Ilija Garašanin
Encyclopedia
Ilija Garašanin (l. 28 January 1812 — 22 June 1874) was a Serbian
politician and statesman, serving as Interior Minister and Prime Minister (1861 - 1867).
He is remembered for being the first Serbian politician that had a genuine political programme, working to replace the Russian protectorate
over Serbia, with the joint service to all European great powers.
, the son of businessman Hadži Milutin Savić-Garašanin, a Serbian revolution
ary and member of the National Council of Serbia, his mother was Pauna Loma, the sister of voivode Arsenije Loma.
Ilija was homeschooled with private teachers, he went to a Greek school in Zemun, and was for a time in Orahovica
where he learnt German
. He helped his father in business. Prince Miloš Obrenović
puts him in governmental work, appointing him customs officer
in Višnjica
, on the Danube
and later Belgrade
. After serving in the regular army, Knez Miloš promoted him to colonel
in 1837, he commanded the regular army and military police.
His father was part of the Defenders of the Constitution
, who managed to overthrow Miloš Obrenović, appointing in his place Aleksandar Karađorđević, the son of Karađorđe, who was killed by Obrenović. In 1842 his father and brother are killed in fights with Knez Mihajlo. Toma Vučić, his father's colleague and Interior minister, appointed Ilija his assistant, and in 1843, when Toma is exiled by Russia
, he becomes the new Minister of the Interior. The primacy Garašanin gave to inter-state consideration is most clearly elaboarated in his 1844 Načertanije
(Draft), which he wrote a year after he got the new post. The ideas expressed in the draft guided his policies throughout his career, but was never implemented. Though Načertanije became a 19th century statement on the Serbian nation and its vital interests, it remained secret until 1906. Although written by a statesman and politician identifying Serbian needs with those of the new Principality, Garašanin was strongly influenced by broader views of the Polish émigré Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
and his advisers, as well as French and British attitudes toward nationality and statehood. Ideologically, Garašanin combines in his Načertanije the German and French models of a nation, politically, he is attempting to balance the interests of the present Serbian state with contemporary demographics (the fact that very many Serbs were then still living under the yoke of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires) and past, medieval possessions in Old Serbia (i.e., present-day Kosovo and Metohija, and Macedonia). Because Načertanije was a secret document (released in 1906) it could not have had an impact on national consciousness at the popular level, at least not in the 19th century.
It was in this bureaucratic Serbia that Garašanin had to tackle events on a daily basis.
But the effective scope of Garašanin's activities extended beyond the Serbian border and opened a way to the future. One felt in Garašanin the irrepressible pulsation of the but recently pacified uprisings, but also a sober program for an effective administration and free trade. His strength was all the more apparent in the light of Prince Alexander's impotence for the Prince merely reflected the glory of his great father Karađorđe. You best see the state of affairs, you are the greatest friend of the Serbian people, and everything else is but triffling and trivial, Petar II Petrović Njegoš wrote to Garašanin toward the close of 1850. Njegoš also had a personal, intimate feeling for Garašanin, engendered by the force of spontaneous attraction great men have for one another. Though they never met, and the only real contact they had centered around the year 1848, Njegoš felt close enough to Garašanin to confide to him his personal troubles, which the latter would understand were also the obstacles to their common aims. Njegoš's letter, dated July 5, 1850, read as follows:
Thanks to the Illustrious Prince and Sovereign and to you, his councillor, for whatever thought you may from time to time lend this bloody Serbian crag. This will win you the honour of posterity when our people are raised up in spirit....I have been very ill.... I have been in Italy.... got steadily worse.... was completely worn out, and so necessity and councel prevailed and I returned to our native clime after a month. I feel rather better, but I am still weak.... My dear and estimeed Mr. Garašanin, as backward as our Serbian state of affairs is in our country, it is no wonder that I have been exhausted by this bloody cathedra to which I ascended by a curious chance these twenty years ago. Everyone is mortal and must die. I would be sorry for nothing now save for not seeing some progress among our whole people and for not being able in some way to establish the internal government of Montenegro on a firm foundation, and thus I fear that after me there will come back to Montenegro all those woes which existed before me, and that this small folk of ours, uneducated but militant and strong in spirit, will remain in perpetual misery. There is not a Serb who does more and thinks more for the Serbs than you, there is not a Serb whom Serbdom loves more sincerely and respects more than you, and there is not a Serb who loves and respects you more than I.
