Frankopan family

TheHouse of Frankopan(Croatian:Frankopani, Frankapani,Italian:Frangipani,Hungarian:Frangepán,Latin:Frangepanus, Francopanus) was aCroatiannoblefamily, whose members were among the great landowner magnates and high officers of theKingdom of Croatia in union with Hungary.
The Frankopans, along with theZrinskis, are among the most important and most famous Croatian noble families who, from the 11th to the 17th century, were very closely connected with the history, past and destiny of the Croatian people andCroatia. For centuries, members of these noble clans were the bearers and defenders of Croatia against the Ottomans, but also resolute opponents of the increasingly dangerous Habsburg imperial absolutism and German hegemony, which in the spirit of European mercantilism sought to consolidate throughout the Habsburg Monarchy. The past of these two clans is intertwined with marital ties, friendships and participation in almost all significant events in Croatia, especially on the battlefields in the defense of Croatia from the Ottoman conqueror.
The Frankopan family was one of the leading Croatianaristocraticfamilies from the 12th to the 17th century. Since the 15th century they were trying to link themselves to theRomanpatricianFrangipani family(which claimed descent from aRomanplebeianfamily ofAniciiand ended in 1654 with Mario Frangipane being its last male descendant). HoweverCroatian Encyclopedia,Italian EncyclopediaandGermanBiographical Lexicon of the History of Southeastern Europeby the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies highly question the bloodline connection between the two families and remind of the common fashion of medieval noble families in Europe to try and connect themselves to ancient Roman nobility. Along with the members of theZrinskifamily the Frankopan ranked high in terms of importance by virtue of power, wealth, fame, glory and role in Croatian and Hungarian history. The first known member of Croatian lineage of the Frankopan family was Dujam I Krčki (Doymus Veglensisin Latin sources that also attribute the title ofcomesto him), lord ofKrkwho received permission by Domenico Michieli,Doge of Venicefrom 1118 to 1130, to rule the island of Krk asvassalof theRepublic of Venice.His exact origin is unknown, but he and his descendants were referred to as the Counts of Krk in historical documents.In 1221, the brothers Henry and Servidon Frankopan received the islands ofBrač,Hvar,KorčulaandLastovoas a gift from KingAndrew II of Hungaryfor their services.In 1428Nikola IV Krčki(Ban of Croatia and Dalmatiafrom 1426 to 1432) was the first of the Counts of Krk to call himself Frankapan.In 1430 he managed to receive recognition fromPope Martin Vfor being a descendant of the old Roman patrician family Frangipani and officially started using the name and coat of arms Frangipani.
In 1240–1241 theMongol EmpireadvancedfromPolandtowardHungarywhoseKing,Béla IVresisted bravely but finally had to seek refuge in Dalmatia. King Béla stayed with the Frankopans who assisted him with arms and funds and brought him into safety in Veglia and then brought him back to his own land. As reward the King gave the Frankopans the county of Senj with surrounding lands and the castle ofModruš.
In 1246 there was another war, betweenFrederick II, Duke of Austriaand Béla, who, with the assistance of the Frankopan,won a victory. As a further reward, King Béla then, by royal decree, created the Frankopans as Lords of their territory for them and their descendants.
The Frankopans constantly supported theCatholic Church. In particular, Nikola Frankopan reconstructed the Holy House of Our Lady in 1294 inTersatto(Trsat).It is recorded that in 1291, Nikola Frankopan sent a delegation toNazarethto measure the Holy House after the House had been saved, presumably by the Crusaders, and brought to Trsat or Tersatto, on the Adriatic Coast where the Frankopans had a castle. In 1294 Nikola Frankopan, gave the Holy House to the Pope to be placed on Papal lands, atLoreto, nearAncona.
Although the possessions of the family were exposed to every assault both from the east and the west, their power increased steadily until the 17th century when their lands reached further east. TheZrinskiand Frankopan families came into closer affinity by marriage ties until in the eyes of theEuropeancourts they had become one of the most important families of Croatia.
