Associate Professor Dr. Saša Potočnjak presented at the 14th International Scientific Conference Riječki filološki dani, which took place in Rijeka from April 10 to 12, 2025. Her presentation was titled With Her Own Frankopan Hand: On Women’s Glagolitic Manuscript Culture.

Most notably, in a Latin document (the agreement with her husband Franjo Berislavić) from the year 1504, Barbara Frankapan (†1508) signed her name in Glagolitic script: Barbara ot Frankapani svojom rukom (‘Barbara of the Frankapans, with her own hand’, Staatsarchiv Nürnberg, Fürstentum Ansbach Brandenburg Literalien 1231). This signature by Barbara (published by Schönherr Gyula 1894: Hunyadi Corvin János 1473-1504) opened up a distinct discussion on whether women wrote in Glagolitic, whether they read it, and whether they compiled Glagolitic manuscripts.

The presentation aimed to explore some of the examples of Glagolitic manuscripts that were either intended for women or could have been, and which women might have compiled, listened to, read, or perhaps even written—thus considering the female contribution to the shaping of Glagolitic manuscript culture.

The goal of the presentation was to introduce the research methodology as well as the issues and challenges involved in analysing the topic of women’s consumption and production of Glagolitic texts.