The Origin and development of Knin Medieval Urban setting

Abstract

Croatian historiography stressed the role of Knin as a canter of political events but much less attention had been paid to the genesis of Knin as a medieval urban center. The former moments are important for the origin aind development of Knin but they do not sufficiently explain and present the way in which this medieval urban setting originated and developed. The author tries to reconstruct the origin, development and the appearance of Knin medieval urban center, from its beginning (the 10th century) to the 15th century when Knin did not function as an organized urban setting any more. The reasons for this were constant Turkish attacks, the bishop leaving the town and the inhabitants were dispersed also. The author, not only describes the appearance of this urban center, but also points to its administrative, clerical and political structure which are chracteristic for this town. It is important to stress these elements in order to understand the importance of Knin in the context of political scene in the medieval Croatian state.