Nikola Hristić (10 August 1818 – 26 November 1911) was a Serbian politician who served as Prime Minister of Serbia for four terms.

Biography

Hristić was born and educated in Sremska Mitrovica. In 1840 he came to live and work in Belgrade, where he joined the Civil Service as a clerk in the Judiciary. Later he became head of the Serbian

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

Mihailo Obrenović Mihailo ( sr-cyr, Михаило) is a South Slavic masculine given name. It is a variant of the Hebrew name ''Michael'', and its cognates include Mihajlo and Mijailo. Common as a given name among Serbs, it is an uncommon surname. Notable peopl ...

made him Minister of Internal Affairs in 1860. On 15 June 1862 Hristić was a witness to what began as a skirmish but developed into a major conflict between the Serbian

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

and Turkish troops at Belgrade. The incident at Čukur Fountain (''Čukur česma'') began when a boy with a jug was shot and killed by a Turkish soldier which resulted in the bombardment of the Serbian capital by Turkish artillery ensconced in the

Kalemegdan The Kalemegdan Park (), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube. Kalemegdan Pa ...

fortress. In his memoirs, Hristić wrote vividly of the extraordinary events that followed in which he played no small role in that affair. Serbia's ''de facto'' independence ensued in 1867, following the expulsion of all Ottoman troops from the country. Hristić was named president of the new

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia () was an autonomous, later sovereign state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agre ...

until Mihailo's assassination in 1868. On that tragic day, Hristić ordered the arrest of the assassins, had them tried, convicted and shot before a firing squad. He was totally and completely loyal to Mihailo Obrenović. He re-organized the police force throughout the country, checked liberal opposition, eradicated brigandage, and was firmly in control of the municipalities. He retired after Mihailo's death when a new government was formed under Milan I of Serbia. King Milan I was facing the Timok Rebellion, so he got Nikola Hristić out of retirement and installed him as the new prime minister and as the minister of internal affairs. The Timok Rebellion was successfully crushed, and the leaders of it, most notably Nikola Pašić of the People's Radical Party, fled to

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. After the rebellion was crushed, new elections were held in early 1884, and a new cabinet was formed under Milutin Garašanin. In 1884 Hristić was appointed vice president of the . Milan erred in identifying Sava Grujić's views with the Radical party, which had not taken a stand on the divorce question. Consequently, he decided that he needed another cabinet to settle the divorce problem. Again Milan turned to the time-tested and dependable bureaucrat – Nikola Hristić – who put together a cabinet in April 1888. Hristić retired the following year, and in 1894 he came out of retirement to become prime minister for the fourth time. In mid-1895 he was dismissed and re-appointed as president of the State Council. Hristić finally retired for good in 1901. Nikola Hristić was married to Juliana (born Hadži-Jovanović), the granddaughter of

Toma Vučić-Perišić Toma or TOMA may refer to: Places * Toma, Burkina Faso, a town in Nayala province * Toma Department, a department in Nayala province * Toma, Banwa, Burkina Faso, a town * Tōma, Hokkaidō, Japan, a town ** Tōma Station, its railway station *Toma ...

, one of the leaders of the

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( / ') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman province into a Revolutionary Serbia, reb ...

. Hristić's son – Kosta (1852–1927) – was a lawyer, diplomat and minister of justice; his daughter Poleksija (1861–1933) was married to Laza Lazarević, the famed Serbian physician writer. Nikola Hristić died on 26 November 1911 in Belgrade, at the age of 93. Nikola Hristić is remembered as a very capable administrator and personally honest man of conservative views.

Biography

References

See also