Antun Kukuljević Sakcinski (10 May 1776 – 28 August 1851) was a Croatian lawyer, judge and deputy county prefect before being appointed to sit at the Royal Court Table from 1831 to 1850. Kukuljević Sakcinski was a member of the

Croatian Sabor The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...

and one of Croatian appointed delegates to the

Diet of Hungary The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale () was the most important political assembly in Hungary since the 12th century, which emerged to the position of the supreme legislative institution in the Kingdom ...

sittings in 1825 and 1832–1836.

Biography

Antun Kukuljević Sakcinski was born in

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

on 10 May 1776. He studied philosophy at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

and law at the University of Pozsony and started a legal and

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

career in 1795 becoming a judge. In 1817, Kukuljević Sakcinski inherited a portion of the former Pethő de Gerse family estate in Varaždin area. This was the result of a 54 year of litigation seeking the return of the land bought by the family from king

John Corvinus John Corvinus (, Croatian language, Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian language, Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his ...

. The estate was seized and sold by a royal decree to Count Ladislav

Erdődy The House of Erdődy de Monyorókerék et Monoszló (also House of Erdödy) is the name of an old Hungarian people, Hungarian-Croats, Croatian noble family with possessions in Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croati ...

, a member of the family of

perpetual count A perpetual count (, )Nemes 1989, p. 81. was a head or an ''ispán'' of a county in the Kingdom of Hungary (“Lord Lieutenant”) whose office was either hereditary or attached to the dignity of a prelate or of a great officer of the realm. The ear ...

s of

Varaždin County Varaždin County () is a county in Hrvatsko Zagorje. It is named after its county seat, the city of Varaždin. Geography The county contains the city of Varaždin, the towns of: Ivanec, Ludbreg, Lepoglava, Novi Marof and Varaždinske Top ...

. In 1818, Kukuljević Sakcinski became the deputy county prefect of Varaždin County and held the function until 1831. Subsequently, he was appointed a member of the Royal Court Table (first-instance and

appellate court An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...

) from 1831 to 1850. A year after his appointment to the Royal Court Table, Kukuljević Sakcinski was also elected to the

, which in turn elected him as one of its delegates to the

held in 1825 and again in 1832–1836. He and two other delegates – Count

Janko Drašković Janko Drašković (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Draskovich János''; 20 October 1770 – 14 January 1856) was a Kingdom of Croatia (Habsburg), Croatian politician who is associated with the beginnings of the Illyrian movement, a 19th-centur ...

and Herman Bužan – were instructed to defend municipal rights of Croatia, the temporary nature of the decision to cede authority to the Hungarian Diet until Croatia has sufficient territory to become self-reliant and to protect the official status of

Latin language Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

in Croatia. Finally, the delegates were to petition the king, if they were unsuccessful in the parliament, to grant Croatia the same autonomy in decision-making as enjoyed by

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

. In the two parliaments, he opposed

Magyarisation Magyarization ( , also Hungarianization; ), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in the Kingdom of Hungary, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, adop ...

of Croatia, particularly contesting proposals to introduce

Hungarian language Hungarian, or Magyar (, ), is an Ugric language of the Uralic language family spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighboring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Out ...

as the official language of Croatia. Kukuljević Sakcinski was appointed the arch-principal of all schools in Croatia and

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

in 1837. He used the position to obstruct decisions of the Diet of Hungary on introduction of Hungarian language as a mandatory teaching subject. This contributed to the decision by the authorities to force him to retire in 1843. In the period from 1836 to 1846, Kukuljević Sakcinski was the president of the

Croatian Music Institute Croatian Music Institute (, HGZ) is the oldest music institution in Croatia. It is the second most important concert hall in Zagreb after the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. Institution was founded in 1827 as "Musikverein" (English: musical soci ...

. After his wife's death, Kukuljević Sakcinski sold off all his estates in

Ivanec Ivanec is a town in northern Croatia, located southwest of Varaždin, east of Lepoglava and north of the mountain Ivanščica. History In the late 19th and early 20th century, Ivanec was a district capital in Varaždin County of the Kingdom of ...

, Jurketinec and Cerje, retaining only the Tonimir

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

near

Varaždinske Toplice Varaždinske Toplice (; or ; Kajkavian: ) is a small town in northern Croatia's Varaždin County. The town has been well known throughout the centuries for its hot springs as well as a medical center. In Ancient Rome it was known as Aquae Iasae. ...

which he had built for himself and his son Ivan. He died in the manor house on 28 August 1851.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kukuljevic Sakcinski, Antun People from Varaždin Habsburg Croats 1776 births 1851 deaths Lawyers from the Austrian Empire 18th-century Croatian nobility 19th-century Croatian nobility