Marko Lauro Ruić (1736-1808), as a collector and interpreter of charters

Marko Lauro Ruić (1736-1808), paški notar i kotarski sudac, ninski kancelar i plemić prikupio je i obradio diplomatičke dokumente koji se tiču Paga i Nina. Isprave je u integralnom obliku uvrstio u historiografsko djelo o prošlosti Paga, a sastavio je i Paški diplomatarij. Pripisuje mu se rukopis poznat pod nazivom Privileggi della Magnifica Comunità di Nona. Taj je diplomatarij sastavljen vjerojatno za interes novih ninskih plemića u trenutku ulaska austrijske vlasti u Nin.Marko Lauro Ruić, the notary of Pag and district judge, the chancellor of Nona and a nobleman, Padovan doctor of both laws, who was dealing with history of his island and town of Pag, gave the significant contribution to the collecting, treatment and interpretation of charters (diplomatics documents) as important historical sources. Besides his capital historiographic work Delle Riflessioni Storiche sopra l’antico stato civile, ecclesiastico della città et isola di Pago o sia dell’ antica Cissa fatte da diversi autori, diplomi et altre carte pubbliche e private raccolte da Marco Lauro Ruić, where he presented, in integral form, all relevant charters, he compiled also the Code of Pag Charters (Paški diplomatarij), entitled Legum, statutorum, privilegiorum tum priscarum tum novarum sanctionum et rescriptorum Civitatis et Insulae Paghi in Venetorum Dominio feliciter degentis, amplissima collectio, cura, studio et opera Marcilauri Ruich, ad normam et usum civium et incolarum cum indice rerum locupletissimo accomodata et in partes divisa. Tomus primus, nowadays known only as a transcript which, anyway, makes it possible to judge Ruić as charters’ collector and interpreter. It is the law education which enabled him to treat properly documents of his time. Little bit differently he managed when he was putting together charters of Nona, into the code known as Privileggi della Magnifica Comunità di Nona, which is also attributed to him. That code was compiled for the interest of new noblemen of Nona at the moment when Austrian authorities were entering Nona. At the final evaluation Ruić should be treated as a beginning link in the chain of the collectors of historical sources, especially of charters, which emerged during the 19th century, and should be treated same as Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski, i.e. as one of the predecessors of F. Rački, T. Smičiklas and of the Academy circle (Yugoslav Academy of Science and Art)