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Jovan Subotić (30 January 1817 – 16 January 1886) was a Serbian lawyer, writer, politician and academic.


Biography

Jovan Subotić was born at Dobrinci in
Srem Syrmia ( Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is ...
on 30 January 1817. After completing his high school (gymnasium) education in
Sremski Karlovci Sremski Karlovci ( sr-Cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka Districtautonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danube, from Novi Sad. According to the 202 ...
and Segedin, he proceeded in 1833 to the University of Pest (now the
University of Budapest A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
). He was among the most popular students of his time and served as president of the Serbian Students' Union. Before going to the university he had published some verses, and while still at the university put forth a book of collected poems under the title of Lira in 1837, and in 1843 another volume of poems entitled Bosilj. In 1840 he left the University of Pest with two doctorate degrees, one in philosophy (1836) and another in
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
(1840). He then settled in Pest where he opened a law practice; and began contributing regularly to ''Srbski Narodni list''. The ''Serbski letopis'', later renamed ''Letopis Matice srpske'' (Annals of the
Matica Srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
) was by then well established as a quarterly and, because it had only two editors during this period, was much more stable. Teodor Pavlović remained as editor until he became ill in 1842. He was succeeded by Subotić for the period 1842–1853. Letopis improved considerably under Subotić's leadership. Also, Subotić took additional duties as state censor for Serbian and Romanian publications; and got heavily involved in politics. The private collection of Sava Tekelija's 4,000 books was moved from Arad to Budapest on 30 March 1843, the Library of
Matica Srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
became the largest Serbian library outside of Serbia. Subotić directed the Library from 1842 and 1843, and in 1842 he began publishing the first Serbian current bibliography in "Letopis." He prepared this bibliography with the idea that the Library should be the book center for Serbs living in Hungarian-occupied Serbian territory. Subotić was a member of the
Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS). The Academy's membership has included Nobel laureates Ivo ...
and Serbian Learned Society. He was married to
Savka Subotić Savka Subotić ( sr-Cyrl, Савка Суботић; 11 October 1834 – 1918) was a Serbian political activist, philanthropist, and one of the first leading feminists in Vojvodina. She organized the Serbian suffrage movement which helped wome ...
(1834–1918), a progressive proponent of women's education, and a founding member of several Serbian women's organizations. They had seven children: Dejan, Žarko, Vid, Verica, Vojislav, Branislav, and Ozren. Žarko and Vida, died as children; Vojislav became a famous doctor in Serbia, and Dejan (Dean) went to study in
Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...
and became a
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
and
governor-general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
.


