Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski

Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski (May 29, 1816 - August 1, 1889) was a Croatian historian, politician and writer. Most famous for the first speech delivered in Croatian before the Parliament, this patriot and cultural figure did some pioneering work in Croatian historiography and bibliography. He was an avid collector of valuable historical documents.

Early life

Kukuljević was born in Varaždin. He completed his secondary education in Gymnasiums in his hometown and in Zagreb. He then went to the Military Academy of Krems. As a student, Kukuljević started writing in German. In 1833, he joined the army and became an officer in Vienna three years later. He met Ljudevit Gaj and joined the Illyrian Movement in 1837. He was ordered to move to Milan in 1840. A year later, he resigned from his military duties and returned to Croatia, joining the political fight against Magyarization and censorship. He became one of the leaders of the Illyrian Movement.

Politician

The political activity of Kukuljević can be separated into two periods: until 1850 and from 1860 to 1867. The gap from 1851 to 1860 was caused by the absolutism instituted by Minister Bach, which repressed political life in Croatia. In the first period, he was a partisan of the liberation of Croatia from Austria and Hungary, an uncompromising ideologue promoting revolutionary actions to achieve the unity of the South Slavs. Believing that the South Slavs can be delivered and unified only by force of arms, he lobbied among the Croats and Serbs at the Military Frontier. Swayed by his personality, the frontiersmen asked for the freedom and unity of the South Slav peoples in their "People's Requests" of spring 1848, referring to him as their inspiration.

Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski was the first to make a speech in the Croatian language before the Croatian Parliament, on May 2, 1843. The speech daringly promoted the struggle for national liberation, asking for Croatian to become the official language in schools and offices, with its gradual introduction in the public life. He also pointed out the danger of replacing Croatian with other languages. Until then, the language of speeches in the parliament was Latin. The speech caused much agitation. It was not an exception, though. All his speeches in the parliament and at county assemblies staunchily advocated the freedom and independence of Croatia, so they could be published only in "Branislav", an illegal Illyrian magazine printed in Belgrade. On Kukuljević's urging, the parliament passed the decision to make Croatian the official language in 1847.

He became the chief judge of the Varaždin County in 1845. During the Revolutions of 1848, Kukuljević was among the radical democrats. Under his influence, the ban Josip Jelačić convened the Croatian Parliament on June 5, 1848, opposing the explicit imperial order. Kukuljević also initiated the Slavic Congress in Prague.

But the revolutions were crushed; imperial oppression set in. Kukuljević was removed from politics and kept under police surveillance. In the 1850s, his outlook radically changed. The second period of his political activity was the complete opposite of his early anti-Austrian and freedom-loving sentiments. After he became the prefect of Zagreb in 1861, he was loyal to Vienna, implementing policies targeted against Croatians and the South Slavs and hounding his former friends who remained faithful to their Illyrian ideals. After the Compromise of 1867, he was removed from political positions. He died in Tuhakovec Castle in Zagorje.

Historian and cultural figure

Despite the sharp turn in his later political career, the early patriotic and historical poems of Kukuljević had a major influence on the patriotic sentiments among the Croats. He founded the Society for Yugoslavian History, edited the magazine called "Arhiv za Povjesnicu jugoslavensku" (Archive for Yugoslavian History), and published valuable historical monographs. It was the foundation of modern Croatian historiography.

Kukuljević collected and published many source texts related to the history of Croatia. He wrote a lexicon with 800 artists' biographies. He is considered a pioneer of Croatian scientific bibliography. He bequeathed his enormous library and many valuable manuscripts to the Yugoslavian Academy in Zagreb, as its honorary member.

Works

*"Glasoviti Hrvati prošlih vjekova" (Famous Croats of Ages Past)
*"Juran i Sofia ili Turci kod Siska : junačka igra u trih činih" (Juran and Sofia or the Turks under Sisak: Heroic Play in Three Acts)
*"Andreas Medulić Schiavone"
*"Beatrica Frankopan i njezin rod" (Beatrice Frankopan and Her Lineage)
*"Pjesnici hrvatski XVI vieka" (Croatian Poets in the 16th Century)
*"Jure Glović prozvan Julijo Klovio hrvatski sitnoslikar" (Jure Glović aka Giulio Clovio, Croatian miniaturist)

External links

* [http://www.moljac.hr/biografije/kukuljevic_sakcinski.htm Biography] hr icon
* [http://www.allbookstores.com/book/8672370228/Hrvatska_Nacionalna_Bibliografija_I_Ivan_Kukuljevic_Sakcinski.html "Hrvatska nacionalna bibliografija i Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski" by Petar Rogulja] hr icon