1150TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRPIMIRS DEED OF GIFT S/S

The First Day Cover (FDC) was also issued. Motif: A fragment of a 9th century gable with the name of Prince Trpimir, part of the altar partition in the oratory of the church in Rižinice near Klis. Trpimir’s deed of gift is one of the most significant written documents in Croatian history, the earliest of all coming from the Croatian area, and at the same time the first where the name of the Croats has been mentioned. It was issued by ...Tirpimir, Dux Chroatorum..., as had been put down in the document, who was one of the greatest Croatian rulers in the 9th century: he ruled from approximately the year 846 to 864. Though historians still treat the exact dating of Trpimir’s deed questionable, it has become customary to accept the year 852 as the time of its origin. The deed of gift is, as has already been mentioned, the first ever historic document in its own right, offering information about Prince Trpimir and his state. Not only has the name of Croats been first mentioned, but it also offers information on the political structure of the country. The document dates not only the time of Prince Trpimir’s rule but also the rule of the Frankish king Lothar who ruled the Italic kingdom after the collapse of Charles the Great’s Empire. It becomes evident, though, that Lothar was sovereign in name only, while Trpimir acted as an independent ruler. The relation between these two types of authority can be seen in the episode concerning the stay of the Benedictine monk and dissenter Gottschalk at Trpimir’s court. This learned Benedictine, creator of the theory of predestination, was subject to persecution from both the church and the secular rulers. On his long journeys of exile he found refuge at the court of Trpimir. This is definitely a proof of Trpimir’ power, because had it not been the case he would certainly not oppose the wishes of his sovereign. At the same time, the monk Gottschalk left some first-rate data about Trpimir and his state. He even addressed him as rex - "king", and he also made a note of the Byzantine custom of Croats addressing their ruler as "ruling" (regnum). There is another note that proves Trpimir’s reputation: his name can be found in the Gospel of Cividale del Friuli, where names of pilgrims to this monastery were written down. He was dubbed dominus which indicates that he was treated with great reverence. Indeed, at the time of Trpimir’s rule, the Croatian principality was consolidated and became considerably independent, leading an active policy towards its neighbours. His rule is definitely the time of taking an upturn that could be seen in the cultural achievements, construction and furnishing of numerous foundations, private churches, monasteries, as well as restoring those that had long fallen to ruin. Finally, this is what the actual deed of gift is about. In other words, Trpimir confirmed with the deed to the archbishop of Salona (Split) that he was giving him the estate of Sv.Juraj (’St.George’s estate’) in Putalj and a tenth of his own estate in Klis, and he was also giving him some slaves. The reason for the gift was the fact that some time earlier the archbishop had lent him some silverware to furnish the church the prince had built. As a matter of fact, St.George’s church in Putalj, standing on the flat level above the Kaštela citadel, was built some time earlier, at the time of prince Mislav, so Trpimir only confirmed and added to Mislav’s gift. This shows further that the prince had good relationships with the bishopric of Split, at that time still in charge of the organization of church communities in the Croatian principality. Prince Trpimir brought the Benedictines to Croatia. Their monastery in Rižinice below Klis was built on the foundations of a ruined antique villa. An earlier church dating from early Christian times was used, and Trpimir had it restored and equipped with liturgic furniture. It is from that time that the famous gable of the altar partition dates, bearing the inscription PRO DUCE TREPIM ... - For Prince Trpimir ... (we pray). Unfortunately, only a fragment has been preserved with a visible part of the inscription, the remnant of a bird’s tail and the motive of the "hook" that is a frame to the gable field. The craftsmen who worked on the furbishing of the monastery were performing the same job for some other churches in the vicinity of Klis and Knin, like the churches in Žažvić near Bribir, Vrpolje near Knin, Lopuška Glavica in the Bishopric of Knin and others. This pre-Romanesque sculpture of the deed is the work of the stonemason’s workshop of long tradition that had its headquarters in one of the Dalmatian towns, probably in Split - and that is another proof of good relationships between the Croatian principality and the surrounding Byzantine towns. The formal process of gaining independence for the Croatian principality definitely started with Trpimir and was to end with Branimir in the 80s of the 9th century. Trpimir himself has reached genuine independence in his rule, thus giving his name to the dynasty that will continue ruling Croatia in the next two centuries.