Korenić-Neorić Armorial
Encyclopedia
The Korenić-Neorić Armorial is a 1595 copy of the lost original of the Ohmućević Armorial (Ohmućević grbovnik) commissioned by Petar Ohmućević (d. 1599), a Spanish admiral of Ragusan
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...

 origin, at some point between 1584 and 1594. It is an example of the earliest ("Interconfessional") form of Illyrism, which formed the ideological basis for the later rise of nationalism in the Balkans.

The armorial combines historical (late medieval) with fictional coats of arms to construct the notion of an "Illyrian Empire". This Empire happened to coincide exactly with the sphere of interest of the Spanish Empire in the Balkans at the time, and hence also Petar's own. The personal purpose pursued by Petar Ohmućević was that of confirming his own "Illyrian" nobility after he rose to the rank of admiral in the Spanish navy. In order to qualify for the greater chivalric orders of Habsburg Spain at the time, it was necessary to prove descent from eight noble and purely Catholic great-grandparents.
Ohmućević was granted the status of nobleman in 1594, which is taken as the terminus ante quem of the armorial. Ohmućević's armorial can thus be considered a personal project in origin, or even a fraud, as he invented genealogy in order to qualify for the coveted title, but its influence turned out to be immense, becoming, as it did, the foundation of Balkanic or "Illyrist" heraldry in general. An important source for Ohmućević's heraldic inventions was the Wappenbüchlein
Wappenbüchlein
A Wappenbüchlein was published by Virgil Solis in 1555, printed in Nuremberg.The title page introduces the work as follows:"in honour of his imperial and royal majesty, and also his Holiness the pope, including some of the most noble foreign kingdoms, the prince-electors, princes and common...

by Virgil Solis
Virgil Solis
Virgil Solis or Virgilius Solis , a member of a prolific family of artists, was a German draughtsman and printmaker in engraving, etching and woodcut who worked in Nuremberg. His prints were sold separately or formed the illustrations of books; many prints signed by him are probably by assistants...

 (1555), which itself contains fictional arms of "foreign kingdoms".
The Korenić-Neorić Armorial of 1595 is printed on paper, in a format of 21 cm x 14.5 cm, on 168 sheets.
The Ohmućević Armorial is the main source used by the Fojnica Armorial
Fojnica Armorial
The so-called Fojnica Armorial is an early modern roll of arms of the Balkans...

, which is for this reason dated to after 1595, probably to the 1670s, and later "Illyrist" armorials compiled in the early modern period.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK