The Medieval State Between Science and Myth – Round Table at the Catholic University of Croatia

As part of the rich programme of the History Week event at the Catholic University of Croatia, titled History at 13, a round table discussion “Medieval Studies and Medievalism on the Medieval State and Statehood” was held on 17 April 2026.

The round table was the result of collaboration between the CUC History Students’ Club Homo volans and the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) research project “The Formation of the Territorial State in Late Medieval Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia” (CroDaSTrans, IP-2025-02-4345), conducted at the University.
 

Assoc. Prof. Zrinka Pešorda Vardić, PhD, Prof. Trpimir Vedriš, PhD, and Prof. Ivan Majnarić, PhD, structured the discussion around three key thematic units, connecting popular perceptions of history with the latest historiographical research and insights into the medieval Kingdoms of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia.
 

Participants analyzed how the Middle Ages are reflected in contemporary popular culture, with particular emphasis on “sites of memory” and the role of historians in shaping public narratives. They also examined how the concept of the state has evolved within Croatian historiography and questioned whether and to what extent popular concepts such as independence and ethnic identity can be meaningfully applied to the medieval context. Finally, through selected examples of archival sources, they reconstructed how the state functioned in medieval reality.
 

The discussion concluded that approaches to medieval history should be more nuanced and offer a more comprehensive understanding of identity—free from romanticized distortions often inherited from the era of emerging modern nations, yet still deeply aware of the importance of medieval foundations for contemporary society. The role of historians, it was emphasized, is not only research-oriented but also educational, bridging scholarly standards with public interest.