In 1420 the Swedish KingErik of Pomeraniacalled Ivan VI Frankopan, the eldest son of the Croatian ban Nikola IV, toSwedento accompany the Swedish King to the Holy Land and later to assist the King at the Court in Sweden. Ivan VI Frankopan lived in Sweden at intervals between 1420 and 1430. After his father's death he returned to his home country. His eldest son called Matthias (Matija)stayed in Sweden.
In 1425Emperor Sigismundconfirmed the noble status ofNikola Frankopanreferring to him asNiklas Frangiapan Comes de Begle, Segnie et Modrusse(Nikola Frankopan, Count of Krk, Senj and Modruš)using theLatintitle ofcomes. He also granted the family the privileges of red wax, (Rotwachsprivilegien), i.e., the right to use redwaxfor their seals. Sigismund underlines at the end of this document that no one must ever dispute these rights of the family.
Bernardin Frankopan's (1453–1529) paternal grandmother Dorothy was from a prominent Hungarian noble family,Garay, while his mother Isotta fromEstefamily wasDuchy of FerraraofFerrara. Through ancestry from royal Spanish families Bernardin had evenÁrpádancestry (the Árpád dynasty founded the Kingdom of Hungary.) The Frankopan family was persecuted after theZrinski-Frankopan conspiracy, where the CountFran Krsto Frankopanparticipated in an uprising againstHabsburgKingLeopold I. He and his brother-in-law,Petar Zrinskiwere executed inWiener Neustadt.
The line of Stjepan II Frankopan, Ban of Croatia (d. 1481), died out with Katarina Frankopan in the 16th century. The line of Sigismund Frankopan expired with Franjo Frankopan,Bishop of Egerin 1542. Another branch died out in 1572 with Franjo Frankopan, Ban of Croatia; and the Trsat branch died out withFran Krsto Frankopanin 1671 (and in the female line with Maria Juliana Frankopan, married Countess ofAbensberg und Traunand later Countess vonAttems).
In 1991,Vjekoslav Nikola Antun Doimi de Lupis (1939–2018),originally also Dujmić-Vukasinović,by then aBritishcitizen, changed his name and surname to "Louis Doimi de FrankopanŠubićZrinski" or "Louis Michal Antun Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan Shubich Zrinski" under British Civil law,adding several names of medieval Croatian noble families that combined in such a fashion were historically never attributed to any member of mentioned noble families.In the late 1990s, Louis's cousin Mirko Jamnicki-Dojmi di Delupis wrote anopen letterwhere he denounced claims over Frankopan, Šubić and Zrinski names by his family and presented the family tree of Dojmi di Delupis containing 129 names from the year 1200 onwards.Louis's descendants includeLady Nicholas Windsor,and historianPeter Frankopanwho also claimed that they always had the same name.
In 2002, the wife of Louis Doimi de Lupis,SwedishlawyerIngrid Detter, bought the Ribnik Castle, once the property of the Frankopans, and today in theRegister of Cultural Goods of Croatia(Z-301), for the price of 1.6 millionkunasfrom theRibnik municipalityand in accordance with the decision of theMinistry of Culture, the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, however hardly anything has been invested.In 2003, they also founded the literary awards "Katarina Zrinska" and "Petar Zrinski", which were held only once. In the same year, during thePope John Paul IIvisit ofThe Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat, which was tightly related to the Frankopan family, the members of de Lupis family managed to get presented not by their original name yet as Frankopans.
Several of the Frankopan castles remain inCroatia, mostly around theGorski kotarregion and the island ofKrk. The castle at Stara Susica nearTrsatincorporates structures going back to theIllyrianandRomanperiods. The town ofBosiljevohas a medieval fortified castle, renovated in the last century in the spirit of the Romanesque. The castle and park atSeverin na Kupiwere owned by the Frankopan family until the mid-17th century. Other castles or property of the Frankopans could be found inRibnik,Bosiljevo,Novi Vinodolski, Drivenik,Ogulin,Slunj,Ozalj,Cetingrad,Trsat, and other surrounding towns. The Frankopan castle in the town ofKrkis currently used for open-air performances in the summer months. Some castles which were properties of the family: