
	The Carantanian Army


	The Carantanian Society

Great Carantania

and the pre-heraldic signs of its political and social structure

it was the predecessor of Austria and Slovenia

952 - 1180

Dr. Jožko Šavli

During the period of the WW1, the idea of a multinational Austrian State was on its way to a final collapse. The wide-spread conception of a German leading role in millenary Austria, as it was introduced through the educational system during the last decades of its existence, prevailed completely. Even the young Emperor Carl, a very noble-minded person, could not step away from such thinking, as Prof. F. W. Foerster's words bear witness from an audience with the Emperor and his opinions regarding the then nationalism: Austria is neither a German nor a Slav state. The Germans were, it is true, the founders of the Danube Monarchy; but they are a minority surrounded and permeated by aspiring nations; they can be the leader of younger civilizations if they give an example of the highest culture and meet the new and rising races with love, respect and generosity... (cf. Count Artur Polzer-Hoditz: The Emperor Karl, London 1931 p. 337). - Such interpretations based on the supposition, that feudalism, which in the 10th century finally prevailed in Carantania (the predecessor of Austria), was a "German" social order. As a consequence, Germans should have been the founders of Austria, like Emperor Carl himself believed.

Of course, this widely held view was a distortion of the historical truth carried out by academic circles, in sense of the pan-German ideology on the one side, and the pan-Slav ideology on the other. At that time, Austria had lost its proper historiography, it was subjected to the impact of the above-mentioned ideological movements, which explained history in sense of the great nations of Germans and Slavs, who in fact are only academic constructions. The honest truth is that Austria and its predecessor Carantania appear in this way as a country not only without a proper history but also without a proper statehood. Let us present a chapter of Austria's origin, which, as a consequence of obsolete ideologies, still today is ignored by the Austrian-, as well as the German-, Slovenian- (Yugoslav), and many other historians.

Great Carantania (952 - 1180) and its marches

It extended from the Bohemian border to Verona in Italy

The Great Duchy
In 952, Otto I the Great, King of the Eastern Franks, (since 962 Emperor), founded Great Carantania. It was a Great Duchy, based on the older Slovenian State formation called Carantania (mentioned in the records already in 595 AD). Thus, in sense of the historical political tradition, Great Carantania was a Slovenian Medieval State. However, it was much greater than the former duchy, because it also included parts of the non-Slovenian ethnical territory. Great Carantania extended from Bohemia across the Eastern Alps until Verona (Italy). Its primary task was to defend the Kingdom of the Eastern Franks (later called Germany) against Hungarian and Byzantinian invasions coming from the East and South-East.

Great Carantania was first governed by Otto I' younger brother, Duke Henry († 955), who at the same time was also the Duke of Bavaria. He was succeeded by his son Duke Henry the Quarreller. However, it is not true, that Great Carantania was "a part" of Bavaria , because they shared a common duke during that period. Such interpretation is wrong and can be compared to the English Crown, interfering with independent countries like modern Canada or Australia, by denying them independence… So, when in 976 new duke was appointed to rule Great Carantania, the duchy did not "separate" from Bavaria, neither was a "new" duchy established at that time.

In modern Austria the year 976 is defined as the beginning of Carinthia (Carantania) and Austria. This viewpoint, of course, contradicts the historical truth, that Carantania itself was a much older State formation. It also suppresses, that Margrave Leopold, at that time appointed in the Eastern March (Austria), was a descendant of the Luitpoldinger, who originally were a Carantanian and not a Bavarian family. Even ca. 70 years later this lineage became incorrectly known as the Babenberg family. The Eastern March advanced to a duchy as early as in 1156.

Usually, the historical reviews omit the northern territory of Great Carantania, i.e., the March of Traun and the Eastern March (including the Hungarian and Bohemian March) do not appear as part of Great Carantania. But such a display gives an incorrect picture. Indeed, I find the arms of the Margrave of Traun in the Carantanian colours (divided per pale, Sable and Argent). In the arms of the Eastern March, which since 876 shared a common military command with Bavaria, appeared first the eagle, i.e., the battle-sign of the Kingdom of the Eastern Franks. It was used until 1230. Anyway, the territory of both marches continued to belong to the Carantanian civilian administration.

The later, as well as today's shield of Upper Austria bears the following: divided per pale, Eagle and two stripes. I consider the two stripes as the sign of the Northern Command of the Carantanian army. Likewise, the shield with a fess for (Lower) Austria after 1230 could have very probably derived from the former one stripe, the sign of the Carantanian Eastern Command.