Patriot

Subotić was an ardent Serbian patriot, and during the 1848 Revolution he distinguished himself by his steady resistance to Hungarian pretensions on territories populated by Serbs. He was actively involved in the 1848 Serbian National Movement as a
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
delegate, representing the Serbian nation in the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
, and then as a member of the Serbian Central Committee in Karlovci. He left in his autobiography a vivid recollection of the historic first Slav congress uniting representatives from many Slav countries, then under the Austrian yoke. In 1848 he was sent as a delegate to attend the
Prague Slavic Congress, 1848 The Prague Slavic Congress of 1848 (, ) took place in Prague, Austrian Empire (now Czech Republic) between 2 June and 12 June 1848. It was the first occasion on which representatives from nearly all Slav populations of Europe met in one place to ...
, a culmination of the initial phase of Pan-Slav cultural collaboration in the
Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...
. The Council of the Serbs in Pest selected their delegates for Prague including Archimandrite Nikanor Grujić, a renowned orator, Archpriest Pavle Stamatović, who led that delegation, Djordje Stojković, and Jovan Subotić. The delegates from Serbia included the dean of Serbian thought,
Vuk Karadžić Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the moder ...
, and the philologist Djura Daničić, Karadžić's ardent supporter. Subotić acted as the secretary. According to several testimonies, Prague had a festive appearance due to the efforts of all its citizens. Banners were everywhere and all the houses were decorated. Jovan Subotić, a statesman and a member of the Serbian delegation gave his own account of this event. In his writings he commented on the disruption of the Congress in the aftermath of ''Vidovdan'' (Saint Vitus Day). The congress itself is not described in much detail, but Subotić includes some interesting recollections and evaluations of the historic meeting by Serbian delegates, and by the indomitable
Mikhail Bakunin Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin. Sometimes anglicized to Michael Bakunin. ( ; – 1 July 1876) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist. He is among the most influential figures of anarchism and a major figure in the revolutionary socialist, s ...
which illuminate more clearly the central theme of his book. According to Subotić's recollections, the celebration in the street of Prague were monitored and declared unruly by the Austrian authorities. "We conferred and worked until the Orthodox All Saints Day. On this very day, the Slavic Liturgy was celebrated at St. Wenceslaus Square. Archpriest Pavle Stamatović and Archimandrite Nikanor Grujić were officiating....As soon as they (Austrian authorities) realized that the Congress turned against their plans, they became furious....and aimed to disband our Congress and arranged the bombing of Prague by General
Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz General Alfred Candidus Ferdinand, Prince of Windischgrätz (; 11 May 178721 March 1862), a member of an old Austro- Bohemian House of Windischgrätz, was a Field Marshal in the Austrian army. He is most noted for his service during the Napo ...
...." In his memoirs, Jovan Subotić recalled that the fateful events of 1848 propelled him irrevocably into the public life. He remembered the revolution in Vienna on March 13, which was soon followed by the revolution in Budapest on the 15th of the same month. The first demand addressed to the Parliament in Pest was the request for abolition of censorship. Subotić was among the petitioners and he subsequently lost the job that gave him 600 florins yearly. His zeal for the national cause led him, in 1848 and 1849, to issue several news releases, articles and pamphlets, to which many of the foremost publicists in Serbia and Montenegro contributed, including Ilarion Ruvarac and Petar II Petrović Njegoš. For some time the Hungarians made it impossible for him to live in Hungarian-controlled Serbian territory, and when, in 1849, he returned to the Hungarian capital he found that his law practice had greatly diminished. Later, he moved to Novi Sad where he was chosen vice-Zupan of Sremska zupanija (the Zupanate of Srem), and in 1862 he became a member of the Appeals Court in Zagreb. In 1865 he was appointed representative to the Zagreb Sabor where he played an important political role. In 1867 Subotić attended the First All-Russian Ethnographic Exhibition and the Pan-Slavic Congress in Moscow, and as a result of it, he lost his government post. From 1870 to 1872 he was the editor of a political journal called Srpski Narod (The Serbian Public) in Novi Sad, and in 1873 he opened a law practice in Osijek. In 1884 he moved to Zemun, where he remained until his death on 16 January 1886.


Playwright

As a playwright, Jovan Subotić achieved his purpose by encouraging national spirit and slowly developing the public's interest in the theater. As a result, two permanent theaters were built — ''Srpsko narodno Pozoriste'' (the Serbian National Theatre) in Novi Sad (1861) and ''Narodno Pozoriste'' (the National Theatre) in Belgrade (1869). Both are still leading institutions in Serbian theater life. He was a corresponding member of the Society of Serbian Letters (7 August 1844) and the Serbian Learned Society (29 July 1864).


Works

*1837: "Lira" (poems) *1838: "Potopljena Pešta" *1838: "Uvjenčana Nadežda" (dramatized allegory) *1843: "Bosilje" (lyrical poems and ballads ) *1846: "Kralj Dečanski" (epic poetry) *1862: "Herceg Vladislav" *1863: "Nemanja" (drama) *1868: "Zvonimir" (drama) *1869: "Miloš Obilić" (tragedy) *1869: "Bodin" *1864: "Epilog" *1866: "Apoteoza Jelačića Bana" *1881: "Kaluđer" (roman). In one of his works (epic poem on Nikola Jurišić) a subordinate theme was
Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...
.


References


External links


Biography on the website of SANU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subotic, Jovan 1817 births 1886 deaths Writers from the Austrian Empire Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Matica srpska Lawyers from the Austrian Empire People from Ruma Politicians from Austria-Hungary Habsburg Serbs Serbian Austro-Hungarians