Nikola Cimelić
Nikola Cimelić or Nikola Zadranin was a Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the bishop of Duvno from 1460 until he died in and the vicar general of Bosnia from at least in 1450 to his episcopal appointment in 1460.
Family
Cimelić, a Franciscan, was born in Zadar. Cimelić's parents were Ivan and Agnezina, and his paternal grandfather was Ostoja. He comes from the Cimelić family, whose surname is written in various forms, such as Cmelich, Zimelich, Cimel, Cmel, and Cimelich. His father, Ivan, first mentioned in 1435, was a reputable citizen of Zadar. Nikola had a brother, Petar, who was a wealthy merchant, and at least four sisters: Klara, Katarina, Perucia, and Nikoleta.Vicar General of Bosnia
A document from Dubrovnik from 1465 mentions a writing from 1450, in which Friar Nikola is mentioned as a vicar general of Bosnia. Another document from 1451 mentioned Nikola Zadranin as a vicar general of Bosnia, where he appointed representatives of friars and friaries of St. Jerome in Ugljan, St. Domnius in Pašman, and St. Catherine in Novigrad and the whole territory of the Diocese of Bosnia. The appointment occurred in St. Francis Church in Zadar. In 1452, Friar Nikola Cimelić appointed Father Krešul his representative before knyaz of Split, Vittore Delfino regarding a takeover of books for Bosnian friars. In 1453, Cimelić's sister Klara mandates him in a will to enable saying of Masses. In 1459, he received approval from Rome to receive a benefit, as observant Franciscans weren't allowed to.Episcopate
Cimelić's designation as a bishop is evident from a contract dated 17 October 1459, in which he accepts the appointment as the bishop of Duvno and obliges himself to support Jeronim Trogiranin, a bishop preceding him, with thirty golden ducats. The contract was signed in the residence of the bishop of Nin in Zadar. Cimelić was appointed the bishop on 2 January 1460, as evident from the consistorial minutes from that period. Petar Runje writes that Zadranin's consecration probably took place shortly after his appointment.The circumstances of his appointment were complicated, as the territory of the diocese was a domain of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, a nobleman who was a member of and the protector of the Bosnian Church, in conflict with the Catholic King Thomas. Stjepan's domains were at the time ravaged by the Ottomans, the allies of his son Vladislav Hercegović, with whom he was also in conflict. A letter dated in 1460, where Cimelić was also mentioned, talks of the vacancy in the Diocese of Makarska and a great fear of Turkish intrusions at the Bosnian borders.
During 1461, Cimelić sent the Pope several requests, granted to him with the intercession of the archbishop of Zadar Maffeo Valaresso. The same year, in June, Cimelić was a judge delegated by Rome, in a case regarding the enforcement of a papal bull about Jelena, a citizen of Zadar. Due to the Ottoman incursions, Cimelić, like the local knyaz Pavao Klešić and many influential people from the area, fled. For some time, Cimelić resided in his native Zadar. At the end of July and early August 1463, Cimelić was in Venice with the papal delegate Cardinal Bessarion, with a task to convince the Republic of Venice to go to war against the Ottomans. Bessarion appointed Cimelić to preach for the Crusade in the areas of Furlania and Istria. Cimelić went preaching in August 1463 and, at the same time, tried to get his transfer in Gemona, in the region of Friuli. On 3 April 1464, the Gemona city council accepted him as their bishop; however, whether the Pope confirmed the appointment or was relegated to his episcopal duties in Duvno remains unknown. Dominik Mandić wrote that the Holy See probably didn't allow the transfer and forced him to either to return to Duvno or the nearby Dalmatian town from where he could administer the diocese.
In 1465 and 1470, Cimelić was a judge in two civil proceedings in Zadar. The first was between Petar Cimelić and Jeronim Krizančić, and the second was about a divorce between Marta and her husband from Perljan.
Although a friar, Cimelić, as a bishop, had the right to own property. On 7 September 1470, Cimelić wrote his will, which shows that he was bedridden in his brother Petar's house. In his will, he grants his books to the friary in Zadar and a boat to the friary in Pašman. Friar Jakov, his confessor, was given a breviary. The money and valuables would be given to his nephews, Friar Juraj's nephews, and the friaries in Zadar, Pašman, Ugljan, and Novigrad. His land was given to his nephew Ivan, and the vineyard to the friars of St. John's friary outside of Zadar. He wished to be buried in St. Francis' Church in Zadar.