Ogledalo Ilirie I.-IV.

Imagine that you are in the first half of the 19th century. Croats are slowly starting to awaken their national consciousness, but they still do not have their own true history written in an understandable, vernacular language. Then this priest from Požega, Ivan Švear, appears – and says: Here is a mirror in which you will see who you are and where you come from.

That is how the Mirror of Illyria was created – the first complete Croatian history written in the living Croatian language, before Rački and Klaić.

Ivan Švear was a village priest from Požeški Sesveti, born in 1775, died in 1839. He collected old books, chronicles and stories all his life. He was not a great scholar from the university, but a patriot who fervently wanted his people to know their past. Unfortunately, he died before the work saw the light of day, so it was printed posthumously in Zagreb by Franjo Suppan between 1839 and 1842.

Švear decided to tell the story from the very beginning – literally from the biblical flood all the way to 1790. And in four voluminous volumes, a total of more than 1140 pages!

• The first book takes us to the most ancient times: the Illyrians, their wars with the Romans and Greeks, great tribes and famous heroes. Švear builds the foundation here – we are not "newcomers", but descendants of the ancient Illyrians.
• The second book talks about the arrival of Christ, the Roman Empire, the spread of Christianity and the great migrations of peoples – the Goths, Huns, Avars and finally the Slavs who came to our area.
• The third book (the most beautiful for many) brings the golden age of Croatian history: princes and kings, from Trpimir and Tomislav to Zvonimir. It reads like a true adventure novel – battles, alliances, church councils, Glagolitic script…
• The fourth book (the most voluminous) takes us through the common state with Hungary, Tatar and Turkish invasions, bans, nobles, peasant revolts and life under the Habsburgs until the end of the 18th century.

The Mirror of Illyria is not just a book about the past – it is a book that itself has become an important part of our past. It is not a dry scientific history like we have today, but a romantic, proud and patriotic story. Švear writes with a lot of heart and faith that Croats are part of the great Illyrian-Slavic family. His language is easy to understand, old-fashioned, but understandable – just what was needed by the ordinary man of that time.

Today, The Mirror of Illyria is considered a true pearl of the Illyrian revival and one of the foundations of modern Croatian historiography.

About the copy on offer:

The book is bound in one large volume (a later binding, probably from the 19th or early 20th century). This practically unites the entire work into one whole, which is very convenient for reading and preserving.

The copy on offer is not in complete condition. The first and fourth volumes ("pages") are not complete. The first volume (Page I.) is missing the first 47 pages (starts at page 48). The fourth volume (Page IV.) ends on page 478 (missing from 479 to the end, approximately the last 70 pages).

Over 900 pages out of a total of around 1140 have been preserved. Page II. and Page III.**, which include the most interesting parts – the Roman era, the migration of peoples, the settlement of Croats, the reign of national princes and kings (Trpimir, Tomislav, Krešimir, Zvonimir) and medieval and modern history up to the 18th century. The condition of the paper is satisfactory, typical for books from that period – naturally yellowed in places, but the text is clear and legible. There are no major damages on the preserved pages.

A solid and very usable copy of this extremely rare work. Thanks to the binding in one volume, the book is compact and clear. An ideal opportunity for collectors and lovers of Croatian history who want an original edition at a more affordable price than a complete copy.