Karantania

Karantania sometimes Carantania, Carentania, Carinthia (in old Slovenian onomastics Korotan, or Karantanija) was a Slavic principality that developed in the 7th century and was centered on the territory of contemporary Carinthia. Lasting almost 300 years, it is considered one of the first Slavic state forms. The people of Karantania are considered as one of the precursors and ancestors of modern Slovenians.

Territory

Karantania's capital was most likely Karnburg/Krnski grad in the Zollfeld/Gosposvetsko polje, north of modern Klagenfurt (Slov. Celovec). Besides Carinthia, it included parts of today's East Tyrol, Styria, the Lungau and Ennspongau regions of Salzburg, and parts of southern Upper Austria and Lower Austria. It is not known whether parts of modern Slovenia also belonged to Karantania. The few historical sources in existence distinguish between Karantania and Carniola, the latter appearing in historical record in late 8th century.

The borders of the later Karantania, which was under the feudal overlordship of the Carolongians and their successors as part of Bavaria (826-976), as well as of the later Duchy of Carinthia (from 976), extended beyond historical Karantania.

Ethnic and social structure

The upper classes of the state were Alpine Slavs, and, for a time, probably also Avars. The remaining population consisted of romanized Celts (Noricans) and descendants of Romans, who had moved to the region earlier.

History

Karantania is first mentioned in historical sources in the 7th century. Some older historians cite a date of 745, while others claim even later dates. The label of the first Slavic state is a topic of some controversy. The Slovaks are descended from Samo's kingdom (623) and from Great Moravia (833)/Principality of Nitra.

Latin authors named Karantania with the name Carantanum. Carinthia can also be derived from the name for Carni, a Celtic people.

In 568, Langobards receded into Northern Italy. Subsequently, in the last decades of the 6th century, Slavs gradually conquered the Eastern Alpine region with the help of their Avar overlords. After 591 they took the area along the upper Drava river and fought with the Bavarians.

After 620, Slavs formed Samo's Tribal Union (623-626), also known in historical sources as Marca Vinedorum. It was ruled by the duke Valuk (Wallux dux Winedorum). In 658, Samo died and his Tribal Union collapsed. The name Karantania begins to appear after 660.

In 745, Karantania lost its independence and became a margraviate and tantamount part of the semifeudal Frankish empire, which was ruled by king Charlemagne (742-814) from 771 to 814, due to pressing danger of Avar tribes from the east.

In 843, Karantania passed into the hands of Louis the German (804-876). In 887 Arnulf of Carinthia (850-899) a grandson of Louis the German assumed his title of King of the East Franks and became the first Duke of Carinthia.

The Ducal Coronation

The principality of Karantania is particularly notable for the ancient ritual of installing Karantanian dukes, a practice that continued in the later Duchy of Carinthia. It was conducted for the last time in 1414, when the Habsburg Ernest the Iron was enthroned as Duke of Carinthia.

The ceremony was carried out in Slovenian language on the Prince's Stone (Slov. Knežji kamen, German Fürstenstein), an Ancient Celtic column, near Krnski grad, (now Karnburg) by a free farmer selected by his peers who questioned the new duke about his integrity. Subsequently, the new Duke had to swear an oath while sitting on the Duke's Chair (Slov. Vojvodski stol, German Herzogsstuhl), where he also received the homage of the estates. The Chair was located at the Gosposvetsko Field (Slov. Gosposvetsko polje), which is today known in German as the Zollfeld north of Klagenfurt (Slov. Celovec) in Carinthia, Austria.

The ceremony is described in Jean Bodin's Six livres de la Republique. There are some speculations that it may have inspired Thomas Jefferson in writing the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, who had read about it in that book.

Mentions in late medieval literature

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) mentions Karantania as Chiarentana. The same name was used by Florentines such as a poet Fazio degli Uberti (circa 1309-1367), the famous chronicler Giovanni Villani (c. 1275-1348) and Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375), who said that the river Brenta rises from the mountains of Karantania, that is a land in Alps, which divide Italy from Germany.

References

Jožko Šavli, Slovenska država Karantanija (Slovenian state of Karantania), (Založba Lipa, Koper; Editiones Veneti, Dunaj (Vienna); Karantanija, Ljubljana 1990).
Hans-Dietrich Kahl, Der Staat der Karantanen : Fakten, Thesen und Fragen zu einer frühen slawischen Machtbildung im Ostalpenraum, Ljubljana, 2002.

External links

The Ducal Coronation

History of Slovenia | History of Austria

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