The Blažević Archive
Five districts, nine regimes, one family

The Timeline

Nobody in this descent moved country, and almost all of them changed it several times. Senj alone ran through the Uskoks, the Military Frontier, Austria–Hungary, Yugoslavia, an Italian occupation, a German one, Yugoslavia again and Croatia — without anyone packing a bag.

This family lived in five places that were governed differently from each other, and each of them changed hands repeatedly. A pedigree cannot show that; it shows names under names. Read the bands across instead. The dots above are this family's own dated moments; the dots below are what they were living through.

This family 1717 — The earliest dated ancestor here — a Gerkacs at Karlobag 1754 — Vicenac Fabijan Smojver baptised at Karlobag, in a register kept in Croatian 1768 — Josephus Pilipić baptised — the family entered Dominus, a Giustiniani standing godfather 1777 — A Pro-Colonel and a Captain's wife stand for the Uroda child 1806 — Josephum Antić baptised at Vrbnik — the family written Antich Papa 1834 — Nicolaus Žubrinić baptised at Šumećica 24, the household entered Confiniarius 1838 — Toma Blažević born at Smokvica kbr. 114 1859 — Antonija Perpić born at Krivi Put 136 — Confiniarii 1885 — Josip Papić, bremenar, marries Antonija Perpić at Senj 1886 — Milka born at Senj 1892 — Ljubomir Blažević born 1903 — Stanko Papić dead of scarlatina at twenty months 1907 — Toma Blažević dies of tuberculosis, a day-labourer in the town 1920 — Ljubomir marries Milka — the entry that joined this pedigree 1926 — Hedviga born at Senj 1943 — Pavao Kosina killed in the air raid on Senj 1945 — Oto Blažević dies, aged twenty-two 1948 — Ladislava born at Crikvenica 1953 — Robert born at Senj — the last trace of the family in Croatia 1975 — Hedviga enters South Africa, from Zimbabwe 2001 — Hedviga dies at Johannesburg Senj Papić · Blažević · Vukelić · Boras Senj — Frankopan · Uskok Senj, 1600–1617 Senj — Habsburg Military Frontier, 1617–1881 Senj — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1881–1918 Senj — Yugoslavia, 1918–1941 Senj — Italian occupation, 1941–1943 Senj — NDH / German occupation, 1943–1945 Senj — Yugoslavia, 1945–1991 Senj — Croatia, 1991–today Otočac Žubrinić Otočac — Habsburg Military Frontier, 1600–1881 Otočac — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1881–1918 Otočac — Yugoslavia, 1918–1941 Otočac — NDH / German occupation, 1941–1945 Otočac — Yugoslavia, 1945–1991 Otočac — Croatia, 1991–today Krivi Put · Krmpote Prpić · Blažević Krivi Put · Krmpote — Frankopan · Uskok Senj, 1600–1605 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Habsburg Military Frontier, 1605–1881 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1881–1918 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Yugoslavia, 1918–1941 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Italian occupation, 1941–1943 Krivi Put · Krmpote — NDH / German occupation, 1943–1945 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Yugoslavia, 1945–1991 Krivi Put · Krmpote — Croatia, 1991–today Karlobag Pilipić · Uroda · Smojver · Bacchi Karlobag — Venice, 1600–1618 Karlobag — Habsburg Military Frontier, 1618–1881 Karlobag — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1881–1918 Karlobag — Yugoslavia, 1918–1941 Karlobag — Italian occupation, 1941–1943 Karlobag — NDH / German occupation, 1943–1945 Karlobag — Yugoslavia, 1945–1991 Karlobag — Croatia, 1991–today Selce · Vinodol Papić / Antić Selce · Vinodol — Frankopan · Uskok Senj, 1600–1670 Selce · Vinodol — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1670–1809 Selce · Vinodol — Illyrian Provinces, 1809–1813 Selce · Vinodol — Austria / Austria–Hungary, 1813–1918 Selce · Vinodol — Yugoslavia, 1918–1941 Selce · Vinodol — Italian occupation, 1941–1943 Selce · Vinodol — NDH / German occupation, 1943–1945 Selce · Vinodol — Yugoslavia, 1945–1991 Selce · Vinodol — Croatia, 1991–today 1600 1700 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 scale expands → What they lived through 1605 — Bunjevci from the Ottoman hinterland settled in Krmpote 1617 — Treaty of Madrid — the Uskoks removed from Senj 1746 — The Military Frontier reorganised into regiments; Otočac becomes a regimental seat 1809 — Napoleon takes the coast — the Illyrian Provinces 1850 — The tobacco monopoly patent, 20 November 1873 — The railway reaches Rijeka and bypasses Senj. The port dies. 1881 — The Military Frontier abolished and returned to civil Croatia 1918 — Austria–Hungary ends; the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 1941 — The Independent State of Croatia declared; Italy takes the coast 1943 — Italian capitulation in September; Senj bombed 7–8 October 1945 — Yugoslavia 1991 — Croatian independence

