The Kačić hold Omiš, a fortified harbour in the gorge where the Cetina meets the sea, with the coast round it, and they are the strongest sea lords between Split and the Neretva.
Count Nikola made peace with Kotor in 1167 and with Ragusa in 1190, when he promised Ragusan ships safe passage along the coast from Molunat to Trstenica on Pelješac; such treaties show that the Kačić could stop shipping when they chose. In 1180 the Kačić stoned to death Archbishop Rainer of Split in a quarrel over church estates on the Mosor. Their raids on Venetian and other shipping, the pope's complaints and the crusade preached against them belong to the next generation: the first charge of piracy in the record is from February 1215, the first peace with Venice from 1208, King Andrew II's threats from 1220 and the legate Aconcius's mission from 1221.
Their hold on the islands of Brač and Hvar is attested for the 13th century, not for 1200.
Who he is
- Name
- Not pinned for 1199-1200. Count Nikola is attested from 1167 to 1190; in 1190 Borislav and Bogdan are named with other members of the family.
- Title
- Count (knez, comes) of Omiš, head of the Kačić kindred
- Since
- Nikola from 1167 at the latest
- Born
- not pinned
- Family
- The Kačić, one of the old Croatian kindreds (the later tradition of the twelve kindreds names them). Another branch held land behind Zadar: Toljena was judge of Tinj in 1164, and Hodimir is named at Bubnjani near Tinj in 1207.
- Confidence
- medium
English Wikipedia (Kačić family, citing Croatian scholarship); Hrvatska enciklopedija (Kačići; Omiš).
Overlord
The Hungarian-Croatian crown, in name; the Kačić act as they please.
What it holds
- Omiš and its harbour at the mouth of the Cetina (the old town stands on the east bank, at the western end of the old Narentine coast).
- The coast round Omiš between Split's district and the Cetina mouth (how far toward Split, and whether the Poljica hills were theirs, is not pinned).
- Kindred land behind Zadar round Tinj and Nadin (another branch).
- Not pinned for 1200: the islands of Brač and Hvar (Kačić in parts of the 13th century) and the coast beyond the Cetina (Cetina to Neretva coast).
How it was acquired
Hereditary kindred lordship, first recorded in 1167.
Allies and rivals
Rivals: Split, whose archbishop they killed in 1180 and whose district borders theirs; Venice at sea. Treaties: Kotor (1167), Ragusa (1190). Neighbours: the Croatian counts of Cetina inland (cro) and the princes of Hum beyond the Cetina.
How things stand that morning
Holding Omiš on 1 January 1200 under a count whom the sources do not name; no raid by them is dated to the winter of 1199-1200, so no raiding belt is drawn.
Wealth
Ships, sea tolls and plunder; fishing and the coastal vineyards; the mouth of the Cetina as a harbour of refuge.
Military
Light galleys and the fortified gorge of Omiš. No numbers recorded.
Threats
- Venice and the crusade fleet passing down the coast (1202).
- Split and the crown if their raiding becomes intolerable.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1208 (later)The Kačić and the people of Omiš make peace with Venice.Depends on: A conflict with Venice after 1202.
- February 1215 to 1222 (later)Piracy charges, Andrew II's threats (1220), the legate Aconcius sent against the pirates (May 1221), and a temporary peace (1222).
Places of note
- Omiš: The Kačić harbour fortress at the Cetina mouth.
- Tinj: The Kačić land behind Zadar (judge Toljena, 1164).
Where the sources disagree
- The assignment asks about the Kačić's piracy against Venice and the pope's complaints: the dated cases are all after 1200 (1208 peace with Venice, 1215 first piracy charge, 1220-1222 royal and papal action). Nothing of the kind is dated to 1199-1200.
Evidence: Nikola's treaties of 1167 and 1190 and the killing of 1180 are dated; the head of the house and its lands in 1200 are not.
On the map: Only the core round Omiš is drawn; the islands and the coast beyond the Cetina are drawn elsewhere.
Primary sources for Croatia and Dalmatia
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- History of the bishops of Salona and Split, by Thomas the Archdeacon, Thomas of Split (about 1266). Written two generations later by a Split churchman born about 1200. Read online
- History of the doges of Venice (about 1229, with a continuation). The earliest surviving Venetian narrative close to the events. Read online
- The Deeds of the Hungarians, by the Anonymous Notary of King Béla, Anonymus (P. magister) (about 1200 to 1210, the date disputed). Not a record of events but a picture of the kingdom's nobility and geography as a courtier of about 1200 wished to see it: the clans and their lands, the castles and counties, the Vlachs, Cumans and other peoples of the Carpathian basin, all projected back onto the conquest. Read online
- The Registers of Pope Innocent III for 1199 to 1201, Innocent III and the papal chancery (22 February 1199 to 21 February 1201). The pope's outgoing letters for the year, in his chancery's own copy, touching nearly every realm in the atlas. Read online
- Charters of the kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, volume 2, 1101 to 1200 (documents of 1101 to 1200, edited 1904). The Croatian and Dalmatian charters to 1200: the acts of Duke Andrew as lord of Croatia and Dalmatia (1197 to 1204), the Hungarian kings' grants, the Templars and the bishops of Zagreb, Split, Zadar and Trogir, the communal statutes of the coastal towns, and the papal letters of 1200 to Emeric about Ban Kulin of Bosnia and heresy. Read online
- Hungarian royal charters: Fejér's Codex diplomaticus and Szentpétery's critical calendar of the Árpád kings (documents of the 11th to 13th centuries; Fejér published 1829 to 1844, Szentpétery vol. 1 in 1923). The documentary base for Hungary in 1200: King Emeric's grants to Pannonhalma, the bishops, the Templars and Hospitallers, Duke Andrew's acts in Croatia and Dalmatia, and the papal letters of 1200 to Emeric about his brother's rebellion and about heresy in Bosnia. Read online
- Documents on the older commercial and political history of the Republic of Venice, part 1, 814 to 1205 (documents of 814 to 1205, edited 1856). Venice's treaties and privileges in full text. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.