The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croatian

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary. The Frankopans, along with the Zrinskis, are among the most important and most famous Croatian noble families who, from the 11th to the 17th century, were very closely connected with the history of the Croatian people and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. For centuries, members of these noble clans were the bearers and defenders of Croatia against the Ottomans, but also resolute opponents of the increasingly dangerous Habsburg imperial absolutism and German hegemony, which in the spirit of European mercantilism sought to consolidate throughout the Habsburg Monarchy. The past of these two clans is intertwined with marital ties, friendships and participation in almost all significant events in Croatia, especially on the battlefields in the defense of Croatia from the Ottoman conqueror.

History

The Frankopan family was one of the leading Croatian

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

families from the 12th to the 17th century. Since the 15th century they were trying to link themselves to the Roman patrician Frangipani family (which claimed descent from a Roman

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians or plebs were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of the gro ...

family of Anicii and ended in 1654 with Mario Frangipane being its last male descendant). However ''

Croatian Encyclopedia The ''Croatian Encyclopedia'' () is a Croatian general encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divid ...

'', '' Italian Encyclopedia'' and German ''Biographical Lexicon of the History of Southeastern Europe'' by the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies highly question the bloodline connection between the two families and remind of the common fashion of medieval noble families in Europe to try and connect themselves to ancient Roman nobility. Along with the members of the Zrinski family the Frankopan ranked high in terms of importance by virtue of power, wealth, fame, glory and role in Croatian and Hungarian history. The first known member of Croatian lineage of the Frankopan family was Dujam I Krčki (''Doymus Veglensis'' in Latin sources that also attribute the title of

comes ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...

to him), lord of

Krk Krk (; ; ; ; archaic German: ''Vegl'', ; ) is a Croatian island in the northern Adriatic Sea, located near Rijeka in the Bay of Kvarner and part of Primorje-Gorski Kotar county. Krk is tied with Cres as the largest Adriatic island, depending o ...

who received permission by Domenico Michieli,

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ) – in Italian, was the doge or highest role of authority within the Republic of Venice (697–1797). The word derives from the Latin , meaning 'leader', and Venetian Italian dialect for 'duke', highest official of the ...

from 1118 to 1130, to rule the island of Krk as

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. His exact origin is unknown, but he and his descendants were referred to as the Counts of Krk in historical documents. In 1221, the brothers Henry and Servidon Frankopan received the islands of

Brač Brač is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, with an area of , making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. It is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel, which is wide.Hvar Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For''; ; ; ) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis (island), Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, with a high east–west ridge of M ...

Korčula Korčula () is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk. The populat ...

and Lastovo as a gift from King

Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...

for their services. In 1428 Nikola IV Krčki ( Ban of Croatia and Dalmatia from 1426 to 1432) was the first of the Counts of Krk to call himself Frankapan. In 1430 he managed to receive recognition from

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

for being a descendant of the old Roman patrician family Frangipani and officially started using the name and coat of arms Frangipani. In 1240–1241 the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

advanced The Advanced Party (), otherwise known as the Advanced Association () was a liberal and centrist Zionist political association in Mandatory Palestine founded by several urban liberal Zionists. The party was founded in order to represent the voice ...

from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

toward

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

whose

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

, Béla IV resisted bravely but finally had to seek refuge in Dalmatia. King Béla stayed with the Frankopans who assisted him with arms and funds and brought him into safety in Veglia and then brought him back to his own land. As reward the King gave the Frankopans the county of Senj with surrounding lands and the castle of

Modruš Modruš is a village, former episcopal see, and current Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. T ...

. liubich, Simeone, Dizionario biografico degli uomini illustri della Dalmazia, Vienna, 1856, p. 136./ref> In 1246 there was another war, between

Frederick II, Duke of Austria Frederick II (; 25 April 1211 – 15 June 1246), known as Frederick the Quarrelsome (''Friedrich der Streitbare''), was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1230 until his death. He was the fifth and last Austrian duke from the House of Babenberg, sin ...

and Béla, who, with the assistance of the Frankopan, won a victory. As a further reward, King Béla then, by royal decree, created the Frankopans as Lords of their territory for them and their descendants. The Frankopans constantly supported the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In particular, Nikola Frankopan reconstructed the Holy House of Our Lady in 1294 in Trsat. It is recorded that in 1291, Nikola Frankopan sent a delegation to

Nazareth Nazareth is the largest Cities in Israel, city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. In its population was . Known as "the Arab capital of Israel", Nazareth serves as a cultural, political, religious, economic and ...

to measure the Holy House after the House had been saved, presumably by the Crusaders, and brought to Trsat or Tersatto, on the Adriatic Coast where the Frankopans had a castle. In 1294 Nikola Frankopan, gave the Holy House to the Pope to be placed on Papal lands, at Loreto, near

