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Neretva (Dubrovnik-Neretva, Croatia)

Neretva Historical Flag

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Neretva Historical Flag

One of the oldest historical source for flag examination is map. In monography of Historical Institute in Belgrade "Monumenta Cartographica Jugoslaviae II" Narodna knjiga, Belgrade 1979. author Gordana Tomovic compares different XVIth century naval maps of Balkan peninsula. She notices flags above some place names on map preserved in 'Bibliotheque National in Paris (Departement des cartes et plans)' made on pergament by Angelino Dulcert (1339a.d.):
"14. Flag above town of Neretva (Drijeva, Narent) - in today's Croatia. Colours are not mentioned. This one is possibly predecessor of today's flag of town of Metkovic, and Dubrovacko-Neretvanska County in Croatia. If it is - then the fields are blue and white."
Ivan Sarajcic, 2 May 2000

I haven't found yet any direct connection between the 14th century flag and the newly designed flag of Metkovic, but I tried to figure out what Drijeva is. It is not to be found in the ordinary lexicons where I loked, but there is mention of it in the encyclopedia (Hrvatska Enciklopedija, book 3, Zagreb 2001): "Drijeva, medieval market town on lower Neretva, today the settlement Gabela. Name was given according to the Old Slavic word for ship ('drijevo'), and in the sources in Latin is called 'portum Narenti' and 'forum' or 'mercatum Narenti' . Drijeva were developed as merchant center though which the trade between the coast and the inland was performed. The trade was done with different staff, mostly corn, salt and even slaves from Bosnia. It is first mentioned 1186 in a contract between Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja and Dubrovnik, in which the freedom of trade to Dubrovnik merchantmen was guarantied in Drijeva. In 13th century Drijeva shared the fate of Zahumlje, and around 1280 were under the rule of George, sin of the duke Andrija. At the beginning of the 14th century were under the Serb rule, and in 1303 the Dubrovnik is mentioned as having leased the Drijeva customs facilities. They were paying to the rulers yearly fee of 6000 golden coins (1356). Since 1326 til 1382 when they are under the rule of the Croato-Hungarian king Lui (Ljudevit) I Anjou. Since 1404 are part of fief of the duke Hrvoje Vukcic Hrvatinic, and since 1410 of the duke Sandalj Hranic, and since 1435 of the duke and the herzog Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca, and in 1444 temporarily in hands of the Bosnian king Stjepan Tomas. The duke Sandalj shared the levies from Drijeva with the Radivojevics (Vlatkovics) and Pavlovics, but the herzog Stjepan took it all for himself. In 1448 the Osmanian troops burned Drijeva down, and in 1452 the Venetians rised a new settlement on the right bank of Neretva. After the herzog's death in 1466 Drijeva are living through hard days and at most at 1493 they were taken by Turks who set there their emin to collect the customs taxes."

Then we need to look at the entry for Gabela (Hravtska enciklopedija, book 4, 2002): "Gabela (Ital. gabella:customs, from Arab. al-qabala: tax), medieval marketplace Drijeva, later are named as Gabela, fince the second half of 15th century. At least in 1493 it is conquered by Turks. Before 1558 they built a rectangular fort with towers at angles, named Sedislam (the Wall of Islam). It became the center of the Gabela captany (orignized before 1561). Since 1537 Gabela is part of Nevesinje kadiluk. In the middle of 17th century Ali-pasha Cengic rebuilt and reinforced the fort (so called Novi grad). In 1693 the Venetians captured Gabela and repaired the fort, and in 1715 they destroyed it. Since 1718 Gabela is again under the Osmanli rule. Until 1878 it was an important place the the border between Herzegovina and Dalmatia, but the role of Gabela as the fort was take by the town of Pocitelj."

Gabela is today a small town in Capljina community in B&H about 3 km from the border with Croatia on the right bank of the Neretva river, again an important point of transit, with a rail road passing though it. It may be interesting to note that based on the archeological founds and his analysis of Homer's work a Mexican archeologist R. S. Prais (sp?) determined that this may be the site of the ancient city of Troy.
The connection between Narent/Drijeva/Gabela, now in B&H and Metkovic is not quite unusual - there is about 4 km from center to center even if the border passes in between.
Željko Heimer, 14 Febuary 2004

The flag from the map of Angelino Dulcert
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 10 November 2006

The flag from the Catalan Atlas
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 10 November 2006

The flag from the facsimile of the Catalan Atlas
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 10 November 2006

The flag from the map of Angelino Dulcert
The flag of Neretva from the map of Angelino Dulcert is quartered blue and white, as described in "Libro del conoscimiento de los reinos" [1]. According to Aleksandar Solovjev, "Contributions to Bosnian and Illyrian heraldry" [2], at the time of writing of this book (about 1330), Neretva was the part of Bosnia (since 1324), whose coat of arms at that time was: azure a bend argent; that is its oldest known coat of arms, used by ban Stjepan Kotromanic' (died 1353) [3]. The flag attributed to Neretva thus might actually be the flag of Bosnia, having been derived from its coat of arms.
The flag from the Catalan Atlas
In the Catalan Atlas, the flag of Neretva is quartered blue and silver; the silver is darkened by age so much that is is almost black nowadays (on the above image, the shade of silver is shown according to the recommendations of International Association of Amateur Heralds). This could have been seen at the site of the National Library of France, but the pages about the Catalan Atlas, which had contained the scans of complete map, are no longer available online. The photos currently available is at <www.brown.edu>.
The flag from the facsimile of the Catalan Atlas
British Museum, London, possesses a facsimile of the Catalan Atlas, in which the flag of Neretva is painted with gold instead of silver , the error which has appeared there at some other flags as well [4]. The photos available are at <www.brown.edu>, <turkeyinmaps.com> and <www.georgeglazer.com>.
Sources:
[1] Wigal, Donald: Historic maritime maps used for historic exploration 1290-1699 Parkstone Press, New York, USA, 2000 ISBN 1-85995-750-1
[2] Solovjev, Aleksandar: Prinosi za bosansku i ilirsku heraldiku. Istorija srpskog grba i drugi heraldic<ki radovi Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu: Dosije; Belgrade, 2000 ISBN 86-80763-90-X
[3] D. Spasic', A. Palavestra and D. Mrdjenovic': Rodoslovne tablice i grbovi srpskih dinastija i vlastele Beograd: Bata, 1992
[4] Istorija otkric'a i istraz<ivanja, vol. I: Poc<etak istraz<ivanja Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 1979. Original title: A History of Discovery and Exploration, vol. I: The Search Begins,1973, Aldus Books Limited, London.
Tomislav Todorovic, 10 November 2006

