Domagoj Madunić

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185Dubrovnik Annals 21 (2017)By touching upon some important issues, these proceedings represent a new impetus for the analysis of Francesco Filelfo’s work. The contributions are mostly based on Filelfo’s opus magnum, i.e. his letters, but it should be noted that these proceedings point to the path to be followed by new researches of this prolific author.There is no doubt that Francesco Filelfo calls for more attention by the Croatian scholars as well. The fact that he most likely never visited the eastern Adriatic coast is a poor excuse for ignoring such a major figure of the Italian Humanism. His son Xenophon spent the ten final years of his life as chancellor of the Republic of Dubrovnik, where he married a local lady. His other son, Giovanni Mario, wrote two works about the history of Dubrovnik: Raguseide and Historia Ragusae. As a true Humanist, Francesco often encouraged his malcontent son Xenophon to pay more attention to the history and culture of Dubrovnik, but to no avail. One should also take into consideration Francesco’s good knowledge of the situation in the Byzantine Empire and his interest in the Levant that strongly marked the cultural and economic history of Dubrovnik. These facts confirm the influence of the Filelfo family on the cultural life of Dubrovnik, which is not to be neglected, and therefore the ties between the Filelfo family and Dubrovnik should also be reviewed. Doubtless, Croatian scholars ought to take part in these efforts, inspiring themselves with this praiseworthy edition.Vedran StojanovićPhD candidate, University of DubrovnikNiko Kapetanić, Pod barjakom Svetog Vlaha. Naoružanje i posada na tvrđavi Sokol 1420-1672. [Under the Standard of Saint Blaise. Armament and Garrison of the Sokol Castle 1420-1672]. Dubrovnik: Društvo prijatelja dubrovačke starine, 2016. Pages 117.For over two hundred and fifty years, the Sokol Castle (Castello Falcone) represented the key stronghold of the Dubrovnik Republic in its eastern region of Konavle. Its role in securing the Republic’s hold over this fertile land and guarding the trade routes and passes to the hinterland made this small fortress one of the main strategic assets in the Republic’s defensive system, whose importance by far exceeded its modest size, especially in the fifteenth and sixteenth century (in the seventeenth century the Castle lost in significance and was consequently abandoned). So far, this Castle has received little scholarly attention, yet the most recent study by Niko Kapetanić aims to fill this gap.The main objective of this study, as the author himself states in the introduction, are not the walls of the fortress nor specific buildings, but rather everyday life within them. Nevertheless, in order to provide the reader with a context, the first chapter entitled Sokol Renewed offers a short description of the Castle’s structure and layout, its main buildings and their purpose. It also brings a survey of the building projects undertaken by the Ragusan government after its takeover of the fortress in 1420. The second contextual chapter deals with the weapons used in the Dubrovnik Republic in the period between the fourteenth and the seventeenth century found in the inventory lists of the Sokol Castle. Though mainly based on the secondary literature, this chapter not only demonstrates the author’s profound knowledge of the medieval and early modern weaponry, but it also constitutes a rather useful introductory reading in this topic to any non-expert reader. 186 Dubrovnik Annals 21 (2017)The next chapter entitled From 1420 till 1672―Under the Standard of Saint Blaise represents the core content of this study. This chapter is subdivided into several sections, each being devoted to one important aspect of the Castle’s administration and management. Covering the period of over 250 years and based on rich archival material, the author meticulously reconstructs the rules and procedures regulating the military service in the Castle, weapons and equipment, number of officers and supporting staff, as well as the provisioning of the Castle with food and other necessary supplies. The chapter closes with two sections describing a wide range of non-military items that can be found in the Castle’s inventory lists, or have been discovered during the recent archeological excavation on this site, such as construction tools, furniture, plates etc., giving a useful insight into the everyday life material culture of the Castle’s inhabitants.As such, Under the Standard of St. Blaise represents a worthy addition to a rather underrepresented aspect of the past of the Dubrovnik Republic, that of its military history.Domagoj Madunić Independent researcher, ZagrebPaola Albini, The Great 1667 Dalmatia Earthquake. An In-Depth Case Study. Cham: Springer, 2015. Pages 96.As suggested by the title, Paola Albini’s book provides a comprehensive reconstruction of the 1667 Great Earthquake that struck Dubrovnik and the surrounding areas and its consequences. In this study Albini tackles the topic as both a seismologist and historian, since she investigates an event that had taken place 350 years ago. Given that the proportions of this past disaster could not have been measured by instruments as they are of more recent date, the research is therefore purely grounded on the written records and testimonies of the people who experienced and observed the mentioned phenomenon. The Great Earthquake of Lisbon in 1755 spurred the major advancement of seismology as a scientific discipline, which in its own way attracted the scholarly and political attention of the then Europe. In contrast to Lisbon, the Great Earthquake that destroyed Dubrovnik and much of its surrounds remained generally neglected until the end of the nineteenth century. In her study of the Great 1667 Earthquake, Albini has developed and applied a specific methodology in order to find relevant seismological data on the quake as a historical event. She has therefore thoroughly researched all previous studies dealing with that past disaster in eastern Adriatic from the seismological point of view. The book is organised in three chapters, the first of which (“On the Eve of the Earthquake”) aims to introduce the reader to the geographical and historical setting of this event based on two contemporary sources: travel account of the famous Ottoman Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi, entitled Book of Travels from 1663, and an imposing unpublished travelogue of Christoff von Degenfeld, professional soldier, entitled Beschreibung der reyse so ich Christoff Freyherr von Degenfeld, Im Jahr Christi 1661 Von Dürnau aus angefangen, Undt im Jahr 1670 vollendet habe, auch was auf solchen Vorgangen, Undt sonsten Marckwündiges zu sehen gewesen. Her search for the sources was carried out in various European archives and libraries (such as State Archive in Dubrovnik, State Archive in Venice, National Library of Austria and General 

Niko Kapetanić, Pod barjakom Svetog Vlaha. Naoružanje i posada na tvrđavi Sokol 1420-1672. [Under the Standard of Saint Blaise. Armament and Garrison of the Sokol Castle 1420-1672]. Dubrovnik: Društvo prijatelja dubrovačke starine, 2016

Niko Kapetanić, Pod barjakom Svetog Vlaha. Naoružanje i posada na tvrđavi Sokol 1420-1672. [Under the Standard of Saint Blaise. Armament and Garrison of the Sokol Castle 1420-1672]. Dubrovnik: Društvo prijatelja dubrovačke starine, 2016

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