Promina History

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The name Promina comes from the Liburnian city of Promona, first mentioned in writing in the year 51 BC, when the Dalmatae captured the Liburnian city and moved its borders to the river Krka. In the year 34 BC the Romans, who had already established a military camp in Burnum (today's Šupljaja), led by Emperor Octavian helped the Liburnians, retook Promona and razed it. The name derives from lat. pro mans – to protrude behind a hill, which corresponds with the fact that Promona was located in the area of today's Tepljuh, occupying a very important strategic position between the Petrovo Polje and the Kosovo Polje. Although Promona has not been restored, its memory is preserved in the name of the mountain on which it was situated and in the name of the Promina area.

The history of Promina began much earlier than its first mention in historical sources and dates back to the beginning of human history. In the immediate vicinity of the Promina area, in the valley of the river Čikola, archeological remains from the Paleolithic period (Old Stone Age) have been found, so it is safe to assume that people from that period also lived in the Promina area, perhaps in the caves in the canyon of the Krka River. The oldest remains found so far, which contribute to the assumption that people really lived in this area, were found in the village Mratovo and date back to the Neolithic (Early Stone Age, 5000-35000 BC). The findings from the later periods of human history found in villages of Razvođe, Čitluk, Oklaj, Lukar, Puljani and Bobodol show that life was almost uninterrupted in the Promina area. With emergence of tribes, Promina was inhabited by the Illyrians, i.e. the Liburnian tribe, and in the middle of the first century BC, arrives the Dalmatae tribe. The Krka river serves as the natural border between these two tribes. After the fall of Promona in the year 34 BC, the area was occupied and ruled by the Romans for about 6.5 centuries. Most findings from that period were found in Oklaj and Puljani, while there are multiple individual findings throughout Promina. Oklaj was located at the crossroads between Castrum Burnum (one part of which was located on the hillfort near Puljani) and Promona and Scardona. The name probably originated when the Dalmatae occupied the area of Promina, and it means a part of the land which is not cultivated, the marginal part of the field (the end, or in Croatian okrajak is in Delmatae oklajak), which corresponds to the position of Oklaj – on the edge of Bilo Polje.

There are almost no significant archeological findings from the Migration Period (6th and 7th century), but there are some from the period of the Kingdom of Croatia. The oldest findings were found in Lukar near the parish church, where old Croatian spurs, gold earrings and tombstones called stećak were found in the graves. Some time later, in the 10th century, the church community of Promina is mentioned for the first time and seemed to have encompassed the entire area beneath Promina, from Knin to Drniš. Today, only the villages of Ljubotić and Badanj (which no longer belongs to the Promina area) have preserved their names. Since the 10th century, there have been several prominent, noble, Croatian families in Promina – the Svačić family (a part of this family was the last Croatian king who was not of royal descent – Petar Svačić, born in today's Bogatić, where even today there are parts of the land commonly known as Svačice), the Šubić family, the Neplić family, the Martinušević family and the Utišinović family. It was the conflict between these nobles, among whom there were also several Croatian bans on the one hand, and the Šubić family on the other, which led to the founding of a few cities along the river Krka: Nečven of nobles Nelipić from the Svačić family, opposite which the Šubić family founded Čučevo (Trošenj) on the right bank of the Krka; then Bogočin, the headquarters of the Martinušević family where today's Bogatić (which existed in 9th century as the seat of the Croatian County). Later, it was owned by the Bogetić family and after whom Kamičac was named (the town of the Neplić family, and then the Utišinović family in the Čikola canyon). The famous cardinal Juraj Utišinović (1482-1551), the defender of the Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania, and Croatian ban Marko Mišljenović (1506-1508), known for the bloody battles against the Ottoman, were born there.

There are almost no significant archeological findings from the Migration Period (6th and 7th century), but there are some from the period of the Kingdom of Croatia. The oldest findings were found in Lukar near the parish church, where old Croatian spurs, gold earrings and tombstones called stećak were found in the graves. Some time later, in the 10th century, the church community of Promina is mentioned for the first time and seemed to have encompassed the entire area beneath Promina, from Knin to Drniš. Today, only the villages of Ljubotić and Badanj (which no longer belongs to the Promina area) have preserved their names. Since the 10th century, there have been several prominent, noble, Croatian families in Promina – the Svačić family (a part of this family was the last Croatian king who was not of royal descent – Petar Svačić, born in today's Bogatić, where even today there are parts of the land commonly known as Svačice), the Šubić family, the Neplić family, the Martinušević family and the Utišinović family. It was the conflict between these nobles, among whom there were also several Croatian bans on the one hand, and the Šubić family on the other, which led to the founding of a few cities along the river Krka: Nečven of nobles Nelipić from the Svačić family, opposite which the Šubić family founded Čučevo (Trošenj) on the right bank of the Krka; then Bogočin, the headquarters of the Martinušević family where today's Bogatić (which existed in 9th century as the seat of the Croatian County). Later, it was owned by the Bogetić family and after whom Kamičac was named (the town of the Neplić family, and then the Utišinović family in the Čikola canyon). The famous cardinal Juraj Utišinović (1482-1551), the defender of the Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania, and Croatian ban Marko Mišljenović (1506-1508), known for the bloody battles against the Ottoman, were born there. 