Frankopan · Uskok Senj Habsburg Military Frontier Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Italian occupation NDH / German occupation Croatia Venice Illyrian Provinces

Hover or tab any band or dot for what it is. The scale is linear to 1800 and then expands, because almost nothing here is documented before 1750 and a straight axis would spend half its width on an empty century.

Three things the bands say that the names do not

They were Frontier people, not simply Croatian peasants. Three of the five districts sat inside the Habsburg Military Frontier for more than two centuries — a militarised zone under Vienna's war ministry rather than under Croatia. The registers say so in one word: Confiniarius, at Šumećica in 1834 and at Krivi Put in 1859. The Frontier →

The Frontier ends and the family falls. The lanes turn from Frontier to civil Austria in 1881. Within a generation the men in these registers are nadničar and težak — day-labourer and farmhand — and their daughters are in the tobacco factory. A century earlier at Karlobag the same descent was writing itself Dominus and standing godparent with a Pro-Colonel. What the railway did →

The worst year is 1943, and it is only two bands wide. Italy capitulates in September, the Germans come down the coast, and Senj is bombed on 7–8 October. Pavao Kosina is killed in it; Oto Blažević is dead within eighteen months. Senj, 1943 →

Year by year

The family's own dated moments in red, set among the things happening around them.

1605 Bunjevci from the Ottoman hinterland settled in Krmpote the world around them
1617 Treaty of Madrid — the Uskoks removed from Senj the world around them
1717 The earliest dated ancestor here — a Gerkacs at Karlobag this family
1746 The Military Frontier reorganised into regiments; Otočac becomes a regimental seat the world around them
1754 Vicenac Fabijan Smojver baptised at Karlobag, in a register kept in Croatian this family
1768 Josephus Pilipić baptised — the family entered Dominus, a Giustiniani standing godfather this family
1777 A Pro-Colonel and a Captain's wife stand for the Uroda child this family
1806 Josephum Antić baptised at Vrbnik — the family written Antich Papa this family
1809 Napoleon takes the coast — the Illyrian Provinces the world around them
1834 Nicolaus Žubrinić baptised at Šumećica 24, the household entered Confiniarius this family
1838 Toma Blažević born at Smokvica kbr. 114 this family
1850 The tobacco monopoly patent, 20 November the world around them
1859 Antonija Perpić born at Krivi Put 136 — Confiniarii this family
1873 The railway reaches Rijeka and bypasses Senj. The port dies. the world around them
1881 The Military Frontier abolished and returned to civil Croatia the world around them
1885 Josip Papić, bremenar, marries Antonija Perpić at Senj this family
1886 Milka born at Senj this family
1892 Ljubomir Blažević born this family
1903 Stanko Papić dead of scarlatina at twenty months this family
1907 Toma Blažević dies of tuberculosis, a day-labourer in the town this family
1918 Austria–Hungary ends; the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes the world around them
1920 Ljubomir marries Milka — the entry that joined this pedigree this family
1926 Hedviga born at Senj this family
1941 The Independent State of Croatia declared; Italy takes the coast the world around them
1943 Italian capitulation in September; Senj bombed 7–8 October the world around them
1943 Pavao Kosina killed in the air raid on Senj this family
1945 Yugoslavia the world around them
1945 Oto Blažević dies, aged twenty-two this family
1948 Ladislava born at Crikvenica this family
1953 Robert born at Senj — the last trace of the family in Croatia this family
1975 Hedviga enters South Africa, from Zimbabwe this family
1991 Croatian independence the world around them
2001 Hedviga dies at Johannesburg this family

What this leaves out

The bands are only as good as the boundaries, and two here are drawn more confidently than the evidence deserves.

  • Karlobag before 1618 is drawn as Venetian. The town changed hands repeatedly in that century and the line is a simplification.
  • Otočac in 1941–45 is drawn as one band. In practice control was contested for most of it, and a single colour flattens that.
  • Nothing before 1600 is shown, because this archive documents nothing before 1717. How far back it really goes →