A Croatian theologist, ecumenist, panslavist and musicologist Juraj Krizanic (1618-1683) was trying to initiate the dialog on the unification of the Russian Church with Rome. He dreamed about an open and peaceful dialog with Orthodox Christians. His major works are “Razgovory ob vladatelstvu” or “Politika” (written in panslavic Esperanto that he invented as a combination of his native Croatian, Russian and church-slavonic), written during his 15 year exile to Siberia and the panslavic grammatical book “Gramatično iskazanie ob ruskom jaziku” (Tobolsk, 1665). He also spent some time in Ukraine, where he had close ties with some of leading scholars. Krizanic wrote “Historia de Siberia” in 1680, with dedication to Jan Sobiesky. It is known that during his sojourn in Rome he supervised a publication of musical works of the Portuguese king D. João IV. According to Krizanic’s systematization of science, music should be regarded as a part of mathematics. He wrote his “Asserta musicalia nova” in 1650. Krizanic died near Vienna while participating in its defence against the Turks in the Ukrainian troops that adjoined the troops of the Polish king Jan Sobiesky.

According to a Russian historian S.M. Solovev (see his Istorija Rosii s drevnejshih vremen, vol. XIII, Sanktpeterburg 1868), Krizanic’s book Razgovory ob vladatel’stve (Discussion about Governement) served as a handbook to Peter the Great, founder of the modern Russian state. Russian scholars consider Juraj Krizanic as the father of the Slavic comparative philology as a scientific discipline.

• Ivan Golub: Simpozij o Jurju Krizanicu u Moskvi [PDF], 2005, Russia
• Ivan Golub: Juraj Krizanic, teolog pomirenja [PDF], 1984, USA

For those who can read Russian, we can recommend Юрий Крижанич.