Croatian Nobility Association Great Nobiliary Council 2018

Mate Božić (born February 28, 1981.) is a Croatian historian, writer and author.

Biography

Mate Božić was born in

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, enter ...

where he attended

Classical Gymnasium ''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school'' or t ...

before graduating from the

University of Split The University of Split (, ) is a university located in Split, Croatia. It was founded in 1974. and is organized in 13 faculties and 124 faculty programmes. As of 2009, a total of approximately 40,000 students have graduated, and a total of 337 ...

Faculty of Humanities 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 ...

with a degree in history and philosophy. During his undergraduate studies, he was one of the founders of the student

historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of people, or topic. They play a crucial role in promoting historical awareness and understan ...

"Toma Arhiđakon", the student history journal "Pleter" (at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Split University) and theological-

philosophical journal Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on ...

"Odraz". He is member of the Croatian Heraldic and Vexillological Association, Croatian Philosophical Society, as well as the coordinator of "Regnum Croatorum" ( archeological tourism) project, "Škola heraldike" (

Klis Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. Population In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements: * Bršta ...

) and "Mala škola filozofije" (

Solin Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro. Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...

). Being a reputable expert on Croatian heraldry Božić's principal

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

focus is the study of Croatian

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

theory and practice, as well as historical-philosophical subjects of the Croatian early

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 ...

. Serving as a

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

of the ''Historical unit'' ''Kliški uskoci'' ("

Uskoks The Uskoks (, , singular: ; notes on naming) were irregular soldiers in Habsburg Croatia that inhabited areas on the eastern Adriatic coast and surrounding territories during the Ottoman wars in Europe. Bands of Uskoks fought a guerrilla wa ...

of Klis") he additionally contributed to the foundation of the historical early

medieval reenactment Medieval reenactment is a form of historical reenactment that focuses on re-enacting European history of the Middle Ages, broadly the period from the Decline of the Roman Empire to about the end of the 15th century. The first part of this period ...

group "Praetoriani Croatorum". He shares and popularizes his findings through "GottschTalk" blog postings and as a columnist through a series of essays published by

Kaštela Kaštela () is a town in Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is an agglomeration of seven individual settlements which are administered as a single municipality, with populations individually ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 residents. The town is located no ...

and

web portal A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displayin ...

s, where he lives and works.Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. "Nastanak hrvatskih grbova: Podrijetlo, povijest i simbolika od 13. do 16. stoljeća" // ''Gordogan, 35–36 (2017.)''; 22 – 68 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-casopis/291537

Symbolism of the Croatian Coat of Arms

One of Božić's most significant scientific contributions lies in his research on the

Croatian coat of arms The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia () consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard that consists of 13 red and 12 white fields. It is also informa ...

. He contends that the emblem symbolizes a fortress rather then simply a checkboard pattern, framing it as a representation of

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

as a " bulwark of Christianity" in the context of historical conflicts with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. His presentation and writings emphasize that this

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

has deep-rooted significance that aligns with the country's historical struggles and

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

Deklaracija HAZU o povijesnom hrvatskom grbu 5

Božić's theories gained acknowledgment through the recent declaration by the

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

(HAZU), which recognized the legitimacy of various forms of the Croatian coat of arms, irrespective of color variations. His participation in discussions surrounding this declaration underscores his role in shaping contemporary understandings of Croatian heraldry and identity.

Selected publications

* – (2014) Božić, Mate. "Udruga studenata povijesti 'Toma Arhiđakon'" ''//'' Spalatumque dedit ortum: zbornik povodom desete godišnjice Odsjeka za povijest Filozofskog fakulteta u Splitu = Collected papers on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Department of History, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Split ''/'' I. Basić, M. Rimac (ur.) Split: Odsjek za povijest Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu 2014; str.77–85 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-knjiga/68896 * – (2017) Božić, Mate. "Bitka kod Siska 1593. godine" // ''Pleter, 1 (2017) 1''; str. 177–192 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-casopis/291543 * – (2017) Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. "Nastanak hrvatskih grbova: Podrijetlo, povijest i simbolika od 13. do 16. stoljeća" // ''Gordogan, 35–36 (2017.)''; 22 – 68 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-casopis/291537 * – (2019) Božić, Mate. "'HRVAT' I 'HRVATI' – OD TOPONIMA DO ETNONIMA" // ''Pleter, 3 (2019) 3''; str. 135–176 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-casopis/291541 * – (2021) Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. ''HRVATSKI GRBOVI geneza – simbolika – povijest''. Zagreb, Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada, Filozofski fakultet sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Institut društvenih znanosti; 2021. * – (2022) Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. "Sveti Jeronim u heraldičkoj simbolici" // ''Kroatologija, 13 (2022) 3''; str. 11–27 https://www.croris.hr/crosbi/publikacija/prilog-casopis/325037

References

Notes

Sources

* Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. "Nastanak hrvatskih grbova: Podrijetlo, povijest i simbolika od 13. do 16. stoljeća" // Gordogan, 35–36 (2017.) * Ursić, Luka. "Arheološki turizam – Lino Ursić i Mate Božić" // Humanist – časopis studenata Filozofskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Splitu, 2019. 5 (7) * Božić, Mate; Ćosić, Stjepan. ''HRVATSKI GRBOVI geneza – simbolika – povijest''. Zagreb: Hrvatska sveučilišna naklada, Filozofski fakultet sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Institut društvenih znanosti 2021. * Zeljko Selak, Dragica. "Stari hrvatski grbovi su vrijedno hrvatsko državno znamenje" // Naša ognjišta – hrvatski katolički mjesečnik, 2022. 5 (489)

External links

* Works b
Mate Božić
at th
Croatian Research Information System

2021 public lecture by Mate Božić
on YouTube (80 minutes) (in Croatian)
2023 TV Interview with Mate Božić
on YouTube (20 minutes) (in Croatian)
"Regnum Croatorum"
author column, Dalmatinski portal.hr
"Clipeus Croatorum"
author column, Dalmatinski portal.hr
"MARE NOSTRUM"
author column, SolinLive.com
"Kaštelanske povijesne crtice"
author column, Kastela.com
"HISTORIA SALONITANA +"
author column, SolinLive.com
"Bitka kod Siska 1593. godine"
Pleter: Časopis udruge studenata povijesti Vol. 1., No. 1., 2017. at th
Portal of Croatian scientific and professional journals

""HRVAT" I "HRVATI" – OD TOPONIMA DO ETNONIMA"
Pleter: Časopis udruge studenata povijesti Vol. 3., No. 3., 2019. at th
Portal of Croatian scientific and professional journals

"Sveti Jeronim u heraldičkoj simbolici"
Kroatologija Vol. 13, No. 3, 2022. at th
Portal of Croatian scientific and professional journals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mate Bozic 1981 births Croatian academics 21st-century Croatian historians University of Split alumni Croatian columnists Croatian educators Heraldry Living people