Serbian Chancellery in Dubrovnik

The Serbian Chancellery (Serbian: Српска канцеларија), sometimes known as the Slavic Chancellery (словенска канцеларија), was a diplomatical and economical office of several states of Serbia in the Middle Ages (such as Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate) in the Republic of Ragusa (now in Dubrovnik, Croatia). It was established in the early 13th century.

It served for Cyrillic transcription by Romanophones in the city in correspondence with Serbia and Slavic lands in the interior; with the Orthodox and members of the Bosnian Church. The initial chancellors were Romans (Italics), or Slavophones, or Slavicized Romans who hailed from local patrician noble families. Only in the 14th century, there were scribes belonging to the lower classes, whose biographies are harder to determine.

The head scribe (канцелар) of the chancellery was titled dijak srpski ("Serb scribe"). Three early names of chancellery scribes are known from between 1278 and 1336: Ozren, Stojan Ceprić (1312–19, a nobleman^[1]), and Stefan Benčulić.^[2] During the rule of King and Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), Jaketa Krusić was a chancellery scribe (ca. 1340–47), followed by Đivo Parmesan (1348–63).^[2] The next known chancellery scribes were Maroje Niklić (1379–87), Vidoš Bogdanić (1388–89, from Korčula), Rusko Hristoforović (1392–1431, an important figure), Nikša Zvijezdić (1431—1455, sometimes known as Nikola^[1]) and Marinko Cvijetković (1455–74).^[2]

In period 1482—1527 Serb scribes included Paskoje Primojević.^[3] In 1531 records his son Trajan Primojević was as Serbian scribe.^[4]

References

1. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti (1936). Glas. 169-172. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. pp. 134, 187. Који су били писари тих комада из ХШ-ога вијека, не може се знати, јер нам је најстарији по имену познати српски кан- целар властелин Стојан Цепрић из г. 1312 — 1319. 7. Из Х1У-ога вијека имамо најприје препис повеље цара [...]
2. Đorđić, Petar (1987). Istorija srpske ćirilice (2 ed.). Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva. pp. 147–148.
3. Glas. U Kralj.-srpskoj državnoj štampariji. 1941. p. 144. ...оригинали тих посљедњих комада иду у године 1483—1490 када је био Паскоје Примојевић српски канцелар (г. 1482 — 1527),
4. (Đorđić 1987, p. 149)

Sources

• Dragičević, P. (2009). "Serbian office on the island of Lesbos" (PDF). Prilozi za književnost i jezik, istoriju i folklor, no. 75 (in Serbian): 13–20.
• Jireček, Konstantin (1899). Beiträge zur ragusanischen Literaturgeschichte (in German).
• Jireček, Konstantin (1904). Die mittelalterliche Kanzlei der Ragusaner (in German).
• Miklošič, Franc (1858). Monumenta Serbica spectantia historiam Serbiae, Bosnae, Ragusii (in Latin). Viennae.
• Stanojević, Stanoje (1933). Kancelarije (in Serbian).
• Stanojević, Stanoje (1923). Studije o srpskoj diplomatici, XIV, dijak, gramatik, notar, kancelar, nomik, logotet (in Serbian).
• Rešetar, Milan (1936). "Никша Звијездић дубровачки српски канцелар XV вијека". Glas 169-172 (in Serbian).
• Đorđić, Petar (1987). Istorija srpske ćirilice. Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva.