"Croatians" from Carantania

Discoveries made by Nada Klaic, Zagreb,
and Ideological Problems in Slovenian Historiography

Dr. Jožko Šavli

During the first half of the 80s, Mrs. Nada Klaic, the well-known Croatian historian, published an essay in a historian news journal called Zgodovinski casopis (Ljubljana 1984/ 4), titled "Only Carantania could have been the homeland of the Dalmatian Croats" (English translation). She based such a statement upon a quotation made by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenetos in his work "De administrando imperio" from ca. 950: For a great number of years the Croats of Dalmatia were just as obedient to the Franks, as they were previously in their native land. It is the oldest quotation found in historical records, that mentions the Croats, but it is obvious that their existence dates back before that time. One can also say with certainty, that they arrived in Dalmatia - but where did they come from?

In her comments, Nada Klaic individuates three areas in which the historical documents talk about Croats. First, there are the so-called White Croats around Krakow (Poland), further the Croats around Prague (Bohemia), and those in Carantania under Frankish rule. After 743, when Carantania had no choice but to acknowledge the supremacy of the Frankish king, he gave permission to his vassal, the Bavarian Duke Odilo, to assist Carantania in the fight against the Avars, who seriously menaced its existence. Such an acknowledgement was part of the agreement, binding the Carantanians to accept Christianity.


The map of the Klagenfurt/Celovec basin in Carinthia (Austria), in which the centre of the ancient Carantania was found, i.e., the castle Krnski grad (Karnburg), the cathedral of Gospa Sveta (Maria Saal) and the Vojvodski stol (Herzogstuhl) - the Duke's Throne. These objects appear on the map in blue colour. In red colour we have marked the sites of the herwards ("Croats"), which are found among the numerous villages of the free peasants called "kosezi"(Edlinge). In the north-western part is situated the "Croatian district" (pagus Crouati).

In my book about Carantania (Koper 1990), I also dealt with the problem of "Croatians" in Carantania, and at the end I tried to bring the expositions of Nada Klaic. - It is true, many village names in Carantania, the present-day Carinthia, encircled the one-time centre of the Carantanian State, which was found in the Klagenfurt/Celovec basin. They also appear on other strategic posts, for example, in the vicinity of mountain passes. The names appear in different forms, as Kraut, Krabathen, Krabace etc. On the upper Glina River there even has been mentioned a pagus Crouati (Croatian district). These names testify the presence of a Croatian people, but in what manner?

Above all, it is not a question about a nation of Croats, but about a social class. The writer Franc Jeza from Trieste gives us a satisfactory explanation in the chapter Koroški "Hrvati" (Carinthian Croats), published in his book concerning the early history of Carantania (Buenos Aires, 1977). In sense of his Nordic theory, concerning the origin of Slovenians, Franc Jeza explains the word hrvati (croats) as a combination of the Swedish word hoer (army) and the old Nordic word vard (guard).  I think, the first word is close to the word hari, in old Slovenian, which the linguist Matej Bor explains as the modern Slovenian "udari" (beat). Anyway, the original word "hervardi", now hrvati, could only mean the class of war peasants, who were constantly "on guard". When the enemy invaded the country, they took to arms and secured the centre of the state and the strategic posts, until the regular army arrived. And such situations could last for days or even weeks. Thereafter, the regular army would drive the enemy out of the country.

The arms of the family Krottendorfer, which is found in the so-called Codex Cotta (one of the last owners), which was the armorial book of Duke Albert VI (brother of Frederic III), from 1459. The village Krottendorf is situated near Voitsberg, west of Graz. Its name is a corrupted form of the word herwardi or "crouati".  It is assumable that this family was a survivor of the herward class in Carantania.

The Fate of the Hrvati (Croats)

Christianization of Slovenians (Carantanians) was carried out peacefully. However, after the death of Bishop St. Modestus, the apostle of the Carantanians, in 767, the pagan party rose to the first rebellion against foreign missionaries, and the following year they started a second rebellion, both suppressed by Hotimir, the Carantanian Duke. After his death, the third rebellion broke out in 770, and then the pagan party victoriously expelled all foreign priests and missionaries from the country.

