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Ferdo Šišić (, 9 March 1869 – 21 January 1940) was a Croatian historian, the founding figure of the Croatian historiography of the 20th century. He made his most important contributions in the area of the Croatian early Middle Ages.


Life

Šišić was born in
Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...
. After graduating from the comprehensive school in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
in 1888, he studied at the
Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
at the
University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...
, earning a teacher's diploma in the summer of 1892. He worked as a teacher at high schools in
Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...
from 1892 to 1893, Zagreb from 1893 to 1894,
Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
from 1894 to 1902 and again in Zagreb from 1902 to 1906. Šišić continued his studies in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, where he met individuals who informed his vocation, including Vatroslav Jagić. Šišić returned to Zagreb after the 6th semester and attended the lectures of
Tadija Smičiklas Tadija "Tade" Smičiklas (1 October 1843 – 8 June 1914) was a Croatian historian and politician. He was a professor at the Zagreb university and a member of the Croatian Academy. A member of the Illyrianist People's Party (Kingdom of Croatia), ...
and
Tomislav Maretić Tomislav Maretić (13 October 1854 – 15 January 1938) was a Croatian linguist and lexicographer. He was born in Virovitica, where he attended primary school and the gymnasium (school), gymnasium in Varaždin, Požega, Croatia, Požega and Zag ...
. In 1900 he obtained his Ph.D. at the Zagreb University with the work "''Zadar and Venice from 1159 to 1247''". In 1902 he earned his
habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
with the work "''Miha Madijev de Barbezanis''" and became the private assistant professor for Croatian history from the 12th to the 15th century (i.e. until 1409). He was suspended in 1908, but rehired in 1909 as a casual university professor. In 1910 he became a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. He worked continually a university professor until the summer 1937/38 semester, before retiring due to a heart condition and to political conflicts among the students at Zagreb University. He died on 21 January 1940 in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
.


Historian

As a scientist, Šišić was primarily interested in the history of the early and high
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
in Croatia. His greatest work is ''History of the Croats Under Home Rule''. His most popular work is ''Overview of the History of the Croatian People'', which was edited by Jaroslav Šidak and widely used for almost five decades. ''History of the Croats under the Arpad Kings (1102-1301)'', an unfinished compilation published after his death, is generally considered below the level of his ''magnum opus''. Other notable Šišić's books are the important monograph on
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (c. 1350–1416) was a medieval Bosnian nobleman and magnate, Grand Duke of Bosnia, Knez of Donji Kraji, and Duke of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Hrvatinić noble family, and one of the major feu ...
and a critical edition of ''Dukljanin's Chronicles''. His compilations of Croatian history of later periods (from the 15th to the 19th century) are not as valuable as his epochal history of the Croatian early Middle Ages. Particularly valuable is his handbook on the sources of Croatian history ''Priručnik izvora hrvatske historije'', published in 1913, as well as the only presentation of Croatian historiography to date ''Hrvatska historiografija od XVI do XX stoljeća'' (published in ''Jugoslovenski istorijski časopis''). The work of Ferdo Šišić is characterized by a systematic, objective and informed approach. His opus, however, is the high point of "genetic history" or the archivist's approach, which patiently weaves the tapestry of the chosen period without engaging in speculations that are sometimes necessary to fill the gaps left open by archive materials. Also, Croatian historiography came to be dominated by the multidisciplinary approach combining demographics, culturology, history of economy and art only in the second half of the 20th century, putting Šišić in the position of a classic who laid inestimable foundations but cannot be the role model for contemporary historical science.


Politician and archivist

Šišić was politically engaged as a member of the Croato-Serbian Coalition from 1908 to 1917. His biographers sometimes talk about Šišić's political inconstancy, material ambitions, weak character and opportunism. Šišić's political career however is not particularly significant. His lasting contribution to the Croatian culture and science is his gigantic and painstaking opus in historiography, including more than 450 works. Another relevant aspect of his work is the personal library he built during his life, containing more than 20,000 titles (books, articles, historiography collections). When he died, those books became the most valuable part of the collection of the
Croatian State Archives The Croatian State Archives () are the national archives of Croatia located in its capital, Zagreb. The history of the state archives can be traced back to the 17th century. There are also regional state archives located in Bjelovar, Dubrovnik ...
in Zagreb. As an expert archivist, Šišić diligently collected materials from numerous collections in Croatia, but also in Hungary, Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic and Slovakia.


Works

* ''Hrvatski saborski spisi'' (Documents of the Croatian Parliament) * ''Ljetopis popa Dukljanina'' (Dukljanin's Chronicles) * ''Korespodencija Rački-Strossmayer'' (Correspondence between Rački and Strossmayer) * ''Dokument o postanku Kraljevine SHS'' (Document on the Creation of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...
) * ''Hrvatska povijest'' (Croatian History) * ''Pregled povijesti hrvatskog naroda'' (Overview of the History of the Croatian People) * ''Povijest Hrvata u vrijeme narodnih vladara'' (History of the Croats Under Home Rule), Zagreb, 1925 * ''Povijest Hrvata za kraljeva iz doma Arpadovića (1102.-1301.)'' (History of the Croats under the Arpad Kings (1102–1301), Zagreb, 1944


References


External links


Maps of Croatia in the 10th and 11th centuries, from Šišić's books
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sisic, Ferdo 1869 births 1940 deaths People from Vinkovci 20th-century Croatian historians Croatian medievalists Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Representatives in the Croatian Parliament (1848–1918) Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Yugoslav historians Historians from Austria-Hungary