John Lucic

(Or LUCIUS)

Croatian historian, b. early in the seventeenth century, at Trojir, or Tragurion, in Dalmatia; d. at Rome, 11 January, 1679. He was descended from an ancient and noble Croatian family. After making his college course at his birthplace, he took up the study of law, first at Padua (1620) and later at Rome, where he received the degree of Doctor Utriusque Juris. Returning to Trojir in 1633, he resided there until 1654, and there discovered the manuscript of the "Coena Trimalchionis", known as the "Traguriensis", which was afterwards published by Statilic at Padua, 1664. At Trojir he began his researches into the history of his native country, to which he chiefly devoted the rest of his life, and which gained for him the title of "Father of Croatian History". When, in 1654, he returned to Rome to continue his historical studies, he gained the friendship and protection of many men of eminence, among them several cardinals. To Ughelli, the author of "Italia Sacra", he furnished much of the material relating to Croatian history. In April, 1663, he was named president of the "Congregatio S. Hieronymi nationis Illricorum de Urbe", by Cardinal Julius Sacchetti. Lucic also wrote various works on ecclesiastical history, most of which are lost. A few of them are still preserved in the Vatican Library.

Lucic was never married. He resided at Rome until his death, and was buried there, in the church of St. Jerome, where a monument was erected to his memory in 1740. The following are his principal published works: "De Regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae libri sex" (6 vols., Venice, 1673); "Inscriptiones Dalmaticae, notae ad memoriale Pauli de Paulo, notae ad Palladium Fuscum, addenda vel corrigenda in opere de regno Dalmatiae et Croatiae, variae lectiones Chronici Ungarici manuscripti cum editis" (Venis, 1673).

Anthony-Lawrence Gancević.