Last modified: 2007-05-27 by dov gutterman
Keywords: slavonski brod | posavina | brodsko-posavska | resetari | zapolja | star | crown |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
See also:
Other sites:
Reetari is a community in the Slavonski Brod and
Posavina County, 55 m west of Slavonski
Brod, about 5,000 inhabtants, 2,600 in the village of the
same name, which is today actually a suburbia of Nova Gradika. One of the seven
villages composing commuinity is named Zapolja, the origin of the
old Croatian dynasty carrying the same name, mentioned at least
in 12th century. The most important member of the family was Ivan
Zapolja: In the battle of Mohac in 1526 when the joint
Croatian-Hungarian troop were defeated by Turks lead by Suleiman
the Magnificent, resulting in death of many noblemen including
Croatian-Hungarian and Czech king Luis II Jagello (Croatian
Ljudevit II. Jagelovic, Hungarian II. Lajos Jagelló, Czech
Ludvík II. Jagellonský). This left the Croatian and Hungarian
thrones without ruler. The Croatian nobility (meaning those of
western Croatia and Dalmatia) elected the Austrian archduke
Ferdinand I. Habsburg (soon to be elected the emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire as well) for the new king on the Assembly in
Cetingrad, while the Slavonian and Hungarian nobility elected
John Zapolja (Croatian Ivan Zapolja, Hungarian Zápolya János)
for the new king. The fighting for the trone lasted over two
decades weakening the defence against Turks, and John actually
ruled as counter-king to Ferdinand from 1527 until 1540.
I acquired a few days ago a table flag showing the Coat
of Arms of Reetari - the table flag itself is of no
much other interest as it seems to be a souvenir thing - white
with triangular ending containing oversized Coat of Arms and
topped with the inscribed name of the commuinty - I do not think
that it tells us anything about the actual flag of the community.
The Coat of Arms of Reetari is: azure seven mulets or,
three and three and one, and in chief a royal open crown or. The
seven stars stands for the seven villages forming the community,
the crown refers to the Croatian-Hungarian king John Zapolja. The
Coat of Arms is adopted I guess around 2005, together with some
flag (monocoloured with Coat of Arms in the middle, almost
certainly) and probably with a ceremonial flag as well. The
design seems to suggest the Rijeka company Heraldik-art.
eljko Heimer, 15 December 2006
image by eljko Heimer,15 December 2006