Nevertheless, this was breach of contract with the Frankish king, concerning the Christianization of Slovenians. And in 772, the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III, in name of the Frankish king, invaded Carantania, defeated the pagan party there and let re-establish the Christian government anew. This is documented in scarce historical records.

In my opinion, however, the pagan party in Carantania, that arose against Christianization, could only have been the class of the hrvati (croats), who in the new social order were losing their former leading position and, very probably, all privileges connected with it. After their defeat by the "Franks" (Bavarians), most of them must have left Carantania. The same Constantine Porphyrogenetos says, because the Franks murdered even their children... Thus, they resettled in Dalmatia, where they, as a potent military class, fought against the Avars and Byzantines, founded a new state, and even called it Hrvatska (Croatia).

I do not object the tradition of the Croatian statehood, which could have its origin still in the Ostrogothic State after the decline of the Roman Empire. Although, at the time, when the Carantanian hrvati arrived in Dalmatia, such a state did not exist. Therefore, the new state took on the name of its founders, hervardi, hrvati, who in this way together with the people there became the nation of the Hrvati (Croats).

This is my conclusion. Nada Klaic in her essay did not come to such a conclusion, and she limited herself to say, that only Carantania could have been the ancient homeland of the Dalmatian Croats. To say more, I think, was not possible, because of Croatian national pride. What the Croatian side concerns, people could not accept the explanation, that their historical statehood originated in Carantania (Slovenia) hrvati or hervardi. Therefore, the Nada Klaic essay was, and still is ignored.

Ideological Premisses

The aforesaid essay of Nada Klaic was only published in Ljubljana (Slovenia) but not in Zagreb (Croatia), even though, both cities were at that time still under the common rule of Yugoslavia. In spite of this, it is very interesting, that a publication was possible at all in Ljubljana. Because Nada Klaic criticises in her essay heavily the explanations given on the same topic by the then leading Slovenian historian Bogo Grafenauer († 1995) and his predecessor, the late historian Ljudomil Hauptmann († 1968), who openly explained Slovenian history in sense of the Yugoslav unitarism.

Ljudomil Hauptmann declared, interpreting the historical records "scientifically" in sense of the Yugoslav unitarism, that Slovenians in their whole history should have been slaves and serfs, first occupied by the Avars, then by the Croats, and finally by the Germans. In this way, since the period after WW1, he humiliated Slovenians, which was welcomed by the hegemonistic great-Serbian Belgrade, assuring him a successful academic career.

On the other side, the Belgrade regime had spread among the same Croatian circles the affirmation, that Slovenians were nothing more than "Alpine Croats". An affirmation, which was likely well accepted in a friendly way on the Croatian part, but in fact it put another ideological pressure on Slovenians. They still today remember such a Croatian friendly "imperialism".

I think, that Nada Klaic was not aware of all the backgrounds. She fought but also for a very interpretation of the Slovenian history and this free of all ideological premises, against interpretations of the same Slovenian historians, who followed the Belgrade course. They obviously did not like to support her appearance in public. At one time, a gathering took place in Celje (October 1, 1982), discussing "the Counts (princes) of Cilli". Her beautiful contribution on this theme was criticised in an article entitled (in English) "Against the myths concerning the Counts of Cilly" (Nasi razgledi, February 11, 1983), written by a certain Dr. Ignacij Voje.  

The word "myth" referred to a different interpretation of Slovenian history in confrontation to the official one, and was usually used by the Yugoslav (great-Serbian) secret service. Of course, Nada Klaic reacted on this challenge by publishing in the same magazine an argumented response (April 8, 1983). In reading it, I was attracted by the designation "The most beautiful Slovenian history".  I knew all the falsification of Slovenian history in sense of different ideologies, and I was delighted of such words given by this famous Croatian historian.

In the following years I exchanged some letters with Nada Klaic, and she always explained to me very kindly several problems concerning the explanation of historical events. After some years she died, but she remained in my thankful memory forever. In the ideological terror of those times she courageously fought for the historical truth.