Davorin Trstenjak (8 November 1817 – 2 February 1890) was a Slovene writer, historian and

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

Life

Trstenjak was born in the village of Kraljevci near Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici, in what was then the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

Duchy of Styria (now in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

). He attended the elementary school in his home village and later in Bad Radkersburg ( sl, Radgona) where he met the philologist

Peter Dajnko Peter Dajnko (23 April 1787 – 22 February 1873) was a Slovene priest, author, and linguist, known primarily as the inventor of the Dajnko alphabet ( sl, dajnčica), an innovative proposal for the Slovene alphabet. Dajnko was also a proficie ...

, with whom he established a close friendship. He studied at the lyceum in Maribor and later in Graz, where he became a supporter of the

Illyrian movement The Illyrian movement ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Ilirski pokret, Илирски покрет; sl, Ilirsko gibanje) was a pan-South-Slavic cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian inte ...

, a

Romantic nationalist Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

cultural movement that spread from the neighbouring

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, and which advocated a cultural and linguistic unification of the

South Slavic peoples South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, ...

. After graduating from theology, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in 1844, then he served as a chaplain in the

Lower Styria Styria ( sl, Štajerska), also Slovenian Styria (''Slovenska Štajerska'') or Lower Styria (''Spodnja Štajerska''; german: Untersteiermark), is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy o ...

n villages in

Slivnica pri Mariboru Slivnica pri Mariboru () is a settlement in the Municipality of Hoče–Slivnica in northeastern Slovenia. It lies under the eastern Pohorje Hills on the edge of the flatlands on the right bank of the Drava River south of Maribor. The A1 Motorw ...

(1844–46), Ljutomer (1847),

Hajdina The Municipality of Hajdina (; sl, Občina Hajdina) is a small municipality on the right bank of the Drava River near Ptuj in northeastern Slovenia. Its administrative seat is the village of Zgornja Hajdina. The area is part of the traditional ...

(1848), and the town of Ptuj (1849–50). From 1850 until 1861, he was a chaplain and then a catechist in Maribor. From 1861 until 1868, he was the parish priest in

Šentjur Šentjur ( or ; german: Sankt Georgen) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat, and largest settlement, of the Municipality of Šentjur. The town lies on the Voglajna River east southeast of Celje. The settlement, and the entire municipal ...

, then from 1868 until 1879 in Ponikva, and from 1879 until his death in Stari Trg near Slovenj Gradec.

Work

Philology and history work

Trstenjak collaborated closely with the Slovene-Croatian poet and ethnologist

Stanko Vraz Stanko Vraz (born Jakob Frass; 30 June 1810 – 20 May 1851) was a Slovenian- Croatian poet. He Slavicized his name to ''Stanko Vraz'' in 1836. Biography Born in the village of Cerovec in Lower Styria, Austrian Empire (today in Slovenia), Vraz ...

. Influenced by the theories of

Ján Kollár Ján Kollár ( hu, Kollár János; 29 July 1793 – 24 January 1852) was a Slovak writer (mainly poet), archaeologist, scientist, priest, politician, and main ideologist of Pan-Slavism. Life He studied at the Lutheran Lyceum in Pressburg ( ...

and

Pavel Jozef Šafárik Pavel Jozef Šafárik ( sk, Pavol Jozef Šafárik; 13 May 1795 – 26 June 1861) was an ethnic Slovak philologist, poet, literary historian, historian and ethnographer in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was one of the first scientific Slavists. Family ...

, two influential lovakphilologists who advocated

Pan-Slavic Pan-Slavism, a movement which crystallized in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with the advancement of integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had rule ...

ideals, Trstenjak wrote several historical books, in which he claimed that the Slavs were the most ancient people in Europe (an antecedent of the

Venetic theory The Venetic theory ( sl, venetska teorija) is a pseudohistorical interpretation of the origin of the Slovenes that denies the Slavic settlement of the Eastern Alps in the 6th century, claiming that proto-Slovenes (also regarded as the Veneti peopl ...

). However, he gave up these claims after he found they were scientifically untenable.

National awakening work

During the

Spring of Nations The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

in 1848, Trstenjak became an enthusiast supporter of the

United Slovenia United Slovenia ( sl, Zedinjena Slovenija or ) is the name originally given to an unrealized political programme of the Slovene national movement, formulated during the Spring of Nations in 1848. The programme demanded (a) unification of all th ...

program. As a close collaborator of

Matija Majar Matija Majar, also spelled Majer (7 February 1809 – 31 July 1892), pseudonym Ziljski, was a Carinthian Slovene Roman Catholic priest and political activist, best known as the creator of the idea of a United Slovenia. Biography Majar was born ...

