Croatia honors its first king after 1,100 years
Croatian Post (HP) announced that it will issue a new commemorative postage stamp on Friday, marking the 1,100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Croatia. The stamp features a bronze relief depicting King Tomislav.
This is a joint issue by HP and Croatian Post Mostar, initiated by the Society of Brethren of the Croatian Dragon, CE Report quotes HINA.
The stamp was designed by Tomislav Vlainić from Split, with the template created by Frane Cota, a Croatian sculptor and architect.
The stamp will be released in a run of 50,000 copies. A First Day Cover has also been printed to accompany the release.
The accompanying leaflet text was written by Mario Jareb, a research adviser at the Croatian Institute of History.
Tomislav is widely recognised as the first Croatian king. Based on historical research from the late 19th century, his name became associated with that title. A narrative was created of his coronation in 925 on the Duvno Field near present-day Tomislavgrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although no historical sources confirm this event. Around that year, Pope John X sent two letters in which he mentioned Tomislav, one referring to “King Tomislav in the province of the Croats and the lands of Dalmatia,” and the other addressing him as “our beloved son Tomislav, King of the Croats.”
Tomislav ruled over significant parts of what was formerly Lower Pannonia, with Sisak as a centre, and governed the Dalmatian cities. His victories over the Bulgarians and probable successful resistance against the Hungarians demonstrate his strength and power.
The approach of the 1,000th anniversary of the first Croatian king stirred thoughts of appropriate commemoration. In 1906, the founders of the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon initiated such an idea. In a Croatia under Hungarian dominance and with Croatian lands still not unified, remembering the first Croatian king of a free, united Croatia and a victor over the Hungarians, carried strong symbolic weight. The idea of celebrating the millennium also emerged in what is now Tomislavgrad.
The commemoration took place during the time of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, a period in which the Croatian people was not equal and its national identity was under pressure. The 1925 celebrations and those that followed were led by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon and accompanied by numerous publications and memorials. This represented a significant step in preserving and building Croatian national identity.
Prompted by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon and the Matica Hrvatska cultural organisation, the Croatian Parliament on 14 March 2024 designated 2025 as the year commemorating the 1100th anniversary of the Kingdom of Croatia, the HP statement said.
