Radulović lineage of Dubrovnik and the Modena armorial

Abstract

This article examines the genealogical, heraldic and culturalhistorical aspects of the recently online accessible armorial from the holdings of the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria in Modena. It has been established that this is one of the copies of Korjenić-Neorić Armorial dating from 1595, produced for the Radulović lineage of Ragusan Antunini. The legend of their Bosnian-Hum origin, settlement in Dubrovačko Primorje, social status and relations with the Kingdom of Naples link the Radulović captains and shipowners with the circle of the founders of the ‘Illyrian heraldry’. At the start of the seventeenth century, the Radulović bought a feudal estate and the city of Polignano in Apulia, received the title of marquis and moved there permanently. Radulović coat of arms is based on that of the Radijelović from the Korjenić-Neorić Armorial, whilst its composite variant includes another six coats of arms from the same collection. Radulović Armorial probably dates from the end of the seventeenth century, and was made for the most influential member of the lineage at the time, Cardinal Nikola Radulović (1627-1702), Archbishop of Chieti.