The signs of the military commanders in the Carantanian army:

Duke, Margrave, Count, Castellan, and the signs of the central and peripheral commands:

Panther (Central Command)

One stripe (Eastern Command)

Two Stripes (Northern Command)

Three Stripes (Western Command)

The Carantanian Army
Until now, historians never took into consideration the existence of the Carantanian army within the great duchy. In the one-time, and also in modern Austria, in sense of the anti-Slovenian ideology this historical question has been ignored again. On the Slovenian (Yugoslav) side, in sense of the centralized directives from Belgrade, until today the "German" occupation of the Slovenian Carantania (ca. 820) and, in this way, the "loss" of its independence has been stressed in the interpretation of Slovenian history.

In fact, after Christianization, Carantania like other duchies and kingdoms in Western Europe, became part of the confederated state, which later was called the Holy Roman Empire. Anyway, the Carantanian army continued to exist as an effective force. In 1056, for example, this army prevented Duke Kuno from entering the country, when he arrived with his escort from Milan. Thus, because the royal court had appointed him as the new duke of Carantania without obtaining the consensus of the Carantanian assembly.

In heraldic figures, which bore the arms of Carantanian families, the battle-array of the Carantanian army from pre-heraldic times (before 12th century) is still recognizable. It is presented as follows:

The Central Command of the Carantanian army pertained to the Carantanian Duke and included the Central Duchy of Carinthia. In spite of the fact, that the peripheral areas were commanded by high officials (margraves, counts, castellans), who were quite autonome and of proper military competence, there were also the peripheral military commands in full operation: the Eastern Command, the Northern Command, and the Western Command. This is derivable from the heraldic signs, which appear in the posterior coats of arms of several Caratanian families.

The sign of the Central Command was the Black Panther on a white field. First it was carried as a molded figure on a pale wooden slab, and very probably as a gonfalon, too. The sign of the Eastern Command had one black stripe, that of the Northern Command two black stripes, and that of the Western Command three black stripes. Anyway, in this connection I have to mention, that I could not find any typical heraldic signs that would identify the marches of Carniola and Istria. They could have pertained to the Central Command, or, there might have been even a separate military command for these marches, whose sign I could not individuate.

The Duchy of Carinthia, surrounded by several marches, represented the centre of Great Carantania. TheVojvoda (veliki knez , duke) was the ruler as well as the military commander of the duchy. A march (krajina) was in fact a military province led by a Krajnik or mejni grof (margrave, Markgraf). His identifying sign was: divided per pale, Sable and Argent. Anyway, there was not always a clear division of power between the military and the civilian government, because they were carried out by one and the same person. A minor administrative, as well as a minor military entity was the county (grofija), the head of which was the Grof or local knez (count, Graf). His sign was: quarterly, Sable and Argent. The basic administrative entity was the town district, whose administrator and commander was the Gradnik (castellan or burgrave, Burggraf). His sign was: Argent, a cheveron Sable.

The civilian and military organization of Great Carantania reflected the structure of a feudal State after the Frankish example. The aforesaid dignitaries pertained to the aristocracy (knezi, visoko plemstvo, Hoher Adel). - The administration of Great Carantania and of its predecessor, Ancient Carantania, was led by the Duke (vojvoda, a military title), or Great Prince (veliki knez, a civilian title). - In Great Carantania, the office of the margrave was a newly introduced position, and I think the original Slovenian name for it was krajnik - this appellation is still preserved in Slovenian surnames. The appellate "krajišnik" used by B. Grafenauer, is not a proven word in the records and does not correspond in sense to the Slovenian language. In modern Slovenian history books the margrave is called a "mejni grof", which is only a literal translation of the German Markgraf.

The name grof (count) is very probably a loan-word from the German word Graf, which replaced the aforesaid Slovenian appellate. But, it cannot be compared with the more specific title knez, as it would have been proper for Great Carantania.

The name grof (count) is very probably a loan-word from the German word Graf, which replaced the aforesaid Slovenian appellate. But, it cannot be compared with the more specific title knez, as it would have been proper for Great Carantania.

The local dignitaries of ancient Carantania were called knezi (princes) and had the rank of a count. The name grof (count) is very probably a loan-word from the German word Graf, which replaced the aforesaid Slovenian appellate. But, it cannot be compared with the more specific title krajnik, as it would have been proper for Great Carantania. The name gradnik for castellan has also been preserved as a Slovenian surname. Around the year one thousand, a family from the Aquileia area resettled in Venice; their surname Gradenigo (from gradnik) has been preserved until today. This is a proof that the Slovenian appellate really existed.

