Considerations Regarding the Morlachs Migrations from Dalmatia to Istria and the Venetian Settlement Policy During the 16Th Century

BALCANICA POSNANIENSIA XXII/1 IUS VALACHICUM I Poznań – Bucharest 2015 CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE MORLACHS MIGRATIONS FROM DALMATIA TO ISTRIA AND THE VENETIAN SETTLEMENT POLICY DURING THE 16TH CENTURY DANA CA C IUR ABSTRACT: The Turkish offensive in the Balkans often determined various human groups to search for a new life outside the borders of the Ottoman Empire. In the Dalmatian hinterland, administrated by Venice since the beginning of 16th century, the Morlachs are those who, together with Serbians, Croatians, Bosnians, etc. chose to accept the Venetian protection against the non-Christian danger. On its side, St. Mark′s Republic needed more and more new people to repopulate various regions that had hardly been affected by wars, plagues and drought. During the 16th century Serenissima established the rules of internal migrations (from one region to another of Stato da Mar) and its settlement policy for the poorly habit- ed areas and their new colonists. The encouragement and the development of the population transfer from Dalmatia to Istria represented an aspect of the Venetian policy in balancing the demography of the state. Arrived from the inner Balkans, the Morlachs accepted quite often to settle in south – western Istria, because the benefits and the exemptions offered by the Republic were not to be ignored: exemptions from fees for using public pasturelands, the right to build settlements in empty spaces, exemptions from fees for transport or reductions from some of the administrative taxes. Even if these benefits were temporary or permanent, they used to increase the number of Morlach migrations from Dalmatia in Istria. In effect, as the documents attest, during the 16th century plenty of Morlach settlements appeared in the hinterland of the Istrian cities, like: Rovigno, Umago, Pinguente, Montona, Cittanova, Villanova, Raspo, Parenzo etc. Despite the fact that sometimes the Morlachs chose to leave the new settlements and turn back in Turchia, the numerous settlements colonized and inhabited by them justify, up to some extent, the existence of an Istrian Morlacchia. Dana Caciur, PhD student, University of Bucharest, Faculty of History, B-dul Regina Elisabeta 4-12, sector 5, cod 030018, Bucureşti, Romania, e-mail: [email protected] Key words: Morlachs, Dalmatia, Istria, settlement policy, spontaneous and organized migrations, privileges, ob- ligations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/bp.2015.22.5 The Queen of a vast Empire placed mostly over the sea, the Most Serene Republic of St. Mark faced specific challenges in its administrative policy. The present argu- ment aims to highlight the manner in which Venice turned in its favour the Ottoman offensive toward Dalmatia and the territorial losses caused by it. The main consequences of the Ottoman advancement affected the Venetian Dalmatia equally by re- ducing its hinterland, the demography and the economic potential of the region, but also by bringing new subjects, refugees from the new Ottoman conquered territo- 58 Dana CACIUR ries1. These new inhabitants (novi habitanti2) were soon as possible included in the Venetian administrated communities and learned to respect and obey the Venetian political system. The most appropriate solution applied by the Republic proved to be the settlement of these newly arrived inhabitants in those areas strongly affected by war, plague and drought. For the 16th century this settlement policy and its Venetian partic- ularities can be exemplified with the settlement of the Dalmatian Morlachs in the de- populated regions of Istria. Pushed away by the numerous damages caused during the Turkish offensive but also because of the generous promises made by Venice, a great number of Morlachs chose to come from beyond the Dalmatian border and to settle in the Venetian territory and became the subjects of Serenissima. Although, since Dalmatia lost more and more from its hinterland and the waves of immigrants were more frequent, Venice decided to transfer some of these groups in Istria. Here again, the hinterland was strongly affected by the war with the House of Austria, drought and plague, but it allowed the settlement of new inhabitants. Beginning with the 16th century this transfer of people from Dalmatia in Istria was practiced more systematic and well organized, based on a very attractive settlement policy. Once the military conflicts between the members of the Cambrai League were over and the borders were established in Istria, Venice then began to focus on how it should repopulate the region, revitalize the agriculture and assure the protection of the border3. Considering the difficult situation from Dalmatia, where the new inhabitants challenged the administration, already confronted with the problem of a reduced territory, the loss of a large population and the permanent Ottoman threat, the Republic facilitated the transfer to Istria, with its own