Just prior to the outbreak of the Crimean War
, Garašanin faced another dilemma, equal in gravity with the previous one (the 1848 Revolution that took place in the Habsburg Empire). As minister for foreign affairs in 1853 Garašanin was decidedly opposed to Serbia joining Russia
in war against Ottoman Turkey and the western powers. His anti-Russian views resulted in Prince Menshikov
, while on his mission in Constantinople
, 1853, peremptorily demanding from the prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, his dismissal. But although dismissed, his personal influence in the country secured the neutrality of Serbia during the Crimean War
. He enjoyed esteem in France
, and it was due to him that France proposed to the peace conference of Paris (1856) that the old constitution
, granted to Serbia by Turkey as suzerain and Russia as protector in 1839, should be replaced by a more modern and liberal constitution, framed by a European international commission. But the agreement of the powers was not secured.
He wrote the Načertanije
, a political document encompassing the goals to liberate the South Slavs and unifying Serbian lands.
Garašanin induced Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević to convoke a national assembly, which had not been called to meet for ten years. The assembly was convoked for St Andrew's Day 1858, but its first act was to dethrone Prince Aleksandar and to recall the Prince Miloš Obrenović. After the death of his father Miloš (in 1860) Prince Mihailo Obrenović
ascended the throne, he entrusted the premiership and foreign affairs to Ilija Garašanin. The result of their policy was that Serbia was given a new constitution, and that he obtained the peaceful withdrawal of all the fortresses garrisoned by Turkish troops on Serbian territory, including the Kalemegdan
(1867).
Garašanin was preparing a general rising of the Balkan nations against the Turkish rule, and had entered into confidential arrangements with the Romanians
, Albanians
, Bulgarians
and Greeks
. But the execution of his plans was frustrated as in 1867 Garašanin was suddenly discharged, probably because he objected to the proposed marriage of Prince Michael and Katarina Konstantinović
. His dismissal caused energetic protests of Russia
, and more especially by the assassination of Prince Michael a few months later (the June 10, 1868). When the assassination took place, he was in Topčider
and immediately went to Belgrade
to inform the ministers about the assassination, measures were taken to preserve order. Last years of his life, Garašanin spent away from politics, on his estate in Grocka
.
Ilija Garašanin was very conservative in internal politics. He believed that bureaucracy was the only way for administration to work. In foreign politics, he was the first pro Yugoslavia
statesman among Serbs. He considered that only great Yugoslav state can maintain its independence from both Russia and Austria
. Garašanin left behind a vast (still not published) political correspondence. He certainly was one of the most gifted statesmen whom Serbia had in the 19th century.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
politician and statesman, serving as Interior Minister and Prime Minister (1861 - 1867).
He is remembered for being the first Serbian politician that had a genuine political programme, working to replace the Russian protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
over Serbia, with the joint service to all European great powers.
Early
Ilija was born in GarašiGaraši
Garaši is a village in the municipality of Aranđelovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 605 people.-References:...
, the son of businessman Hadži Milutin Savić-Garašanin, a Serbian revolution
Serbian revolution
Serbian revolution or Revolutionary Serbia refers to the national and social revolution of the Serbian people taking place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Ottoman province into a constitutional monarchy and a modern nation-state...
ary and member of the National Council of Serbia, his mother was Pauna Loma, the sister of voivode Arsenije Loma.
Ilija was homeschooled with private teachers, he went to a Greek school in Zemun, and was for a time in Orahovica
Orahovica
Orahovica is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is situated on the slopes of the mountain Papuk and positioned on the state road D2 Varaždin-Koprivnica-Našice-Osijek.-Economy:...
where he learnt German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. He helped his father in business. Prince Miloš Obrenović
Miloš Obrenovic I, Prince of Serbia
Miloš Obrenović was Prince of Serbia from 1815 to 1839, and again from 1858 to 1860. He participated in the First Serbian Uprising, led Serbs in the Second Serbian Uprising, and founded the House of Obrenović...
puts him in governmental work, appointing him customs officer
Customs officer
A customs officer is a law enforcement agent who enforces customs laws, on behalf of a government.-Hong Kong:4 931 posts, of which nine are directorate officers, 3 804 are members of the Customs and Excise Department, 504 are Trade Controls Officers and 614 are staff of the General and Common...
in Višnjica
Višnjica
Višnjica is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location :...
