Juraj Šižgorić

Juraj Šižgorić (Latin: Georgius Sisgoreus or Sisgoritus, ca. 1420/1445–1509) was a Croatian Latinist poet and priest from Venetian Dalmatia.^[3] He was the first humanist from Šibenik and the central personality of Šibenik's humanist circle and also one of the most important figures in 15th-century cultural life of the Croatian people.^[3]

Juraj Šižgorić
Tomb of Juraj Šižgorić in the Cathedral of Šibenik
Born	13 September 1420[1][2] or 1445[3] Šibenik
Died	30 November 1509[3] Šibenik
Other names	Georgius Sisgoreus
Occupation(s)	poet, priest

Life

There's not much information about Šižgorić's personal life.^[3] Born in a noble family which in the mid-14th century re-settled from old county of Luka in Northern Dalmatia to Skradin and from there to Šibenik,^[1] as one of at least three brothers,^[3] he studied in Padua, Italy, where received PhD in canon law in 1471.^[3] When came back to home city, held the position of vicar general in Diocese of Šibenik.^[3]

In 1462, alongside noblemen Jakov Naplavić and Petar Tolimerić, was on a diplomatic visit to Doge of Venice, Pasquale Malipiero, who accepted their request and published a document confirming previous laws of Šibenik from 1413.^[2]

Marko Marulić in 1465–66 wrote a Latin epistle, enconium dedicated to Šižgorić.^[4] In his circle of home city friends was Ambroz Mihetić.^[5]

Works

• His Elegiarum et carminum libri tres ("Book of elegies and poems", Venice, 1477) is considered the first published incunable (book) by a Croatian poet. It includes 62 poems.^[3]
• De diebus festis (calendar collection of poems). It also mentions Ottoman's attack on hinterland in 1468.^[3]
• An untitled collection of Latin poems, dated to 1487, remained unpublished as a manuscript until 1962.^[3]
• A historical-geographical discussion in prose De situ Illyriae et civitate Sibenici (1487).^[3] In it, most notably, mentions St. Jerome and that the Italians are trying to "steal him" from the Illyrians.^[1][6] In it is mentioned that along Jakov Naplavić/Naplavčić collected Croatian folk proverbs and translated them in Latin, but nothing was preserved of Dicteria illyrica.^[3][1]
• Unpublished threnody Prosopopeya edita per Georgium Sisgoreum Sibenicensem studentem Patauii.^[3]