari *Nova Bukovica, a village and municipality i ...

and Ravni Kotari. It was once an important stronghold, known as the "Key to the City of

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

", as it was a key defense of the city. It was destroyed during the Ottoman–Venetian Wars in the second half of the 17th century, leaving only a few remains.

History

The name Ostrovica was first mentioned in the second half of the 12th century (according to Croatian historian

Vjekoslav Klaić Vjekoslav Klaić (21 June 1849 – 1 July 1928) was a Croatian historian and writer, most famous for his monumental work ''History of the Croats''. Klaić was born in Garčin near Slavonski Brod as the son of a teacher. He was raised in German ...

), when the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

historian

John Cinnamus Joannes Kinnamos, or John Cinnamus ( el, or Κίναμος; born shortly after 1143, died after 1185), was a Byzantine historian. He was imperial secretary (Greek "grammatikos", most likely a post connected with the military administration) to Em ...

listed the Croatian places conquered by the army of the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...

Manuel I Comnenus Manuel I Komnenos ( el, Μανουήλ Κομνηνός, translit=Manouíl Komnenos, translit-std=ISO; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized Comnenus, also called Porphyrogennetos (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine empero ...

in 1168, quoting, among others,

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

Trogir Trogir (; historically known as Traù (from Dalmatian, Venetian and Italian: ); la, Tragurium; Ancient Greek: Τραγύριον, ''Tragyrion'' or Τραγούριον, ''Tragourion'') is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in S ...

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

Skradin Skradin ( it, Scardona; grc, Σκάρδων) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, with a population of 3,825 (2011 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and ...

and Ostrovica. For the second time ''castrum Ostrovica'' was specified as a place where an army of, then herzog (duke), Andrew II, future Croato-Hungarian king, camped in 1198 on its way back home from a military campaign in the south. The fortress, as well as the whole medieval Bribir Župa (County), was owned by members of the Šubić noble family, known as ''nobiles, comites or principes Breberienses'' (Princes of Breber, "Knezovi Bribirski" in Croatian), until 1347. After the death of Pavao (Paul) II Šubić in 1346, who used to live in Ostrovica, he was succeeded by his underaged son George (Juraj) III Šubić and his son's legal representative (George's uncle and Paul's younger brother) Grgur (Gregory). It was in the very next year, that the ruling king

Louis I Louis I may refer to: * Louis the Pious, Louis I of France, "the Pious" (778–840), king of France and Holy Roman Emperor * Louis I, Landgrave of Thuringia (ruled 1123–1140) * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois ...

demanded from Šubićs to hand him over the fortress, for he wanted to use it as a strategic point in a war against the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. In exchange for it, the king granted them the

Zrin Castle Zrin Castle (''Gradina Zrin'') is a ruined castle located in the village of Zrin, south of the town of Sisak in Dvor municipality, central Croatia. History The castle was first mentioned in the 13th century as a fortress ruled by the Babonić ...

and surrounding estate, a very distant property to the north of the country, actually in lower

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...

, one of Croatian lands. Ostrovica had strategic significance since ancient times. It controlled the important ways and routes in directions of north-south (between Siscia and

Salona Salona ( grc, Σάλωνα) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. Salona was founded in the 3rd century BC and was mostly destroyed in t ...

) as well as of west-east (between

and

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road routes between Zagr ...

). So it helped king Louis to win the war and to liberate

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

from Venetians, which was ended in 1358 by signing the Peace

Treaty of Zadar The Treaty of Zadar, also known as the Treaty of Zara, was a peace treaty signed in Zadar, Dalmatia on February 18, 1358 by which the Venetian Republic lost influence over its Dalmatian holdings. The Treaty of Zadar ended hostilities between Lo ...

. After Louis' death in 1382, the fortress changed various owners in a relatively short period of time. For instance, it was property of Ivan Paližna,

Prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of vrana and Ban (viceroy) of Croatia, and his descendants, then (between 1388 and 1391) of the mighty Bosnian king

Tvrtko I Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, he succeeded his uncle Stephen II ...

, and from 1393 of the Vuk Vukčić Hrvatinić (younger brother of Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, Grand Duke of

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

), who was appointed Ban of Croatia for some time by the

counter-king An anti-king, anti king or antiking (german: Gegenkönig; french: antiroi; cs, protikrál) is a would-be king who, due to succession disputes or simple political opposition, declares himself king in opposition to a reigning monarch. OED "Anti-, ...

Ladislaus of Naples Ladislaus the Magnanimous ( it, Ladislao, hu, László; 15 February 1377 – 6 August 1414) was King of Naples from 1386 until his death and an unsuccessful claimant to the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia. Ladislaus was a skilled political and m ...

. At the beginning of the 15th century, it was

Sandalj Hranić Kosača Sandalj is a village in the municipality of Valjevo, Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the P ...

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...

Hum Hum may refer to: Science * Hum (sound), a sound produced with closed lips, or by insects, or other periodic motion * Mains hum, an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon * The Hum, an acoustic phenomenon * Venous hum, a physiological sensation ...

, who married Katarina, a daughter of Vuk Vukčić Hrvatinić, and was given Ostrovica as her

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

(in spring 1405), together with the Town of Skradin. This was acknowledged by the king Ladislaus in a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

dated 23 March 1407. However, new circumstances occurred in 1409, as Ladislaus sold his rights to Dalmatia to the Republic of Venice. Subsequently negotiated Sandalj Hranić Kosača the terms of delivery of the castle to Venetians and agreed upon its handover for the sum of 5.000

ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

s. An agreement was signed in Zadar on 13 April 1411, and so the Most Serene Republic gradually took over the whole Dalmatia for a while, paying for it the sum of 100.000 ducats to king Ladislaus. The fall of medieval Bosnian Kingdom into Ottoman hands in 1463 meant a new and constant jeopardy for the fortress. However, it remained within territory of the Croato-Hungarian Kingdom until 1523, when it was conquered by the Ottomans, together with surrounding land and villages. In the next decades Ostrovica was subject to face the instability of the

military frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and l ...

between the Ottomans and Venetians and was finally razed to the ground in the second half of the 17th century. According to available sources, the fortress still existed in 1671, as Stojan Janković, a famous warrior against the Turks, was appointed its Venetian military commander. After that, on the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

of Ostrovica's steep rock there were only remains of the ruined fortress left. Today can only some of them be found, like stone water

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

, hewn stone

stairway Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

and fragments of

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

glazed

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

Gallery

File: Ostrovica (Croatia), selo - ulaz.JPG, Traffic sign of the village and the steep rock in the background (south view) File: Utvrda Ostrovica (Croatia) - zapad.JPG, West view of the steep rock File: Ostrovica (Croatia), selo - zapad.JPG, View from the hill above the village to the west

External links

Ostrovica Fortress in the book „Byzanz und Ostmitteleuropa 950-1453" (page 110)

Ostrovica – one of the fortresses in the Krka River area

History of Ostrovica in Croatian Encyclopedia of the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographical Institute in Zagreb

''How Ostrovica and Skradin came into the possession of Bosnian duke Sandalj Hranić'' (scientific work by Dubravko Lovrenović, Zagreb, 1986.)

Stojan Janković was appointed Venetian military commander of the Ostrovica Fortress in 1671

allery-1 target="_blank" class="mw-redirect" title="">
6 Remains of the fortress cistern] {{Castles in Croatia Buildings and structures in Zadar County * Ruined castles in Croatia Medieval architecture Military history of the Kingdom of Croatia

History

Gallery

See also

External links