Croatian Post Mostar Ltd. and the Croatian Post Zagreb have issued a joint postage for the 1100thanniversary of the Croatian Kingdom and the coronation of King Tomislav. There is little reliable information about Tomislav, the Croatian ruler who was the Duke of Coastal Croatia around 910. Toma Archdeacon records that he was a duke (dux) in 914, which is the only completely reliable data about him. Other information comes from later or unreliable sources.
Based on records of the Split church councils held in 925 and 928, as well as letters from Popes John X and Leo VI, it was concluded that Tomislav was the first Croatian ruler to use the title of king (rex) and ruled from 910 to 928. It is believed that he became king in 925, as Pope John X referred to him in a Latin letter as "Tamisclao, regi Crouatorum," which is translated as the King of the Croats. In the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, he is mentioned as a ruler who successfully fought against the Hungarians. Croatian historian, writer, and politician Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski, interpreting the Chronicle freely, proposed the idea of Tomislav’s coronation on the field of Duvno. This view was largely accepted by Croatian historians of his time.
During the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom in 1925, sculptor and architect Frane Cota designed a plaque. The shallow relief depicted the crowned king sitting on a throne. In his left hand, resting on the upper edge of a shield with the Croatian coat of arms, he holds a royal orb, while his right hand holds a scepter. This motif is featured on the stamp marking the 1100th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom.
(Željka Šaravanja)
