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.

Family events 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 Habsburg Military Frontier Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Croatia Otočac Habsburg Military Frontier Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Croatia Krivi Put · Krmpote Habsburg Military Frontier Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Croatia Karlobag Habsburg Military Frontier Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Croatia Selce · Vinodol Frankopan · Uskok Senj Austria / Austria–Hungary Austria / Austria–Hungary Yugoslavia Yugoslavia Croatia scale expands → 12001400160018001850190019502000 What they were up against 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

Hover or tab through a marker — red above for this family, ochre below for the world around it.

Frankopan · Uskok SenjVeniceHabsburg Military FrontierAustria / Austria–HungaryIllyrian ProvincesYugoslaviaItalian occupationNDH / German occupationCroatia

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.

33 dated events · 1605–2001

Show

1600–16492

1605 the world around them

Bunjevci from the Ottoman hinterland settled in Krmpote

1617 the world around them

Treaty of Madrid — the Uskoks removed from Senj

1700–17492

1717 this family

The earliest dated ancestor here — a Gerkacs at Karlobag

1746 the world around them

The Military Frontier reorganised into regiments; Otočac becomes a regimental seat

1750–17993

1754 this family

Vicenac Fabijan Smojver baptised at Karlobag, in a register kept in Croatian

1768 this family

Josephus Pilipić baptised — the family entered Dominus, a Giustiniani standing godfather

1777 this family

A Pro-Colonel and a Captain's wife stand for the Uroda child

1800–18494

1806 this family

Josephum Antić baptised at Vrbnik — the family written Antich Papa

1809 the world around them

Napoleon takes the coast — the Illyrian Provinces

1834 this family

Nicolaus Žubrinić baptised at Šumećica 24, the household entered Confiniarius

1838 this family

Toma Blažević born at Smokvica kbr. 114

1850–18997

1850 the world around them

The tobacco monopoly patent, 20 November

1859 this family

Antonija Perpić born at Krivi Put 136 — Confiniarii

1873 the world around them

The railway reaches Rijeka and bypasses Senj. The port dies.

1881 the world around them

The Military Frontier abolished and returned to civil Croatia

1885 this family

Josip Papić, bremenar, marries Antonija Perpić at Senj

1886 this family

Milka born at Senj

1892 this family

Ljubomir Blažević born

1900–194911

1903 this family

Stanko Papić dead of scarlatina at twenty months

1907 this family

Toma Blažević dies of tuberculosis, a day-labourer in the town

1918 the world around them

Austria–Hungary ends; the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes

1920 this family

Ljubomir marries Milka — the entry that joined this pedigree

1926 this family

Hedviga born at Senj

1941 the world around them

The Independent State of Croatia declared; Italy takes the coast

1943 the world around them

Italian capitulation in September; Senj bombed 7–8 October

1943 this family

Pavao Kosina killed in the air raid on Senj

1945 the world around them

Yugoslavia

1945 this family

Oto Blažević dies, aged twenty-two

1948 this family

Ladislava born at Crikvenica

1950–19993

1953 this family

Robert born at Senj — the last trace of the family in Croatia

1975 this family

Hedviga enters South Africa, from Zimbabwe

1991 the world around them

Croatian independence

2000–20491

2001 this family

Hedviga dies at Johannesburg

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 →