Normally, the Duke or his marshal, respectively, gave the mobilization call up (bojni poziv, Aufgebot). However, during the middle of the 12th century, the mobilization call up came under the jurisdiction of the Margrave of the Carantanian March (later Styria, because this march bordered on Hungary, which at that time still menaced the Kingdom from the east.

A particular study would be necessary, as to individuate the seats of the peripheral commands. The western seat was very probable first in Friuli. When in 1077 this march advanced to a dukedom, the seat was transferred to Lienz in the Upper Drava Valley. The arms of the Counts of Goerz, who originated from Lienz, bore in their arms three stripes besides the lion (originally a panther). In the 14th century, the three stripes still appear in the arms of Erasmus Logar (Lueger), who for a certain period was the commander of Lienz.

The signs of the social ranks in the Carantanian society:

dvornik (courtier)

mocnik (representative of authority)

boljec (noble)

svobodin (noble freeman)

ernic (militia man)

osez (free porter)

vitez (unfree noble)

The Carantanian Society
The coats of arms of several Carantanian families also show the appurtenance of their former rank and social class. The Carantanian society was evidently a combination of the previous Slovenian and the posterior feudal social order. I suppose, several court offices existed already in ancient Carantania and thereafter in Great Carantania. B. Grafenauer, the self-willed Slovenian historian, calls the duke's suite "družina" (feudal family) and their members "družiniki" after the Russian (Kiev) example. But such appellate is nowhere to be found in the records. There, the offices are mentioned not earlier then after the decline of Great Carantania, i.e., under the reign of Duke Bernard of Carinthia (1202 - 1256).

They already reflect the structure of the feudal state and are called "Erzämter" in the German records. Duke Bernard was holding court in St. Veit - Št. Vid. The records mention concretely three holders of these offices, albeit there were more: the marshall office occupied by the Karlsberg family, the Kraig (Crivic) family held the steward office (dapifer, Truchseß, stolnik), and the Osterwitz (Ostrovica) family was holding the cupbearer office (pincerna, Mundschenk, tocaj). The head of this family was officially called the Schenk von Osterwitz (Schenk - cupbearer). The records mention the office of the chamberlain (camerarius, Kämmerer, komornik or hišnik) too, but its bearer is unknown. At Bernard's court we find also a court chaplain. These, and other court offices originated already in an older period. The bearer of such service was very probably called Dvornik (Hofmann, courtier) in Slovenian. His sign: divided per bend, Sable and Argent has later been discovered in the coat of arms of the aforesaid families. The appellation dvornik has been preserved as a Slovenian (and Croatian) surname.

In the countryside, close to the ancient Župan (the head of the village), functioned in sense of the Slovenian social tradition also a representative of the central power, the so-called Mocnik (pron. motchnik), after moc (power, central power). His rank was similar or higher to that of a German Schultheiss. He probably controlled a number of villages. In the posterior arms his sign appears as follows: divided per fess, Sable and Argent. The term mocnik remained also preserved in Slovenian surnames. A family by the name of Mocenigo (a derivation of Mocnik) lived in Venice, whereto they had moved from the area of Aquileia around the year one thousand.

The next rank up in the social hierarchy of Carantania was that of a Boljec (a noble, Adeliger), also called boncina. His sign very probably was: Sable, a bezant Argent. I suppose, in the beginning, the mocnik and the boljec were more or less identical with the German dignitaries called "Edelfreie". Later they formed the class of the Carantanian aristocracy. The expression boljec is equally preserved in various forms of surnames, like Boncina, Bolcina, Bole, Voncina. I found his supportive sign in the arms of the Kuenburg family, who originally came from the Zila (Gail) Valley. This surname, which begins with Kuen- (kühn, in German, meaning also: "im Kampf erfahren" - experienced in fighting) shows the rank of the family and the task of the boljci, the great (nobles).

The Svobodin (free and noble), called "Freie" in German, very probably had the following sign: Sable, a lozenge Argent. These people were identified in general with the gentry' class. The surname Sabadin still records this social rank. The followed the example of the freemen of Trušnje (Trixen) near Völkermarkt - Velikovec (Carinthia), with two lozenges in their arms. The well-known family "Freie von Saneck", the later Counts of Celje, bore in their arms two stripes and not a lozenge. But they descended from the family line of the Wilhelminer, who held the office of the Northern Command.

