 The term "central Istria" was likely used for all those (predominantly Slavic-inhabited) areas under the feudal rule of the margrave of Istria, as opposed to the predominantly Romance-speaking Istrian coastal towns which lived under an autonomous municipal regime.Others interpret the biographical passage to mean that he was born in Carinthia proper, which, too, was significantly larger than today, and included present-day East Tyrol, parts of Styria and north-east Slovenia.There is however consensus about his Slavic origin, the term "Dalmatian" being a widespread Latin designation for Slavs at the time.