Foma Splitskij

(also Foma Arhidakon). Born circa 1200; died May 8, 1268, in Split. Chronicler and political figure of Split.

In 1227, Foma graduated from the University of Bologna and became a notary and canon. In 1230 he became the archdeacon of Split. Foma sought to strengthen the dominant position of the urban patriciate, strengthen the influence of the Catholic Church in the cities of Dalmatia, and increase papal authority. He wrote the History of the Archbishops of Salonae and Split (also known as Historia Salonitana); the chronicle is a valuable source on the medieval history of the peoples of Yugoslavia and Hungary, especially the history of Croatia in the 12th and 13th centuries.