The Illyrian Armorials () are a group of armorials compiled primarily from fictional medieval coats of arms, among which several actual ones can be found, between the late 16th and mid-18th centuries. They are all copies based on the alleged lost original of the Ohmučević Armorial (), commissioned by Petar Ohmučević (died 1599), a man of Ragusan origin, who went on to become an admiral of the Spanish court and navy at some point between 1584 and 1594. These armorials represent an example of the earliest ("Interconfessional") form of the Illyrian idea and the notion of the so-called "Illyrian Empire", which formed the ideological basis for both the later rise of nationalism among the South Slavs in Southeastern Europe, and the idea of unification into a single state that later took the form of Yugoslavia.
The armorials combine historical (late medieval) with fictional coats of arms to construct the notion of an "Illyrian Empire". This fictional Empire happened to coincide exactly with the sphere of interest of the Spanish Empire in Southeastern Europe at the time, and hence also Petar's own. Petar Ohmučević personal goal was to confirm his own "Illyrian" noble origins, after he rose to the rank of admiral in the Spanish navy, and in order to qualify for the greater chivalric orders of Habsburg Spain at the time, for which was necessary to prove descent from eight noble and purely Catholic great-grandparents. Ohmučević was granted the status of nobleman in 1594, which is taken as the terminus ante quem of the armorial.
Some believe that it is an attributed arms of the Serbian Empire, because the creation itself is often signed as the insignia of Emperor Dusan (Imperatoris Stephani Stephani Nemagnich Insignia, etc.)
Ohmučević's armorial can thus be considered a personal project in inventing and probing one's origin, or even a hoax, as he invented genealogy in order to defraud a Spanish court and qualify for the coveted title. However, its immense influence in becoming the foundation of South Slavic or "Illyrist" heraldry in general, can't be denied. An important source for Ohmučević's heraldic inventions was the Wappenbüchlein by Virgil Solis (1555), which itself contains fictional arms of "foreign kingdoms".
The Illyrian Armorials includes the following armorials, with estimated dates in brackets:
ArmorialDateDescription 1584–94 Belgrade Armorial II 1574–1603 in Latin, one of the oldest and finest of the Illyrian Armorials. Korjenić-Neorić Armorial 1595 in Slavic (Cyrillic) and Latin. Tasovčić Armorial 1596–1623 Berlin Armorial Palinić Armorial end of 16th, beginning of 17th in Slavic (Cyrillic) and Latin Althann Armorial 1614 based on an older armorial, copied in Vienna, made for Austrian feldmarschall Althann. London Armorial 1637 Skorojević Armorial 1633 in Latin, based on Altan Armorial. Fojnica Armorial 1675 made for the younger branch of the Ohmučević for Austrian nobility status. Split Armorial 1740 Kevešić Armorial 1740 in Latin. Saraka Armorial 1746 in Latin, made by Ragusan Miho Pešić for 'P. M. P'. Olovo Armorial end of 17th in Latin, uncoloured, copy of the Korenić-Neorić Armorial, likely by Ivan Benigni. Vukoslavić Armorial 1700 in Latin, likely copied along with the Olovo Armorial, made for the Split clergyman Petar Vukoslavić. Pašković Armorial 1820–25 Festetić Armorial 1837 in Latin, copy of the Ohmučević Armorial. Šafarik Armorial 1845 in Cyrillic, copy of the Fojnica Armorial, made for Janko Šafarik. Pašalić Armorial 1842 good copy of Fojnica Armorial, made by Filip Pašalić for Ljudevit Gaj.
See also
Pan-Slavism
References
Bibliography
Further reading