, the author of the program, Trstenjak helped in raising signatures for the establishment of a unified political entity comprising all Slovenian ethnic territory. After 1849, he established contacts with

Janez Bleiweis Janez Bleiweis (19 November 1808 – 29 November 1881) was a Slovene conservative politician, journalist, physician, veterinarian, and public figure. He was the leader of the so-called Old Slovene political movement. Already during his lifetime, ...

and

Lovro Toman Lovro Toman (10 August 1827 – 15 August 1870) was a Slovene Romantic nationalist revolutionary activist during the Revolution of 1848, known as the person who in Ljubljana, at the Wolf Street 8, raised the Slovene tricolor for the first tim ...

who became the leaders of the

Slovene National Movement Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia * Sl ...

in the 1850s and early 1860s. In 1863, he was among the co-founders of the prestigious publishing house and scientific society ''

Slovenska matica The Slovene Society ( sl, Slovenska matica,The name Matica can be literally translated into English as the "Queen Bee," which is a metaphor meaning "the parent body of the Slovenes." also ) is the second-oldest publishing house in Slovenia, found ...

''. He was also a collaborator of the bishop

Anton Martin Slomšek Blessed Anton Martin Slomšek (26 November 1800 – 24 September 1862) was a Slovene Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Lavant from 1846 until his death. He served also as an author and poet as well as a staunch advocate of the n ...

. In 1877, upon his initiative, a marble plaque to Slomšek was unveiled on his birth house in Uniše.

Literary work

Trstenjak was also a writer and poet. He wrote in a typically Romantic manner, following the example of

France Prešeren France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.

and Josipina Turnograjska. He rejected the

literary realism Literary realism is a literary genre, part of the broader realism in arts, that attempts to represent subject-matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements. It originated with the realist art movement that began with ...

of the younger generations of Slovene authors who entered the scene in the mid-1860s: he strongly polemicised against

Fran Levstik Fran Levstik (28 September 1831 – 16 November 1887) was a Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. He was one of the most prominent exponents of the Young Slovene political movement. Life and work Levstik was born in 18 ...

and rejected the poetry of

Simon Gregorčič Simon Gregorčič (15 October 1844 – 24 November 1906) was a Slovenes, Slovene poet and Roman Catholic priest. He is considered the first lyric poetry, lyric poet of the Slovene realist poetry and the most melodical Slovene poet. Biogr ...

and

Josip Stritar Josip Stritar (6 March 1836 – 25 November 1923) was a Slovene writer, poet, essayist, the first aesthetic critic, playwright, publisher and translator. Life Stritar spent his early childhood in his home village of Podsmreka in rural Lower ...

, as well as the circle around the literary journal ''

Ljubljanski zvon ''Ljubljanski zvon'' (The Ljubljana Bell) was a journal published in Ljubljana in Slovene between 1881 and 1941. It was considered one of the most prestigious literary and cultural magazines in Slovenia. Early period The journal was founded in ...

''. In 1878, he was elected the first president of the

Slovene Writers' Association The Slovene Writers' Association ( sl, Društvo slovenskih pisateljev) is a non-profit association of Slovene writers based in Ljubljana. The association was founded on 21 April 1872 in Ljubljana at the initiative of Davorin Trstenjak who also be ...

Bibliography

* Kdo so bili Ambidravi, in kdo je sozidal starodavni mesti Virunum in Teurnia Kelti ali Venedi? V Celovcu : J. Leon, 1853 * Mesec Marije, ali častenje presvete device Marije skoz eden celi mesec s vsakdanjimi premišljevanji, molitvami in izgledi iz živlenja svetnikov, ter z molitvami v jutro, večer, pri sv. maši, za spoved ino sv. obhajilo, kak tudi s kratkim opisom naj imenitnejših Marijinih svetstev, katere slovenski romarji obiskavajo. U Gradcu: J. Sirolla, 1856 * Pannonica: spomeniški listi. Samozal. D. Trstenjak, 1887 * Weriand de Graz: zgodovinsko-rodoslovna razprava. V Celovci : pisatelj, 1884 * Triglav, mythologično raziskavanje. Samozal. D. Trstenjak, 1870 * Slovanščina v romanščini. onikva pisatelj, 1878

Sources

*"Trstenjak, Davorin" in ''Slovenski biografski leksikon'', edited by

Izidor Cankar Izidor Cankar (22 April 1886 – 22 September 1958) was a Slovenian author, art historian, diplomat, journalist, translator, and liberal conservative politician. He was one of the most important Slovenian art historians of the first part of the ...

(Ljubljana: Zadružna gospodarska banka, 1925). *

Bogo Grafenauer Bogo Grafenauer (16 March 1916 – 12 May 1995) was a Slovenian historian, who mostly wrote about medieval history in the Slovene Lands. Together with Milko Kos, Fran Zwitter, and Vasilij Melik, he was one of the founders of the so-called ...

, ''Struktura in tehnika zgodovinske vede'' (Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, 1980).

External links

Trstenjak's writings on history
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trstenjak, Davorin 1817 births 1890 deaths People from the Municipality of Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici 19th-century Slovenian historians Slovenian writers Slovenian philologists 19th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests Presidents of the Slovene Writers' Association Slovenian theologians 19th-century Austrian historians