The memory of Miklós Zrínyi, the hero of Szigetvár, in Ivan Zajc's opera Nikola Šubić Zrin

Abstract

The article examines the cultural-historical perspective of the most famous Croatian national opera (1876), Ivan
Zajc's Nikola Šubić Zrinski, which captures the cult of the general Miklós Zrínyi (1508-1566) who died a martyr
death with his soldiers at the Siege of Szigetvár in 1566. The valiant deed was remembered and honored across the
Habsburg Empire and Europe, but Zrínyi/Zrinski’s reputation was shattered by the period of newly formed nation
states and their national identity initiatives throughout Europe. Despite his close ties to both cultures, he was
revered as a Hungarian hero in Hungary and as a Croatian in Croatia. As a result, Zajc’s romantic opera commemorating
his final siege remained completely unnoticed in Hungary. The article attempts to highlight the historical-
ideological context that might explain the situation.