The House of Cerva or Crijević (, also spelt ''Cereva'', ''Cerieva'', ''Creve'', ''Crieva'', ''Crevice'') was a Ragusan

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

from

Ragusa Ragusa may refer to: Places Croatia * Ragusa, Dalmatia, the historical name of the city of Dubrovnik * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Ragusa Vecchia, historical Italian name of Cavtat, a t ...

(modern Dubrovnik), which held noble titles in the

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...

, and in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

and

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

empires. Descendants of the family live in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

History

The family is traditionally considered to be one of the founders of Ragusa (Dubrovnik), arriving as refugees from

Epidaurum Epidaurus (, ) or Epidauros was an ancient Greek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC and renamed to Epidaurum during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province of Illyricum and later of Dalmatia.Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians ...

(modern

Cavtat Cavtat (, ) is a village in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast south of Dubrovnik and is the centre and the main settlement of Konavle municipality. History Antiquity The original city was founded by the ...

) after its destruction by the

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

and Avars in the 7th century. The ''

Almanach de Gotha The ''Almanach de Gotha'' () is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published in 1763 by C. W. Ettinger in ...

'' enumerates the Cerva among eleven older "native" families of Patrician status. It was first mentioned in 1234. During the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

they used to be considered heirs of the ancient Roman family ''Cervia'' (or ''Cervius''). In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Cerva gave the Republic of Ragusa 419 senior civil officials, representing 4.75% of the total. Similarly, between 1440 and 1640 they counted 109 members of the Great Council (4.95%), 209 senators (6.40%), 121 members of the Minor Council (5.59%), 56 Guardians of Justice (6.82%) and 132 times one of them became a ''Rector Respublicae'' (Chancellor of the Republic) (5.54%). After the fall of the Republic of Ragusa in 1808, the nobility status of the Cerva was recognized by the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

in 1817 and was ratified with the title of

counts Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. The main branch in Dubrovnik became extinct in the 19th century, but descendants of the family branches live in

and

Branches

The Cerva were throughout their history an influential and wealthy family in Ragusa, divided into various branches and combined with other noble families of the town by a series of weddings, which in turn gave rise to additional branches of the house.

Sorgo-Cerva

A branch of the Cerva family married into the

Sorgo family The House of Sorgo (in Italian) or Sorkočević (in Croatian) was the name of a noble family of the Republic of Ragusa. Name Known as ''de Sorgo'', ''Surgo'', ''Sorco'' and ''Surco'' in Italian, their name is derived from sorghum. History Acco ...

, creating a new branch known as the Sorgo-Cerva ().Konstantin Jireček, ''L’eredità di Roma nelle città della Dalmazia durante il medioevo'', III, AMSD XI, Rome 1986, p. 118

Notable people

* Ludovicus Tubero (1455–1527),

Latinist Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area around Rome, Italy. Through the expansion of ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. Between 1490 and 1522 he wrote his most famous work, the ''Commentaria de temporibus suis'', for which he was called ''Sallustio Raguseo'' ('Ragusan

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (, ; –35 BC), was a historian and politician of the Roman Republic from a plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became a partisan of Julius ...

'). * Elio Lampridio Cerva (1463–1520),

Humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

and lexicographer. Arrived in Rome when he was just a child he grew up at the court of

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

studying Roman Academy of Pomponio Leto. Here he became one of the greatest

Latin language Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

poets of those years. * Tommaso Cerva or Toma Crijević (16th century), Dominican, lawyer, bishop of

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...

and Mercana, director of the church of

Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ...

between 1541 and 1559 and general vicar of the archbishop of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

, Giovanni Angelo

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

, who became

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

in 1559. * Serafino Cerva or Serafin Crijević (1696–1759), historian, translator of several works from Italian to Latin. He also wrote in Latin ''"Monumenta Congregationis di Sancti Dominici Ragusanae", "The sacred city of Dubrovnik" and ''"Bibliotheca Ragusina, in qua Ragusi scriptores, eorum gesta et scripta recensetur"'' later known under the title ''"Vite de uomini illustri Ragusei"''. His works have remained unpublished and are held in the Convent of St. Dominic in Dubrovnik. He died in 1759.

References

Sources

Francesco Maria Appendini Francesco Maria Appendini (November 4, 1768 – 1837) was an Italian Latin and Italian scholar who studied Slavic languages in the Republic of Ragusa. The French invasion prevented him from returning to Italy, and he adopted Republic of Ragusa as hi ...

, ''Notizie istorico-critiche sulle antichità storia e letteratura de' Ragusei'', (''Dalle stampe di Antonio Martecchini''), Ragusa 1803 *

Renzo de' Vidovich Renzo, the diminutive of Lorenzo, is an Italian masculine given name and a surname. Given name Notable people named Renzo include the following: * Renzo Alverà (1933–2005), Italian bobsledder * Renzo Arbore (born 1937), Italian TV host, s ...

, ''Albo d'Oro delle famiglie nobili patrizie e illustri nel Regno di Dalmazia'', Fondazione Scientifico Culturale Rustia Traine, Trieste 2004 * Simeon Gliubich, ''Biographical dictionary of illustrious Dalmatian men'', Vienna-Zadar 1836 * Giorgio Gozzi, ''the free and sovereign Republic of Ragusa 634-1814'', Volpe Editore, Rome 1981 * Robin Harris, ''Storia e vita di Ragusa - Dubrovnik, la piccola Repubblica adriatica'', Santi Quaranta, Treviso 2008 * Konstantin Jireček, ''L’eredità di Roma nelle città della Dalmazia durante il medioevo'', 3 voll., AMSD, Rome 1984-1986 {{Republic of Ragusa Ragusan noble families

History

Branches

Sorgo-Cerva

Notable people

See also

References

Sources