, on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and later Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. After serving in the regular army, Knez Miloš promoted him to colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1837, he commanded the regular army and military police.
His father was part of the Defenders of the Constitution
Defenders of the Constitution
The Defenders of the Constitution was a political regime that achieved power in Serbia in 1842 by overthrowing young Prince Mihailo Obrenović.- History :...
, who managed to overthrow Miloš Obrenović, appointing in his place Aleksandar Karađorđević, the son of Karađorđe, who was killed by Obrenović. In 1842 his father and brother are killed in fights with Knez Mihajlo. Toma Vučić, his father's colleague and Interior minister, appointed Ilija his assistant, and in 1843, when Toma is exiled by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, he becomes the new Minister of the Interior. The primacy Garašanin gave to inter-state consideration is most clearly elaboarated in his 1844 Načertanije
Nacertanije
Načertanije is a document drawn up by the Serbian politician Ilija Garašanin in 1844, aimed at uniting the Serbian people, living under the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. It represents the first formalization of the political program of Serbia....
(Draft), which he wrote a year after he got the new post. The ideas expressed in the draft guided his policies throughout his career, but was never implemented. Though Načertanije became a 19th century statement on the Serbian nation and its vital interests, it remained secret until 1906. Although written by a statesman and politician identifying Serbian needs with those of the new Principality, Garašanin was strongly influenced by broader views of the Polish émigré Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
Adam Jerzy Czartoryski
Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, statesman and author. He was the son of Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and Izabela Fleming....
and his advisers, as well as French and British attitudes toward nationality and statehood. Ideologically, Garašanin combines in his Načertanije the German and French models of a nation, politically, he is attempting to balance the interests of the present Serbian state with contemporary demographics (the fact that very many Serbs were then still living under the yoke of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires) and past, medieval possessions in Old Serbia (i.e., present-day Kosovo and Metohija, and Macedonia). Because Načertanije was a secret document (released in 1906) it could not have had an impact on national consciousness at the popular level, at least not in the 19th century.
Politics
Of all the Serbian politicians Garašanin's view had not only the greatest breadth but also the most realism with respect to the national problems of both Serbia and other neighbouring states in 1848. He was a completely harmonious combination of a modern European statesman and a Balkan diplomatist. The time of great uprisings against the Turks was on the wane then, and the role of opposition to the Turks was assumed by the recently-created Balkan states. Garašanin perceived that such a role could be assumed by a modern bureaucratic administration -- modern for Serbia and for the Balkans -- for it was harsh, arbitrary, and rapacious. It was a matter of superimposing a European model on the chaotic orient and on but recently liberated and still-self-willed and defiant Balkan people. But the model was a suitable one in that it did unite and ensure some measure of order and stability. Serbia was to spend half a century, if not longer, in that mold, until new forces and new tasks came along to undo it.It was in this bureaucratic Serbia that Garašanin had to tackle events on a daily basis.
But the effective scope of Garašanin's activities extended beyond the Serbian border and opened a way to the future. One felt in Garašanin the irrepressible pulsation of the but recently pacified uprisings, but also a sober program for an effective administration and free trade. His strength was all the more apparent in the light of Prince Alexander's impotence for the Prince merely reflected the glory of his great father Karađorđe. You best see the state of affairs, you are the greatest friend of the Serbian people, and everything else is but triffling and trivial, Petar II Petrović Njegoš wrote to Garašanin toward the close of 1850. Njegoš also had a personal, intimate feeling for Garašanin, engendered by the force of spontaneous attraction great men have for one another. Though they never met, and the only real contact they had centered around the year 1848, Njegoš felt close enough to Garašanin to confide to him his personal troubles, which the latter would understand were also the obstacles to their common aims. Njegoš's letter, dated July 5, 1850, read as follows:
Thanks to the Illustrious Prince and Sovereign and to you, his councillor, for whatever thought you may from time to time lend this bloody Serbian crag. This will win you the honour of posterity when our people are raised up in spirit....I have been very ill.... I have been in Italy.... got steadily worse.... was completely worn out, and so necessity and councel prevailed and I returned to our native clime after a month. I feel rather better, but I am still weak.... My dear and estimeed Mr. Garašanin, as backward as our Serbian state of affairs is in our country, it is no wonder that I have been exhausted by this bloody cathedra to which I ascended by a curious chance these twenty years ago. Everyone is mortal and must die. I would be sorry for nothing now save for not seeing some progress among our whole people and for not being able in some way to establish the internal government of Montenegro on a firm foundation, and thus I fear that after me there will come back to Montenegro all those woes which existed before me, and that this small folk of ours, uneducated but militant and strong in spirit, will remain in perpetual misery. There is not a Serb who does more and thinks more for the Serbs than you, there is not a Serb whom Serbdom loves more sincerely and respects more than you, and there is not a Serb who loves and respects you more than I.
