Last modified: 2008-07-05 by dov gutterman
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Quoted from <www.hr/hrvatska/HRgradovi/Slavonija/Slavonija.html>:
"Slavonia and Baranya occupies the eastern part of the
Croatia, being covered by the territories of five counties. The Slavonski Brod and Sava Basin County, the Osijek and Baranya County, the Pozega and Slavonia County, the Vukovar and Srijem County and the Virovitica and Drava Basin County. "
I.e. Slavonia is region of Croatia between rivers Sava and Drava
(and Baranya is on "other" side of Drava).
Historically, Croatia was known as kingdom of Croatia and
Slavonia within the Hungarian kingdom and Dalmatia within
Austrian part of Habsburg empire.
However, the Coat of Arms shown there is wrong. The three martens
Coat of Arms is shown on some old maps, including one map made in
17th century which was rather popularized here due to a high
quality reprint made some 15 years ago (I happened to have a copy
of it above my desk). I'm almost sure that the image on the site
is scanned from that reprint. The Coat of Arms that should have
been used is the Slavonian Coat of Arms representing a marten
running on red (or earlier also green) field between two wavy
lines of white all on blue background and with a mullet Or in
chief. Something like the sinistermost Coat of Arms in the crest
over the Coat of Arms on Croatian flag.
Željko Heimer and Dov Gutterman , 4 March
2000
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 November 2007
The 33rd flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All
Kingdoms [e9s50], late 14th cent.,
is attributed to "Esclavonia", a Spanish archaism for
Slavonia. This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated
transcription [e9s05], a
vertically divided flag, red at the hoist with a small white
8-pointed star on the middle and yellow in the fly side; the flag
shown in the ogival default shape of this source.
The anonymous author of [e9s50]
describes the flag thusly: «E el rey d’esta Esclavonia á
por seńales un pendón amarillo a meitades, en la meitad bermeja
que está cerca la vara está una estrella blanca, e la otra
meitad del cabo es amarilla atal.» (And the king of this
Slavonia has for sign a yellow pendon in halves, on the red half
which is near to the rod is a white star and the other half at
the end is yellow like this.)
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 November 2007
"Esclavonia" stands indeed for Slavonia - although
this name today refers to that part of Croatia between rivers of
Drava and Sava in the east of the country, in medieval period, it
was the name used for entire Croatia excluding present day
Dalmatia, but including parts of modern north-eastern Bosnia more
or less. The device show is the "banner of arms" of the
family of Frangopan (Frankopani, Frangipani), princes who ruled
large pats of (modern) north-western Croatia, with
the seat on the island of Krk. Numerous present day coats of arms
(and flags) of cities and communities in croatia refer in this or
that manner to the historical importnat family and their
red-yellow Coat of Arms with a star.
This Coat of Arms is reflected in many modern designs. The one
that comes to mind is for example Josipdol
(Karlovac County, Croatia), although this may not be the best
example. It may well be that the red-yellow flag of the Karlovac county is also reflecting this old
Coat of Arms of Frankopan princes. Frankopan family used an other
Coat of Arms as well showing two lions rampant breaking bread,
reflected in a number of other modern Coat of Arms (and flags) as
well.
Željko Heimer, 19 November 2007