Parliament on Cetin

The Parliament on Cetin (Croatian: Cetinski sabor) was a gathering (sabor) of the Croatian nobility in the town of Cetin caused by a monarchical crisis after the death of their king Louis II and a major defeat of the Kingdom of Hungary at the Battle of Mohács. On January 1, 1527 they elected Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria as the new king of Croatia.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the Ottoman Empire, the Croatian nobles met to discuss their strategy and choose a new leader. Louis II, the Hungarian king, had held the crown of Croatia among other titles. After his death, the Croatians had few options, and the election of Ferdinand was a natural one because he was not only the powerful Archduke of Austria, he also ruled the lands of Croatia's Slavic neighbours, the Slovenes, as both Duke of Carinthia and Carniola.

The charter signed by the Croatian nobles and representatives of Ferdinand von Habsburg which bears a fine example of the famous chequered state seal of Croatia is among the most important documents of Croatian statehood and is preserved at the Austrian State Archives in Vienna.

In return for the throne Archduke Ferdinand promised to respect the historic rights, freedoms, laws and customs the Croats had when united with the Hungarian kingdom and to defend Croatia from Ottoman invasion and subjugation.

The charter electing Ferdinand was confirmed with the seals of six Croatian nobles and four representatives of the Archduke:

Croatian Nobles

• Andrija Tuškanić
• Ivan Karlović
• Nikola Zrinski, father of Nikola Šubić Zrinski and great-great-grandfather of Nikola Zrinski, both future bans of Croatia
• Juraj Frankopan
• Vuk Frankopan
• Stjepan Blagajski

Austrian Plenipotentiaries

• Pavao Oberstain
• Nikola Jurišić
• Ivan Katzianer
• Ivan Pichler

In Slavonia, an ancient duchy historically tied to Croatia, some of the nobility distanced themselves from the election and nominated John Zápolya the rival claimant to the Hungarian throne instead. After his death in 1540 the first option prevailed.

Sources

• Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabora Kraljevine Hrvatske 1527, Karlovačka Županija, 1997, Karlovac

Notes

External links

• Historical Foundations of Croatian Parliament