A report of the Zagreb bishop Petar Petretić from 1667 to the emperor Leopold I about the Svidnica (Marča) diocese

Autor analizira izvješće zagrebačkog biskupa Petra Petretića o djelovanju marčanskog biskupa Gabrijela Mijakića na širenju unije među pravoslavnim krajišnicima Hrvatsko-slavonske vojne krajine u grkokatoličkoj Svidničkoj (Marčanskoj) biskupiji te opisuje okolnosti unutar kojih je ono nastalo. Uspoređuje to Petretićevo izvješće s izvješćem iz 1662. godine i drugim suvremenim izvorima o crkvenoj uniji i iznosi nove zaključke o habsburškoj vjerskoj politici u Krajini u tom razdoblju.On the request of the emperor Leopold I, Zagreb bishop Petar Petretić made a short report about the activities of Gabrijel Mijakić, who was a bishop of the Eastern Rite Marča diocese. It was planned that Mijakić would work on propagation of Eastern Rite among the orthodox inhabitants (Vlachs) of the Croatian-Slavonian military border. In his report Petretić stated that Mijakić has not kept his promise, made in 1663 when he was appointed as a bishop, that he would accept the Eastern Rite and reject the rule of orthodox patriarch of Peć. He also did not organize schools where youth from the Military border would accept catholic values. Petretić warned the emperor that Mijakić was active as a supporter of Vlachs during their conflicts with the Military border authorities. Such activity of Marča bishop was unauthorized and it only helped the spread of disobedience among the population of Military border. Petretić suggested that Mijakić should be removed and replaced with a more appropriate Eastern Rite bishop, but he did not consider that Franjo Androha, dean from Rijeka, would be a good choice, because Androha was not acquainted with the Eastern Rite and did not know the customs of the Military border orthodox population. Petretić’s report was substantiated by the similar reports made by his successor Martin Borković, other representatives of the Catholic Church and authorities of the Military border. The Court decided to replace Mijakić and this decision was justified with his alleged involvement in the conspiracy of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan’s conspiracy against the emperor, although substantial evidence for this accusation did not exist. The real reason for his replacement was the fact that Mijakić did not work on the religious unification of the Military border orthodox population with the Catholic Church, but, fearing the wide scale rebellion among the orthodox population the authorities never made this reason public. Mijakić was replaced by Petretić’ protégé Pavao Zorčić, who was educated in Bologna