Lucio, Giovanni, 1604-1679

Johannes Lucius (Croatian: Ivan Lučić; Italian: Giovanni Lucio; September 1604 – 11 January 1679) was a Dalmatian historian, whose greatest work is De regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae ("On the Kingdom of Dalmatia and Croatia"), which includes valuable historical sources, bibliography and six historical maps. Due to his critical approach, he is often described as the "father of Croatian historiography". Born in September 1604 in Trogir in a noble family, Lucius studied in Trogir and Rome, graduating in philosophy, mathematics, political sciences and literature in 1628, and receiving Ph.D. in civil and canonical law in 1630. Following graduation, he worked as a councilman and judge in his hometown and developed intensive scientific research work. His first book Vita B. Ioannis confessoris episcopi Traguriensis et eius miracula [Life of St. John the Confessor, Bishop of Trogir] (1657) is an important source of Croatian, and especially Dalmatian, history between 11th and 13th centuries. His capital work is De regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae [On the Kingdom of Dalmatia and Croatia] (1662) in which he described the history of Dalmatia between the Roman times and 1480. The book contains the genealogy of Croatian dukes and kings and six historical Illyrian maps, regarded in Croatia as "the first Croatian atlas". The best known is map no. 6, Illyricum hodiernum [Present-day Illyricum], which Lucius dedicated to the Croatian ban Petar Zrinski, later included in Blaeu's Atlas Maior. In the book Memorie istoriche di Tragurio ora detto Traù [Historical testimonies about Trogir, now called Traù], he described the history of Trogir and Dalmatia to the mid-15th century. His book Inscriptiones Dalmaticae [Dalmatian Inscriptions] (1673) contains inscriptions and epigraphic monuments from Dalmatian heritage. In addition to his many other historical works, Lucius also engaged in archaeology, geography, mathematics, physics, astronomy, construction and studying of ancient Christian monuments, Roman mosaics and inscriptions. He was a member of the Pontifical Croatian College of St. Jerome in whose catacombs he was buried after his death in January 1679. Today, Lucius is widely regarded in Croatia as "the father of modern Croatian historiography".