ships, of numerous groups of Serbians, Bosnians and Morlachs. Together with them Venice also settled in Istria various refugee groups from Malvasia, Nauplia di Romania, Cyprus and Levant. From all of these the Morlachs proved to be the group that responded the best to the Venetian policy4 even if they sabotaged it whenever they found the opportunity. However, the Morlachs did not prevent the Republic in achiev- ing its goals, but encouraged it to develop a set of means that allowed Serenessima to control the Morlachs. The direct contacts existing between the Morlachs and the Venetian Republic in Dalmatia since the middle of 14th century created for Venice the opportunity of understanding what the Morlachs liked the most. Thus, by offering to the Morlachs economic, social and political advantages and also some autonomy, Venice attracted different Morlach groups on its side and managed to use them in re- vitalizing the emptied Istrian provinces. 1 Antolini , Nicola, Slavi e Latini in Istria tra cinquecento e novecento: origine storiche e problemi del contesto multi-etnico istriano, in ”Storicamente”, 2 (2006), http://www.Storicamente.org/02antoli ni.htm. 2 Antolini, Slavi e Latini in Istria. 3 Lia de Luca, Venezia e le immigrazioni in Istria nel Cinque e Seicento, PhD thesis, unpublished, de- fended at Ca′ Foscari University, Venice, 2011, p. 19. 4 Lia de Luca, Venezia e le immigrationi, 23. CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE MORLACHS MIGRATIONS FROM DALMATIA TO ISTRIA 59 In addition to that, the large number of Morlachs and their privileged status gave birth to an interesting socio – ethnical situation: many from the other Slavic communities colonized in Istria were assimilated by Morlachs and identified with the Morlach name. This way, during the 16th century there is the basis for Morlacchia Istriana5. The name can be disputed if one is to consider the ethnic origins of this Istrian Morlach community and also if we compare it with the specifics of ”the other countries of the Morlachs6” placed beyond the border of Dalmatia. Though, the name Morlacchia Istriana is representative in identifying the region in which Venice applied its settlement policy. On the other side, this name can suggest the evolution and the consequences of the settlement strategies and also the identification of some el- ements that kept alive Morlach characteristics which faded away, more and more, in Dalmatia. To justify the previous hypothesis it is necessary to observe what implied the Ve- netian settlement policy and how it worked in the case of the Morlach colonization of Istria. In reaching this goal I will present the main waves of the Morlach migration in Istria, followed by a short case study on how the population transfer was realized during 1539 - 1540 and how these Morlachs were settled in the territory of Rovigno and Parenzo. Concerning the main waves of the Morlach migration from Dalmatia in Istria in the period before the Cyprus war can be formed the next chronological list: • 1520: Morlach refugees are mentioned in Rovigno and Canizza d′Arsa7 • 1525: The Republic approved territorial concessions to a group of Morlach families, to form two new villages in the territory of Rovigno and Parenzo8. The Morlachs settled in the hinterland of Parenzo and named their new village Villanova and recognized the authority of the Podesta of Parenz9o. The other group settled in the hinterland of Rovigno and named their village, Villanova. Built in the valley of Lake Verzo10 this village obtained official recognition one year later11. • 1539: A new wave of immigrants arrived in the territory of Parenzo increas- ing the number of Morlach families to 60. According to some documents is- sued by the Venetian Senate, 2000 new families12 were settled in this area. 5 Antolini, Slavi e Latini in Istria. 6 Morlacchia placed during the 15th century in the territory of Imotski, and the Morlacca identified with the Velebit′s slopes and lived by Uskoks. 7 Apud D. Alberi, Istria. Storia, Arte, Cultura, Trieste, 1997. 8 Lia de Luca, Venezia e le immigrazioni, 18. 9 Schiavuzzi Bernardo, Cenni storici sull′ etnografia dell′ Istria, in ”Atti e memorie della società Istriana di Archeologia e storia patria, vol XVIII, facs. no. 1 and 2, Parenze, 1901, p. 93. 10 Schiavuzzi, Cenni storici sull′ etnografia, 93. 11 Lia de Luca, Venezia e le immigrazioni, 53. 12 Lia de Luca, Venezia e le immigrazioni, 53. 60 Dana CACIUR • at the end of the 4th decade: Some Morlach communities were present in the territory of Montona. Here they were colonized in villages named: Montreo, San Giovani della Cisterna and Mondellebotte. This new immigrants also settled in San Lorenzo and Cittanova13. • 1540: Morlachs, Albanians and Greeks colonized around Umago, Buie, Pinguente, Montona şi Cittanova14. These Morlachs seemed to be a part of those 2,000 Morlach families brought to Istria in 153915. • 1556: Morlachs near Villanova and Leme16 • 1558: Morlach families came from Dalmatia and were settled in small villages around S.

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