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

Although the possessions of the family were exposed to every assault both from the east and the west, their power increased steadily until the 17th century when their lands reached further east. The Zrinski and Frankopan families came into closer affinity by marriage ties until in the eyes of the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an courts they had become one of the most important families of Croatia. In 1420 the Swedish King Erik of Pomerania called Ivan VI Frankopan, the eldest son of the Croatian ban Nikola IV, to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

to accompany the Swedish King to the Holy Land and later to assist the King at the Court in Sweden. Ivan VI Frankopan lived in Sweden at intervals between 1420 and 1430. After his father's death he returned to his home country. His eldest son called Matthias (Matija) stayed in Sweden. In 1425

Emperor Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

confirmed the noble status of Nikola Frankopan referring to him as ''Niklas Frangiapan Comes de Begle, Segnie et Modrusse'' (''Nikola Frankopan, Count of Krk, Senj and Modruš'') using the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

title of

. He also granted the family the privileges of red wax, (Rotwachsprivilegien), i.e., the right to use red wax for their seals. Sigismund underlines at the end of this document that no one must ever dispute these rights of the family. Bernardin Frankopan's (1453–1529) paternal grandmother Dorothy was from a prominent Hungarian noble family, Garay, while his mother Isotta from Este family was

Duchy of Ferrara The Duchy of Ferrara (; ; ) was a state in what is now northern Italy. It consisted of about 1,100 km2 south of the lower Po River, stretching to the valley of the lower Reno River, including the city of Ferrara. The territory that was part ...

Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...

. Through ancestry from royal Spanish families Bernardin had even

Árpád Árpád (; 845 – 907) was the head of the confederation of the Magyar tribes at the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries. He might have been either the sacred ruler or '' kende'' of the Hungarians, or their military leader or '' g ...

ancestry (the Árpád dynasty founded the Kingdom of Hungary.) The Frankopan family was persecuted after the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy, where the Count Fran Krsto Frankopan participated in an uprising against

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

King Leopold I. He and his brother-in-law, Petar Zrinski were executed in Wiener Neustadt. The line of Stjepan II Frankopan, Ban of Croatia (d. 1481), died out with Katarina Frankopan in the 16th century. The line of Sigismund Frankopan expired with Franjo Frankopan, Bishop of Eger in 1542. Another branch died out in 1572 with Franjo Frankopan, Ban of Croatia; and the Trsat branch died out with Fran Krsto Frankopan in 1671 (and in the female line with Maria Juliana Frankopan, married Countess of Abensberg und Traun and later Countess von Attems).

Doimi de Lupis's name claiming

In 1991, Vjekoslav Nikola Antun Doimi de Lupis (1939–2018), originally also Dujmić-Vukasinović, by then a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

citizen, changed his name and surname to "Louis Doimi de Frankopan Šubić Zrinski" or "Louis Michal Antun Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan Shubich Zrinski" under British Civil law, adding several names of medieval Croatian noble families that combined in such a fashion were historically never attributed to any member of mentioned noble families. In the late 1990s, Louis's cousin Mirko Jamnicki-Dojmi di Delupis wrote an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

where he denounced claims over Frankopan, Šubić and Zrinski names by his family and presented the family tree of Dojmi di Delupis containing 129 names from the year 1200 onwards. Louis's descendants include Lady Nicholas Windsor, and historian

Peter Frankopan Peter Frankopan (born 22 March 1971) is a British historian, writer, and hotelier. He is a professor of global history at Worcester College, Oxford, and the Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research. He is a fellow of the Royal Asiati ...

who also claimed that they always had the same name. In 2002, the wife of Louis Doimi de Lupis, Swedish lawyer Ingrid Detter, bought the Ribnik Castle, once the property of the Frankopans, and today in the Register of Cultural Goods of Croatia (Z-301), for the price of 1.6 million kunas from the Ribnik municipality and in accordance with the decision of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

, the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, however hardly anything has been invested. In 2003, they also founded the literary awards "Katarina Zrinska" and "Petar Zrinski", which were held only once. In the same year, during the

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visit of The Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, which was tightly related to the Frankopan family, the members of de Lupis family managed to get presented not by their original name yet as Frankopans.

Notable members

* Dujam II of Krk (ruled –1317) * Bartolomeo VIII Frankopan of Krk and Senji (ruled 1327–1361), in 1336 helped free the future Czech King Charles IV from capturing by piratesFontes rerum Bohemicarum III
/ref> * Ivan V (Anž) of Krk (died 1393), Ban of Croatia * Nikola IV Frankopan (c.1360–1432), first "Frankopan" and son of Ivan V of Krk also Ban of Croatia * Ivan VI Frankopan () (died 1436), son of Nikola IV Frankopan and Ban of Croatia * Stjepan III Frankopan (Hungarian: István) (–1481 or 1484), son of Nikola IV Frankopan. Co-ruled with Ban Ivan VI Frankopan. * Ivan VII Frankopan, ruled the Principality of Krk between 1451 and 1480. * Bernardin Frankopan (1453–1529) Son of Stjepan III Frankopan. Influential nobleman, diplomat, and warrior * Nikola V Frankopan (died 1456–1458), son of Nikola IV Frankopan and Ban of Croatia and Slavonia * Beatrice Frankopan (1480–c. 1510), heiress of Hunyad Castle and wife of

John Corvinus John Corvinus (, Croatian language, Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian language, Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his ...

* Krsto Frankopan (1482–1527), son of Bernardin Frankopan and Ban of Croatia * Juraj III Frankopan (?–1553), signatory of Cetingrad Charter (1527) * Franjo Frankopan (1536–1572), Ban of Croatia * Vuk II Krsto Frankopan (c. 1578–c. 1652), general of Karlovac generalate * Franjo Frankopan Cetinski, archbishop, bishop, and diplomat * Nikola IX Frankopan of Tržac (died 1647), Ban of Croatia * Katarina Zrinska (c. 1625–1673), daughter of Vuk Krsto Frankopan. Married Petar Zrinski, Ban of Croatia. * Fran Krsto Frankopan (beheaded in 1671), promulgated the Zrinski–Frankopan conspiracy, known as Wesselényi conspiracy in Hungary.

Holdings

Several of the Frankopan castles remain in

, mostly around the Gorski kotar region and the island of

. The castle at Stara Susica near Trsat incorporates structures going back to the

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

n and Roman periods. The town of

Bosiljevo Bosiljevo is a village and municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. It is located in the Gorski Kotar region, 25 km south-west from Karlovac, on the highways A1 and A6 leading to Zagreb, Rijeka and Split. Settlements The total popula ...

has a medieval fortified castle, renovated in the last century in the spirit of the Romanesque. The castle and park at Severin na Kupi were owned by the Frankopan family until the mid-17th century. Other castles or property of the Frankopans could be found in Ribnik,

, Novi Vinodolski, Drivenik,

Ogulin Ogulin () is a town in central Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 7,389 (2021) (it was 8,216 in 2011), and a total municipal population of 12,251 (2021). Ogulin is known for its historic stone castle, known as Kula, and the nearby ...

Slunj Slunj is a town in the mountainous part of Central Croatia, located along the important North-South route to the Adriatic Sea between Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park, on the meeting of the rivers Korana and Slunjčica. Slunj has a popu ...

, Ozalj,

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

, Trsat, and other surrounding towns. The Frankopan castle in the town of

is currently used for open-air performances in the summer months. Some castles which were properties of the family: File:Tržan-grad (Modruš) - jugozapad.JPG, Ruins of Tržan Castle in Modruš, once a seat of the Frankopan family on Croatian mainland File:Cetin.jpg,

Cetin Castle The fortress of Cetin is situated south of Cetingrad above the village of Podcetin, in Croatia. The castle and its immediate surrounding represent a monument of great value for Croatian national history because on this place in 1527 election in C ...

File:Castle Velika Kladuša (6).JPG,

Velika Kladuša Castle Velika Kladuša Castle is a castle in Velika Kladuša, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built during the Middle Ages. Its main tower has burned down due to an electrical fire. Location The castle is situated on the right side of the river Grabars ...

File:Croatia Drivenik castle.jpg, Drivenik Castle File:Stari grad dreznik.jpg, Drežnik Castle File:Dobovac-Karlovac.JPG, Dubovac Castle File:Gradina Grizane 210907.jpg, Grižane Castle File:Castle Grobnik2009-2.JPG, Grobnik Castle File:Kraljevica, dvorac Nova Kraljevica, sjeverni zid.jpg, Kraljevica Castle File:Baška018.jpg, Krk Castle File:Novi Vinodolski, Kastel Frankopan.jpg, Novi Vinodolski Castle File:Castle Novigrad na Dobri.JPG, Novigrad na Dobri Castle File:Burg Ogulin.jpg, Ogulin Castle File:Zugang Schloss Ozalj1.JPG, Ozalj Castle File:Ribnik (Sa istočne strane).png, Ribnik Castle File:Sokolac Brinje 07 3.jpg, Sokolac Castle File:Slunj Old fort of the Frankopans 2004.JPG,

Castle File:Castle Zrinski ruins.JPG, Severin na Kupi Castle File:Dvorac u Staroj Sušici.jpg, Stara Sušica Castle File:Rijeka-Trsat-Hill fort-7.JPG, Trsat Castle File:Bihac tvrdi grad AD 1590.jpg, Fortified town of Bihać

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Frankopan

Frankopan The House of Frankopan (, , , ) was a Croatian noble family, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of the Kingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary. The Frankopans, along with the Zrinskis, are among the mos ...

Krk Families of the Habsburg monarchy

History

Doimi de Lupis's name claiming

Notable members

Holdings

See also

References