Flags at Libro del conoscimiento de los reinos

The flag from Manuscript II
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 3 December 2006

The flag from Manuscript III
image by Tomislav Todorovic, 3 December 2006

In all three manuscripts of "Libro del conoscimiento de los reinos" which are kept in the libraries in Madrid, the flag of Neretva is described as quartered blue and white, but is depicted as such only in Manuscript I. In Manuscript II, the same text is accompanied with the image of a blue flag, charged with a cross cantonned with four crosslets, all in white. In Manuscript III, the flag of Neretva is black with white cross and crosslets [1]. Both images above are the reconstructions based on the descriptions from this source.
According to Croatian historian Josip Smodlaka, this might have been the flag of Stjepan Vukc<ic' Kosa<a, the Duke of St Sava (Serbo-Croat: Herceg od Sv. Save), from whose title the name of Herzegovina was derived: the paternal coat of arms of Queen Katarina of Bosnia, daughter of Duke Stjepan and widow of King Stjepan Tomas<, which is shown on her tomb in Rome, bears three bends and overall an escutcheon charged with a cross (quoted after [1]). According to Aleksandar Solovjev [2], that escutcheon might have symbolized either the title of Duke Stjepan or the fact that Queen Katarina was descended through female line from Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic' of Serbia - in both cases, Serbian connections of this emblem. The flag might indeed be somehow derived from the armorial achievement od Duke Stjepan, because his crest is a demi-lion bearing a flag with two crosslets in pale [3, 4]. Lastly, the Armorial of Charolais, compiled in 1425, shows the following blazon as the coat of arms attributed to Serbia: purpure a cross between four crosslets Or [3]. The original of this armorial is lost (only a copy from 1656 exists, which is kept in Brussels), so the real origins of this coat of arms would be difficult to trace, but still it seems to show the same connections mentioned above. Bearing in mind that the three above-mentioned manuscripts of "Libro del conoscimiento de los reinos" were written in late XV century, when all these armorial bearings were well known, the final conclusion might be that the flag with cross and crosslets attributed to Neretva might actually have been the flag of Herzegovina.
The image of the coat of arms of the Kosa<a family can be seen at <www.srpskapolitika.com>, and the flag held by the demi-lion in the crest was the basis of the design of the flag of Bilec'a, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sources:
[1] Solovjev, Aleksandar: Zemlje Juz<nih Slovena i njihovi grbovi u s<panskom putopisu XIV veka. Istorija srpskog grba i drugi heraldic<ki radovi Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu: Dosije; Belgrade, 2000 ISBN 86-80763-90-X
[2] Solovjev, Aleksandar: Prinosi za bosansku i ilirsku heraldiku. (Ibid.)
[3] Palavestra, Aleksandar: Comments. (Ibid.)
[4] D. Spasic', A. Palavestra and D. Mrdjenovic': Rodoslovne tablice i grbovi srpskih dinastija i vlastele Beograd: Bata, 1992.
Tomislav Todorovic, 3 December 2006

The 35th flag mentioned and illustrated in the "Book of All Kingdoms" [e9s50] is apparently attributed to "Narent", a city: The author reports he sailed from "Boxina" and then visited the cities "Sara", "Simbichon" and "Narent" and then dewscribed the flag of "this" land, being unclear if only "Narent" is meant or also the other two cities.
This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription [e9s05], a quarted flag, white over purple, in the ogival default shape of this source.
The anonymous author of [e9s50] describes the flag thusly (my translation, A.M): "And the king of this land has for sign a quartered pendon, the two quarters purple and the two white like these."
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 November 2007

Sara would be modern city of Zadar (in Italian: Zara), the pre-Roman Jadera. Simbichon would be modern-days Šibenik while Narent would be modern-days Metkovic' more or less, at least this is the city that considers itself the inheritor of the medieval port of Narent taht was located a bit further upstream the river Neretva (Italian Narenta).
The mdoern city of Metkovic' adopted the Coat of Arms in 1990's that reflect this ancient design and bears it on its flag.
Željko Heimer, 19 November 2007

Flag on the map of Guillelmus Soleri

image by Tomislav Todorovic, 24 July 2007

The flag of Neretva on the map of Guillelmus Soleri, which was created on Majorca c. 1385, and nowadays is kept in National Library of France, Paris, is very similar to that from the map of Angelino Dulcert, only has a more oblong form.
Source: Wigal, Donald: Historic maritime maps used for historic exploration 1290-1699 Parkstone Press, New York, USA, 2000 ISBN 1-85995-750-1.
Tomislav Todorovic, 24 July 2007