The fortress of Cetin is situated south of

Cetingrad Cetingrad is a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia near Croatia's border with Bosnia. The population of the village itself is 319, while the total municipality population is 2,027 (2011). The municipality is part of Kordun. Cetingrad is und ...

above the village of Podcetin, in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The date when Cetin was founded is unknown. There are some indications that a settlement existed there in the times of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

. The Parish of All Saints, in which the fortress is situated, was first mentioned in 1334. In 1387, king

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was a monarch as King of Hungary and Croatia ('' jure uxoris'') from 1387, King of Germany from 1410, King of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death ...

, gifted Cetin to Ivan Krčki. Thereby it became the property of the

Frankopan The House of Frankopan ( hr, Frankopani, Frankapani, it, Frangipani, hu, Frangepán, la, Frangepanus, Francopanus), was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croat ...

family. The Middle Ages were the golden era of Cetin. There was a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

and several churches near the fortress. In the 15th century, the Cetinski branch of Frankopan family was formed. It only lasted a hundred years.

Ivan Frankopan Cetinski Ivan IX Frankopan Cetinski ( en, John IX Frankopan of Cetin) was a Croatian nobleman. A member of Cetin branch of the Frankopan noble family and a grandson of Ivan VI (Anž) Frankopan, Cetinski was the knez (prince) of Cetin Castle. Cetinski wa ...

died in the

Battle of Krbava field The Battle of Krbava Field ( hr, Bitka na Krbavskom polju, Krbavska bitka; hu, Korbávmezei csata; tr, Krbava Muharebesi) was fought between the Ottoman Empire of Bayezid II and an army of the Kingdom of Croatia, at the time in personal uni ...

. His brother Grgur and son Franjo Frankopan became archbishops of

Kalocsa Kalocsa (; hr, Kaloča or ''Kalača''; sr, Kaloča or Калоча; german: Kollotschau) is a town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. It lies south of Budapest. It is situated in a marshy but highly productive district, near the left bank of the ...

. Franjo Frankopan was the last member of the Frankopan Cetinski family. After him, the fortress became property of the Frankopan Slunjski family. Cetin played an important role in the

history of Croatia At the time of the Roman Empire, the area of modern Croatia comprised two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Dalmatia. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the area was subjugated by the Ostrogoths for 50 years, before ...

. After the defeat at the

Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...

in 1526, Croatian nobility gathered at the Parliament on Cetin (). On 1 January 1527, they elected Ferdinand I, Archduke of Austria as the king of Croatia. The chart signed by Croatian nobles and representatives of Ferdinand of Habsburg is among the most important documents of Croatian statehood and is preserved in the

Austrian State Archives Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example ...

in Vienna. In the following centuries, Cetin was part of the

Croatian Military Frontier The Croatian Military Frontier ( hr, Vojna krajina or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary. History Founded in the late 16 ...

, the borderland between the Habsburg monarchy and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. During this period, Ottoman army took control of it several times. The fortress was often damaged and repaired. Two stone plates with Ottoman Turkish inscriptions in the Croatian History Museum testify about reconstructions made during this period. In 1790, Habsburg Army troops under the command of general Walisch finally won back Cetin Castle for the Habsburg Monarchy. The siege took one month, and after the battle several officers were decorated, including Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein. Cetin's status was finally confirmed during the peace conference in

Svishtov Svishtov ( bg, Свищов ) is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipali ...

. In 1809, Ottoman forces once again occupied Cetin but they withdrew the following year under the threats of Marshal Marmont, governor-general of

Illyrian provinces The Illyrian Provinces sl, Ilirske province hr, Ilirske provincije sr, Илирске провинције it, Province illirichegerman: Illyrische Provinzen, group=note were an autonomous province of France during the First French Empire that e ...

. He forced Ottomans to withdraw from Cetin after briefly occupying

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovi ...

. He was promised to not enter again to French Croatia. Once the Ottoman threat petered out the fortress was abandoned and turned into a quarry. Administrative control of the surrounding area was transferred to the village of Cetingrad, which developed north of Cetin.

References

* Radoslav Lopašić: ''Oko Kupe i Korane'',

Matica hrvatska Matica hrvatska ( la, Matrix Croatica) is the oldest independent, non-profit and non-governmental Croatian national institution. It was founded on February 2, 1842 by the Croatian Count Janko Drašković and other prominent members of the Illy ...

, 1895, Zagreb * Milan Kruhek: ''Cetin, grad izbornog sabora Kraljevine Hrvatske 1527'',

Karlovac County Karlovac County ( hr, Karlovačka županija) is a county in central Croatia, with the administrative center in Karlovac. The city of Karlovac is a fort from the times of the Military Frontier. It was built as a six-side star fort in the 16th c ...

, 1997, Karlovac * ''Iz memoara maršala Marmonta: ilirske uspomene 1806–1811'', Čakavski Sabor, 1977, Split

External links

An old photo and a description of Cetin castle from 1866
{{Authority control Castles in Croatia Buildings and structures in Karlovac County Frankopan family Tourist attractions in Karlovac County Kordun