Krbava
region of Mountainous Croatia
Krbava (pronounced [kř̩bav̞a]; Latin: Corbavia) is a historical region located in Mountainous Croatia and a former Catholic bishopric (1185–1460), precursor of the diocese of Modruš and present Latin titular see.
It can be considered either located east of Lika, or indeed as the eastern part of Lika. The town of Udbina is the central settlement of the Krbava karst field, the Krbavsko Polje.
History
Overview
Krbava was one of twelve medieval regions that later comprised the later Lika-Krbava County. Numerous historical sources, mainly in Latin, referred to toponyms within Krbava, most of which have been correlated with modern-day toponymy.
The most important historical event in Krbava was the Battle of Krbava Field in 1493.
During Croatia in the union with Hungary, nobility were given the title "of Krbava" (de Corbauia).
Ecclesiastical history
Its capital Udbina became the seat of a Catholic bishopric of Corbavia (Latin = Curiate Italian) / Corbavien(sis) (Latin adjective) when the council of Split (Spalato) in 1185 detached a new suffragan see from the Archdiocese of Spalato (which became its Metropolitan). It comprised the county of Corbavia, part of the county of Lika and the territories of Modruš, Novigrad and Vinodol (Novi Vinodolski, Italian Novi in Valdivino), south-east of
Rijeka (Italian: Fiume). Pope Urban III approved the erection and the nomination as first bishop of Matteo with the synodal acts.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Krbava” is region of Mountainous Croatia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Krbava, region and Mountainous, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “region of Mountainous Croatia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3110862. VIAF identifies the subject as 151234149. Authority coordinates are 44.600, 15.700. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1185, 1460 and 1493.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Krbava”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Krbava primary sources, Krbava archive and Krbava research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Krbava”?
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This entry incorporates text from “Krbava” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.