75
published the results of their work in the book
The Glass
from the Gnalic Wreck
(Koper, 2006). A group of interna-
tional experts published the results of their considerati-
on of individual types of finds from the shipwreck in the
anthology
The Heritage of Serenissima
(Koper, 2006). All
of this clearly demonstrated the insufficient care for the
items from the shipwreck up to that time, as well as the
considerable work expected in the Museum and at the
site by experts from various fields.
Despite the good idea and outstanding results, the project
also had its weaker aspects. Based on the assumption that
this was a Venetian ship and the fact that the ship set sail
from Venice, the site at Gnalić was placed on the list of
the Venetian heritage (
The Heritage of Serenissima
), whi-
le Croatian experts were left out of the group which ini-
tiated the detailed analysis of the finds. Even if the Most
Serene Republic of Venice i.e.,
Serenissima Repubblica di
Venezia
, was truly the owner of the ship or the ship sailed
under the Venetian flag, the composition of the finds cle-
arly show that this is a matter of heritage of a much more
complex nature. Subsequent archival research showed
that the ship, although constructed in Venice, was not re-
corded in the Venetian registers at the time of its sinking,
while its exciting historical story makes it a component
of the Croatian, Venetian and Ottoman, as well as Me-
diterranean and European heritage, as appropriate to the
time of the late Renaissance.
What happened near the islet of
Gnalić in the waters of Biograd in
the autumnof 1583?
On 23 May 1583, the ambassador of the Venetian Repu-
blic in Constantinople,
bailo
Giovanni Francesco More-
sini, notified the Venetian Senate of a fire which acciden-
tally broke out and destroyed the harem of Sultan Mu-
rad III. The title
bailo veneto a Constantinopoli
was the
most prestigious post in any Venetian diplomatic career
due to the great responsibility involved, the sensitivity of
negotiations with the Ottomans and its long tradition of
existence. Among his many important duties, the
bailo
played the leading role in the Venetian intelligence servi-
ce, so he received confidential instructions from the aut-
horities and sent vital and secret information in encoded
reports. Thus, even the aforementioned message from
bailo
Moresini arrived in Venice in code.
Several decades earlier, Sultan Suleiman I (1520-1566),
called the Magnificent and the Lawgiver, brought the
Ottoman Empire to the peak of its power and extent
which, despite his insufficiently capable successors, en-
dured for some time due to pure inertia. Suleiman’s son
Selim II (1566-1574) and Selim’s son Murad III (1574-
1595) reputedly dedicated too much attention to their
harems and their private lives at the expense of important
affairs of state. Thus it came as no surprise that after this
stručnjaci izostavljeni su iz skupine koja je započela detalj-
nu obradu nalaza. Čak i u slučaju da je Presvijetla Mletač-
ka Republika tj.
Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia
doista
bila vlasnik broda ili da je brod plovio pod mletačkom
zastavom, iz sastava nalaza bilo je jasno kako je riječ o ba-
štini daleko kompleksnije prirode. Kasnija arhivska istra-
živanja pokazala su da brod, iako izgrađen u Veneciji, u
vrijeme potonuća nije bio zapisan umletačkim registrima,
a njegova uzbudljiva povijesna priča čini ga i hrvatskom i
mletačkom i turskom, te sredozemnom i europskom ba-
štinom, kako se i priliči vremenu kasne renesanse.
Što se tou jesen 1583. godine
dogodilokodotočićaGnalićau
vodama Biograda?
Dana 23. svibnja 1583. godine veleposlanik Mletačke Re-
publike u Carigradu,
bailo
Giovanni Francesco Moresini,
obavijestio je mletački Senat o požaru koji je nesretnim
slučajem zahvatio i uništio dio harema sultana Murata III.
Zbog velike odgovornosti, osjetljivosti problematike pre-
govaranja s Osmanlijama i duge tradicije postojanja, titula
bailo veneto a Constantinopoli
označavala je najprestižniji
8. Božidar Vilhar u kadrovima iz dokumentarnog filma
Galija
Gnalić
, snimljenog 1972.
8. Božidar Vilhar in scenes from the documentary “The Gnalić Gal-
ley”, shot in 1972