The first Ottoman incursions in Promina area were recorded in the early 15th century and were the cause of emigrations from Promina to the north, towards Bihać, and even further north where some families arrive in today's Burgenland, Austria. On the other hand, the remaining nobles (such as Ivan Kučić from Razvođe) bring Vlachs to their estates. The fiercest Ottoman attack in Promina took place in 1499 when, as the chronicler says, the entire „Municipality of Promina was completely robbed and devastated“. With the fall of Knin (May 28, 1522) the Ottoman occupied Promina. The city of Nečven, unlike other cities, was not demolished by the Ottoman. They made it into a municipality, and during a certain period it was the seat of the Sanjak Zakrčje, until it moved to Knin.

The Ottoman raised a control tower in Oklaj, in which a smaller military crew was placed, commanded by a dizdar, a castle warden/fortress commander in order to guard the roads and hunt the bandits, primarily the hajduk. In the 16th century documents, it is referred to as „Bandalović Tower“. As their domination was endangered in the beginning of the 17th century by the Morlachs, Uskoks and Venetians, they built a very strong city Šešelj in Lukar. There are many names that stand out when it comes to the battles against the Ottoman, such as Validžić and Bilušić, while the folk song dedicated to Marko Džepina states that he was one of the greatest and killed more than 30 Ottoman soldiers. During these battles, almost the entire Christian population has moved to the neighboring Venetian territory around the city of Šibenik and was decimated, both in the fight against the Ottoman and from the plague. That's why after Promina was liberated from the Ottoman in 1688, the Venetians worked with the Morlachs in order to populate it, since the Ottoman who were situated in Promina, if not killed or captured, emigrated to Bosnia (Bihać and surrounding cities). In a Morlach incursion into the territory of Bosanska Krajina in 1689, about 1000 „Ottoman and Vlach“ families were brought to the Promina area and around Knin and Drniš. According to a document from 1711, the „Ottoman“ who settled in Promina converted to the „Orthodox and Catholic denomination“ due to famine. After the fall of Venice in 1795, Promina fell under the Austrian Empire. In Promina, as in the entire Dalmatia, in the second half of the 19th century, national awakening takes place, resulting in the victory of the People's Party in the municipal elections of 1883, when Marko Škovrlj was elected as the first president.

1918. Promina as part of the newly established State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs based in Zagreb.

1919. - 1921. Promina was occupied by the Italian army, but has put up armed resistance during the occupation.

1921. - 1941. Promina within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

1931. According to the official census, Promina covered an area of 139,16 km2 and a population of 5.971 residents, of which 5.148 or 86.2% were Catholics, i.e. Croats, and 823 or 13.8% Orthodox Serbs. 5.803 people earned a living by agriculture and forestry, 84 by industry and crafts, 7 by trade, 7 by turnover, 48 by public services and 22 people by other occupations or without occupation.

1921. - 1938. Representatives of the Radical and Yugoslav Radical Communities were in power in Promina.

1938. - 1941. The Croatian Peasant Party wins the elections and takes power in the Municipality of Promina.

1939. The Municipality of Promina is part of the newly established Banovina of Croatia.

1941. - 1945. Promina within the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), but in practice under the rule of Italian military commanders until September 1943, and since then German military commanders in the area. Under their auspice Chetnik units tried to „cleanse“ Promina of Croats in order to create the planned „Great Serbia“ Over 50 Promina civilians brutally lost their lives, while many were forced to leave Promina, especially in 1944 when faced with the 501st and 502nd Chetnik Corps. These crimes would have been even more horrible if it were not for the armed resistance of the Promina people, of whom 116 were killed as members of the Partisan force, a third of whom in the conflict with Chetniks, as well as about twenty members of the Independent State of Croatia armed forces. On the other hand, not a single Serb was killed by the NDH because of his/her nationality, but 5 of them who were associates and participants in the partisan movement did. Chetnik criminals were not criminally responsible in 1945 for the crimes committed against Croats in Promina.

1945. - 1991. – Promina in socialist Yugoslavia shares the fate of the rest of the Croatia.

1962. The Municipality of Promina was abolished, and the area was included in the Municipality of Drniš. In that period a big emigration from Promina takes place which led to the loss of two thirds of the population, 500 of which went abroad due to many reasons, dominantly political.

Dr. Zdravko Dizdar