Just prior to the outbreak of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, Garašanin faced another dilemma, equal in gravity with the previous one (the 1848 Revolution that took place in the Habsburg Empire). As minister for foreign affairs in 1853 Garašanin was decidedly opposed to Serbia joining Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in war against Ottoman Turkey and the western powers. His anti-Russian views resulted in Prince Menshikov
Menshikov
Menshikov may refer to one of the following persons*Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov *Aleksandr Sergeyevich Menshikov *Alexei Menshikov *Mikhail Menshikov , various...
, while on his mission in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, 1853, peremptorily demanding from the prince Aleksandar Karađorđević, his dismissal. But although dismissed, his personal influence in the country secured the neutrality of Serbia during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. He enjoyed esteem in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and it was due to him that France proposed to the peace conference of Paris (1856) that the old constitution
Turkish constitution (Serbia)
The Constitution of the 1838, often called the Turkish constitution , was constitution of Principality of Serbia from 1838 till 1869. In this way, Ottoman Empire wanted to show that Serbia is in subservience to it...
, granted to Serbia by Turkey as suzerain and Russia as protector in 1839, should be replaced by a more modern and liberal constitution, framed by a European international commission. But the agreement of the powers was not secured.
He wrote the Načertanije
Nacertanije
Načertanije is a document drawn up by the Serbian politician Ilija Garašanin in 1844, aimed at uniting the Serbian people, living under the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. It represents the first formalization of the political program of Serbia....
, a political document encompassing the goals to liberate the South Slavs and unifying Serbian lands.
Garašanin induced Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević to convoke a national assembly, which had not been called to meet for ten years. The assembly was convoked for St Andrew's Day 1858, but its first act was to dethrone Prince Aleksandar and to recall the Prince Miloš Obrenović. After the death of his father Miloš (in 1860) Prince Mihailo Obrenović
Mihailo Obrenovic III, Prince of Serbia
Mihailo Obrenović was Prince of Serbia from 1839–1842 and again from 1860–1868. His first reign ended when he was deposed in 1842 and his second when he was assassinated in 1868.-Early life and first reign:...
ascended the throne, he entrusted the premiership and foreign affairs to Ilija Garašanin. The result of their policy was that Serbia was given a new constitution, and that he obtained the peaceful withdrawal of all the fortresses garrisoned by Turkish troops on Serbian territory, including the Kalemegdan
Kalemegdan
Belgrade Fortress , represent old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube, in an urban area of modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad...
(1867).
Garašanin was preparing a general rising of the Balkan nations against the Turkish rule, and had entered into confidential arrangements with the Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
and Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
. But the execution of his plans was frustrated as in 1867 Garašanin was suddenly discharged, probably because he objected to the proposed marriage of Prince Michael and Katarina Konstantinović
Katarina Konstantinović
Katarina Konstantinović was a Serbian noblewoman and a descendant of the Obrenović dynasty as the daughter of Princess Anka Obrenović. She was also the first cousin of King Milan I to whom she acted as his de facto first lady of the royal court after the Queen, Natalie Keshko, separated from...
. His dismissal caused energetic protests of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and more especially by the assassination of Prince Michael a few months later (the June 10, 1868). When the assassination took place, he was in Topčider
Topcider
Topčider is a forest park and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between in the municipalities of Čukarica, Rakovica and Savski Venac...
and immediately went to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
to inform the ministers about the assassination, measures were taken to preserve order. Last years of his life, Garašanin spent away from politics, on his estate in Grocka
Grocka
Grocka is a suburban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
.
Ilija Garašanin was very conservative in internal politics. He believed that bureaucracy was the only way for administration to work. In foreign politics, he was the first pro Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
statesman among Serbs. He considered that only great Yugoslav state can maintain its independence from both Russia and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Garašanin left behind a vast (still not published) political correspondence. He certainly was one of the most gifted statesmen whom Serbia had in the 19th century.