Early Middle Ages and the Croatian State—Spatial Organisation and a New Cultural Landscape

Abstract

The transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages was marked by deep-rooted changes throughout Croatian territory as well as the surrounding area, which were reflected in all segments of society—political, economic, and cultural. The nearly insurmountable differences between Roman civilisation and the newly arrived peoples led to a break in the developmental continuity of the cultural landscape. This overall change is reflected in decline and deurbanisation. This was mostly expressed in Pannonia, which was the area that was most exposed to invasion by migratory peoples arriving in Europe from the East. Conversely, the majority of littoral Dalmatia was spared from invasion, which mainly allowed the continuity of the urban cultural landscape to continue. This landscape change expressed the duality of Adriatic and continental Croatia, due to both environmental and political conditions, and organisation. The continuity of the development of coastal cities and environmental advantages, such as contact between Mediterranean lowlands and high mountain pastures (that enabled transhumance), were key elements that led to the birth of the first political core of the Croatian state in the area of northern Dalmatia. This is confirmed by the toponym Hrvati, the great density of župas—the first units of territorial organisation—and the seat of the first Croatian princes in the vicinity of Split. The area to the north of Gvozd, called Slovinje (Slavonia), was predominantly politically weak and unorganised in the Early Middle Ages. This can be seen in the lack of a basic territorial unit, i.e. župa, and churches.