Ferdo Šišić (9 March 1869 – 21 January 1940) was a Croatian historian, the founding figure of the Croatian
historiography
Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians h ...
of the 20th century. He made his most important contributions in the area of the
Croatian early Middle Ages.
Life
Šišić was born in
Vinkovci
Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...
. After graduating from the comprehensive school in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
in 1888, he studied at the
Faculty of Philosophy at the
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...
, earning a "Teacher's Candidate" diploma in the summer of 1892.
Natko Nodilo Natko Nodilo (31 August 1834 – 21 May 1912) was a Croatian politician, historian, journalist, university professor, and chancellor of the University of Zagreb.
Born in Split, he studied theology in Zadar until 1856, when he dropped out of colle ...
,
Đuro Pilar,
Franjo Marković
Franjo Marković (or Franjo pl. Marković; July 26, 1845 in Križevci – September 15, 1914 in Zagreb) was a Croatian philosopher and writer.
He was an academician, the first professor of philosophy at the renovated University of Zagreb in 187 ...
and
Armin Pavić were among his teachers. Šišić continued his studies in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, where he met individuals who informed his vocation, including
Vatroslav Jagić
Vatroslav Jagić (; July 6, 1838 – August 5, 1923) was a Croatian scholar of Slavic studies in the second half of the 19th century.
Life
Jagić was born in Varaždin (then known by its German name of ''Warasdin''), where he attended the el ...
. Šišić returned to Zagreb after the 6th
semester and attended the lectures of
Tadija Smičiklas and
Tomislav Maretić
Tomislav Maretić (13 October 1854 – 15 January 1938) was a Croatian linguist and lexicographer.
He was born in Virovitica, where he attended primary school and the gymnasium in Varaždin, Požega and Zagreb. After graduating simultaneousl ...
. Between 1892 and 1902 he mostly worked as a teacher. He taught in
Gospić
Gospić () is a town in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika, Croatia. It is the administrative centre of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located near the Lika River in the middle of a karst field ( Ličko Polje).
Gospić is the ...
from 1892 to 1893, then in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
to 1894 and finally in
Osijek
Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...
until 1902.
In 1900 he obtained his Ph.D. at the Zagreb University with the work "''Zadar and Venice from 1159 to 1247''". In 1902 he earned his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including ...
with the work "''Miha Madijev de Barbezanis''" and became the private assistant professor for
Croatian history
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, bef ...
from the 12th to the 14th century (i.e. until 1409). He was suspended in 1908, but rehired in 1909 as a casual university professor. In 1910 he became a member of the
Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia.
HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop Jo ...
. He worked continually a university professor until the summer 1937/38 semester and went into volunteer early retirement in 1939. He died on 1 January 1940 in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
.
Historian
As a scientist, Šišić was primarily interested in the history of the early and high
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
in Croatia. His greatest work is ''History of the Croats Under Home Rule'', while his most popular work is ''Overview of the History of the Croatian People'', which was edited by
Jaroslav Šidak and widely used for almost five decades. ''History of the Croats under the
Arpad Kings (1102-1301)'', an unfinished compilation published after his death, is generally considered below the level of his ''magnum opus''.
Other notable Šišić's books are the important monograph on
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić (ca. 1350–1416) was a medieval Bosnian nobleman and magnate, Grand Duke of Bosnia, Knyaz of Donji Kraji, and Duke of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Hrvatinić noble family, and one of the major feu ...
and a critical edition of ''Dukljanin's Chronicles''. His compilations of Croatian history of later periods (from the 15th to the 19th century) are not as valuable as his epochal history of the
Croatian early Middle Ages.
The work of Ferdo Šišić is characterized by a systematic, objective and informed approach. His opus, however, is the high point of "genetic history" or the archivist's approach, which patiently weaves the tapestry of the chosen period without engaging in speculations that are sometimes necessary to fill the gaps left open by archive materials. Also, the Croatian historiography came to be dominated by the multidisciplinary approach combining demographics,
culturology, history of economy and art only in the second half of the 20th century, putting Šišić in the position of a classic who laid inestimable foundations but cannot be the role model for contemporary historical science.
Politician and archivist
Šišić was politically engaged as a member of the
Croato-Serbian Coalition from 1908 to 1917. His biographers sometimes talk about Šišić's political inconstancy, material ambitions, weak character and opportunism. But Šišić is neither interesting nor relevant as a politician. His lasting contribution to the Croatian culture and science is his gigantic and painstaking opus in historiography, including more than 450 works.
Another relevant aspect of his work is the personal library he built during his life, containing more than 20,000 titles (books, articles, historiography collections). When he died, those books became the most valuable part of the collection of the
Croatian State Archives
The Croatian State Archives ( hr, Hrvatski državni arhiv) are the national archives of Croatia located in its capital, Zagreb. The history of the state archives can be traced back to the 17th century. There are also regional state archives loca ...
in Zagreb. As an expert archivist, Šišić diligently collected materials from numerous collections in Croatia, but also in Hungary, Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Works
* ''Hrvatski saborski spisi'' (Documents of the Croatian Parliament)
* ''Ljetopis popa Dukljanina'' (Dukljanin's Chronicles)
* ''Korespodencija Rački-Strossmayer'' (Correspondence between
Rački and
Strossmayer)
* ''Dokument o postanku Kraljevine SHS'' (Document on the Creation of the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
)
* ''Hrvatska povijest'' (Croatian History)
* ''Pregled povijesti hrvatskog naroda'' (Overview of the History of the Croatian People)
* ''Povijest Hrvata u vrijeme narodnih vladara'' (History of the Croats Under Home Rule), Zagreb, 1925
* ''Povijest Hrvata za kraljeva iz doma Arpadovića (1102.-1301.)'' (History of the Croats under the
Arpad Kings (1102–1301)), Zagreb, 1944
External links
Maps of Croatia in the 10th and 11th centuries, from Šišić's books*
Hrvatski povjesničar stoljeća
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sisic, Ferdo
1869 births
1940 deaths
People from Vinkovci
20th-century Croatian historians
Croatian medievalists
Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Representatives in the Croatian Parliament (1848–1918)
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery
Yugoslav historians