Damjan Juda (12th century – 1205) was a patrician and politician from the

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world throughout history, including cities such as Rome, ...

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

(later

Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...

). At the very beginning of the 13th century, he was rector of the city-state before being deposed in a tense political situation in a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

and was forced to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Biography

Damjan Juda was a member of a prominent and wealthy patrician family named Juda originating in Dubrovnik. Very little is known about his life. His descendants are mentioned in documents until 1336. He himself was elected rector () of Dubrovnik, the highest representative of the city government, whose

term of office A term of office, electoral term, or parliamentary term is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subjec ...

at that time lasted half a year. During his reign, the

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

took place, resulting in great instability in the Mediterranen region, threatening Dubrovnik's independence and existence. Juda therefore decided to keep power firmly in his hands even after six months and gained the support of the population and the military for another year. However, a large part of the Dubrovnik patriciate rejected this, claiming that the rector had abused his power and violated the rule of semi-annual rotation of power. To force Juda to resign from power, the opposition nobles secretly called on the Venetians for help. The Venetian authorities heeded the call, but did not attempt to overthrow the rector by military force, devising a ruse instead. They announced to the rector that they were coming for a friendly visit to Dubrovnik. Upon their arrival to the city, they invited him to enjoy their hospitality on the Venetian galley. According to

diplomatic protocol In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state. It may also refer to an international agreement that supplements or amends a treaty. A protocol is a rule which describes how an activity should be performe ...

, the rector went to the galley and was there captured by the Venetians, who tied him to the ship's mast. When Juda realized the despair of his situation, he committed suicide, according to oral tradition, by hitting his head hard against the mast. Juda's suicide opened the opportunity for opponents and conspirators, including his

son-in-law In law and in cultural anthropology, affinity is the kinship relationship created or that exists between two people as a result of someone's marriage. It is the relationship each party in the marriage has to the family of the other party in th ...

Petar Beneša and members of the influential patrician family Bobaljević (), to appoint a new rector who would represent their interests. Under pressure from the Venetians, who were then a rising maritime power, an aristocrat from Venice named Lelovello (or Zelovello) was appointed rector. Several Dubrovnik chroniclers reported on Damjan Juda, including Ivan Ravenjanin (1343–1408) in his work "Historia Ragusii", then Džono Rastić (1669 – 1735) in his chronicle "The Dubrovnik Chronicle of Džono Rastić, from the Founding of the City to the Year 1451", as well as Ivan Gundulić (1451 – 1483) in his work "Chronica Ragusina Junii Restii, ab origine urbis usque ad annum 1451, item Joannis Gundulae".

Aftermath

Dubrovnik

chroniclers A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, t ...

often described Damjan Juda as a

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it a ...

, thus interpreting the Venetian rector's seizure of power. From that time on, the Venetians de facto ruled Dubrovnik. This rule lasted from 1205 to 1358. Juda's death also marked the beginning of a centuries-long

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

among the Dubrovnik nobility. On one side there were members of the families led by the Bobaljevićs, who showed more sympathy for the Venetians, and on the other side were those who under no circumstances wanted Venetian rule in Dubrovnik, led by members of the Gundulić family. Unusually, one of Damjan Juda's sons-in-law, Petar Beneša, sided with the Bobaljevićs, while the other son-in-law supported the Gundulić family. The division of the Dubrovnik nobility, with occasional frictions and conflicts, lasted until the fall of the Republic of Ragusa in 1808.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juda, Damjan People from Dubrovnik Ragusan politicians Ragusan nobility 12th-century Croatian people 13th-century Croatian people Ragusan merchants 1205 deaths

Biography

Aftermath

See also

References