The following rank after that one was the Cernic (pron. tchernitz), also a freeman. He was a member of the territorial militia, which played an important role, particularly at the border zones. His sign: Sable, a triangle Argent. The territorial militia was called crna vojska (literally: black army). I suppose, almost all their leaders belonged to the class of the gentry. In the 13th century, there was a castellan in Velikovec (Carinthia) by the name of Schwarzman. His surname is clearly an incorrect German translation from the Slovenian cernic: the word cern (guardian) was mistaken for crn (pron. tch'rn - black, in German: schwarz). His arms display the characteristic triangle. Surnames like Cernic, Cerno, Cernigoj, Cerne, Sernec..., the village name Crnci, etc. are still preserved in Slovenia. They also appear literally translated as Schwarzmann in German, or as Negro in Italian...

Further on, I suppose that the Kosez (Edling, in German), who was a free porter with different duties, had the following sign: Sable, a bend Argent. A well-known family in the County of Gorica bore the name Edling with a bend in their arms. This family originated from Carinthia. In Slovenia, even the German translation of "kosez" is Edling, meaning a free people, that the German part considered semi noble. The names of villages, like Koseze or Kazaze and similar, bear witness of the existence of this social class in the Slovenian territory. I believe, that surnames like Kos, Kosec, Kosic... also descend from the one-time "kosez".

In Slovenia, the German translation of "kosez" means also free semi noble people.

The unfree, but still of noble class, was the Vitez (Edelknecht, in German), whose sign was: Sable, a fess Argent, the "vitezi" occupied however very important posts, like master of the castle etc. The word vitez means in Slovenian both, the heavy armed man on horseback (Ritter), as well as the unfree noble man (Edelknecht), who was in service and was the property of the feudal lord.

The farmers were first free and later mostly unfree. As I have noticed, they did not bear a (heraldic) sign. However, several areas of the village communities had their own arms. They were displayed on wooden poles or even on gonfalons.

Wedding in a village of Lower Styria (very probably Veržej) at the end of the 19th century AD. In the picture we see the flag of the village community bearing the sign of a fish.

In 1077, the Friulian March, under the Patriarch of Aquileia, advanced to a duchy. Since then, it was simply called Patriarchate, because the Patriarch administered both, the ecclesiastical and the temporal authority. The feudal structure of the Patriarchate was very similar to that of Carantania, from which numerous noble families originated. In the arms of the Friulian nobility appear the same signs as in Carantania.

In the March of Verona, the Carantanian duke performed the duty of a royal representative (missus dominicus), but this office was dispersed in 1151. In 1156, Austria advanced to a duchy, followed by Styria, in 1180. Great Carantania ceased to exist. Later, under the Habsburgs, it was succeeded by the so-called Inner Austria, which associated with the Carantanian (Slovenian) historical provinces in a narrower sense.

Scholars, who are exposing history within the ideological framework of a modern nation - Austria, Germany, Italy, ex-Yugoslavia - did not objectively ascribe a particular importance to the existence of Great Carantania. They reasoned that the State and its name did not survive in its extent throughout the centuries. Moreover, often they never mentioned its existence at all, and its political identity in quality of the Slovenian State has never been pointed out.

Austrian, Bavarian and also German historians in general consider Carantania and Great Carantania a Bavarian "Ostmark" (Eastern March) only. The Yugo-Slovenian historians evidently have been forced by the centralistic Belgrade regime to present Great Carantania as a "German" political formation, which included also a great part of the Slovenian territory. The great-Serbian regime of Belgrade did not tolerate the idea of a historical Slovenian State.

The political and social structure of Great Carantania was a symbiosis of the ancient Carantanian law - institutio Sclavenica and of the feudal order. Yet, Great Carantania based on the Carantanian law, the other German leges (like lex Bagoariorum, lex Alamannorum...) were referred to individual persons, in particular to German speaking people, who in the Middle Ages settled in several areas of Carantania. Until today, the institutio Sclavenica has never been taken into consideration by the historians.

Selected Bibliography:

•

Josip Mal: Ist das Edlingerproblem wirklich unlösbar?, in: Südostforschungen, Munich 1963

•

Sergij Vilfan: Kmecko prebivalstvo po osebnem položaju /The peasant people according to personal rank/, in: Gospodarska in družbena zgodovina Slovencev, Zgodovina agrarnih panog, II. zvezek, Lublana 1980, p. 314 - 319 (svobodin)


	•	Matej Bor: Venetšcina in venetski napisi /The Venetic language and inscriptions/, in: Šavli, Bor, Tomažic: Veneti, naši davni predniki, Lublana 1989, p. 336 - 337 (kosez, boljec). - The "boljec" (originally: "the great", like "bolšoj", in Russian) means according to Pleteršnik's Slovenian dictionary "der Vornehme, der Optimat" i.e., the noble.