Ferdo Šišić facts for kids

Ferdo Šišić (born March 9, 1869 – died January 1, 1940) was a very important Croatian historian. He is known as the person who started modern Croatian history writing in the 20th century. His best work was about the early Middle Ages in Croatia.

Life of Ferdo Šišić

Ferdo Šišić was born in a town called Vinkovci. After finishing high school in Zagreb in 1888, he went to the University of Zagreb. He studied at the Faculty of Philosophy and became a qualified teacher in 1892.

Some of his teachers were famous people like Natko Nodilo and Đuro Pilar. Šišić also continued his studies in Vienna, where he met other important scholars. After his studies, he returned to Zagreb.

Between 1892 and 1902, Ferdo Šišić worked as a teacher. He taught in Gospić, then in Zagreb, and finally in Osijek.

In 1900, he earned his Ph.D. (a high university degree) from Zagreb University. His Ph.D. paper was about "Zadar and Venice from 1159 to 1247." In 1902, he became a university professor. He taught Croatian history from the 12th to the 14th century. He worked as a professor until 1937 and retired in 1939. He passed away in Zagreb on January 1, 1940.

Ferdo Šišić as a Historian

As a historian, Ferdo Šišić was most interested in the history of Croatia during the early and high Middle Ages. His biggest work is called History of the Croats Under Home Rule.

His most popular book was Overview of the History of the Croatian People. This book was used for almost 50 years to teach Croatian history. Another book, History of the Croats under the Arpad Kings, was published after he died.

Šišić also wrote an important book about Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić. He also prepared a special edition of Dukljanin's Chronicles, which is an old historical text. His works about later Croatian history (from the 15th to the 19th century) are not as famous as his work on the early Middle Ages.

Ferdo Šišić's work was very organized and factual. He carefully used old documents and records to write history. He laid a very strong foundation for studying Croatian history.

Politician and Archivist Work

Ferdo Šišić was also involved in politics for a while. He was a member of the Croato-Serbian Coalition from 1908 to 1917. However, his most important and lasting contribution was his huge amount of historical writings. He wrote more than 450 works!

Another important part of his work was his personal library. He collected over 20,000 books, articles, and historical collections during his life. After he died, these books became a very valuable part of the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb. As an expert in archives, Šišić carefully gathered materials from many places. He collected documents not only in Croatia but also in Hungary, Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Main Works

• Hrvatski saborski spisi (Documents of the Croatian Parliament)
• Ljetopis popa Dukljanina (Dukljanin's Chronicles)
• Korespodencija Rački-Strossmayer (Correspondence between Rački and Strossmayer)
• Dokument o postanku Kraljevine SHS (Document on the Creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes)
• Hrvatska povijest (Croatian History)
• Pregled povijesti hrvatskog naroda (Overview of the History of the Croatian People)
• Povijest Hrvata u vrijeme narodnih vladara (History of the Croats Under Home Rule), Zagreb, 1925
• Povijest Hrvata za kraljeva iz doma Arpadovića (1102.-1301.) (History of the Croats under the Arpad Kings (1102–1301)), Zagreb, 1944