Despot S. Badžović ( sr, Деспот С. Баџовић, mk, Деспот Баџовиќ) (1850 — 30 November 1930) was a teacher and an activist of the Serbian national movement in Macedonia. Badžović was also one of the early '' Macedonists'', who developed some kind of

pro-Serbian Serbophilia ( sr, , , ''literally love for Serbia and Serbs'') is the admiration, appreciation or emulation of non-Serbian person who expresses a strong interest, positive predisposition or appreciation for the Serbian people, Serbia, Repu ...

Slav Macedonian identity.

Teacher in Kruševo

Despot Badžović and his brother Đorđe graduated at the Second Department of the Belgrade Orthodox Seminary founded by Miloš Milojević. In 1871 Badžović opened a Serbian school in

Kruševo Kruševo ( mk, Крушево ; rup, Crushuva "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an alti ...

for about 60 students where he and his brother Đorđe were the first teachers. Đorđe left the school in 1875 to become a teacher in

Smilevo Smilevo () is a village in North Macedonia, municipality of Demir Hisar. It is famous for the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising which started in the village in the morning of August 2, 1903 (see Battle of Smilevo). The decision for the uprising wa ...

, and Despot left in 1876 to live in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

. Their brother Kuzman and his wife, Jelena Badžović, replaced them as teachers.

Move to Serbia

During the Serbian-Ottoman War Badžović distinguished himself by mobilizing volunteers who illegally crossed the Ottoman-Serbian border to join Serbian forces and as a company commander. After the war ended in February 1877, Despot became a scribe in the

Pčinja District The Pčinja District ( sr, Пчињски округ, Pčinjski okrug, ) is one of nine administrative districts of Southern and Eastern Serbia. It covers the southern part of Serbia, bordering the disputed territory of Kosovo, along with Bulgaria ...

. On 20 May 1877 Badžović was in the delegation of “Serbs of

Old Serbia Old Serbia ( sr, Стара Србија, Stara Srbija) is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the ...

" who asked the government of Serbia to liberate and unite Old Serbia with the

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was ...

. They also informed representatives of the

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...

and the

Emperor of Russia The emperor or empress of all the Russias or All Russia, ''Imperator Vserossiyskiy'', ''Imperatritsa Vserossiyskaya'' (often titled Tsar or Tsarina/Tsaritsa) was the Absolute monarchy, monarch of the Russian Empire. The title originated in conn ...

of their demands. In the same year Badžović became a member of the

Committee for the Liberation of Old Serbia and Macedonia A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

. On 20 May 1879 Badžović suggested to the Serbian

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

that Serbian forces should enter Macedonia to incite rebellion against the Ottomans.

Primers

At the end of 1879, with approval of

Matija Ban Matija Ban ( sr-Cyrl, Матија Бан; 6 December 1818 – 14 March 1903) was a Serbo- Croatian poet, dramatist, and playwright. He is known as one of the earliest proponents of the Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik. Ban was born in near ...

, Badžović published the 'Alphabet Textook for Serbo-Macedonian Primary Schools' ( sr, Буквар за србо-македонске основне школе) written on "Serbo-Macedonian dialect". Matija Ban proposed to the government of the

to establish the Main Board with eight members who would maintain the connection with smaller sub boards in smaller places in the

and Macedonia. Minister of Education

Vladan Đorđević Ipokrat "Vladan" Đorđević (, sr-Cyrl, Владан Ђорђевић, 21 November 1844 – 31 August 1930) was a Serbian politician, diplomat, physician, prolific writer, and organizer of the State Sanitary Service. He held the post of mayor ...

engaged Badžović to participate in composing of the alphabet book for the Serbian Schools in Macedonia. He adapted his earlier alphabet book and sent it to the Ministry of Education of Serbia under a new name 'Alphabet book for Macedonian Schools in Turkish Empire' ( sr, Буквар за македонски училишта у Турској Царевини).

Notable works

* * * * Македонско Питање, Предлог за споразум« измсђу Срба, Грка и Бугара о Савезу балканских народа - В. Градиште, шт. Штампарија Ане М. Драшхоција, 1893

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Badzovic, Despot 1850 births 1930 deaths People from Kruševo Serbian nationalists Serbian activists Serbian educators Early Macedonists 19th-century Serbian people 20th-century Serbian people People of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia People of the Macedonian Struggle Serbian–Turkish Wars (1876–1878)

Teacher in Kruševo

Move to Serbia

Primers

Notable works

See also

References