Italian National Council of Fiume
Encyclopedia
Creation
On 16 October 1918 Emperor Charles I of Austria, after Foreign Minister Baron István Burián asked for an armistice based on the Fourteen Points on 14 October, and two days later issued a proclamation that radically changed the nature of the Austrian state. The Poles were granted full independence with the purpose of joining their ethnic brethren in Russia and Germany in a Polish state. To prevent the total collapse of the monarchy the rest of the Austrian lands were transformed into a federal union composed of four parts—German, Czech, South Slav and Ukrainian. Each of the four parts was to be governed by a federal council, and Trieste was to receive a special status.The National Council of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (SHS)
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs was a short-lived state formed from the southernmost parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy after its dissolution at the end of the World War I by the resident population of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs...
was officially instituted on 16 October 1918 in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. On the evening of the 28 October, Zoltán Jekelfalussy, the Hungarian governor of Fiume, called Mayor Antonio Vio to his office to give him the news that the Hungarian Government had decided that Fiume was to be abandoned both militarily and politically. The members of the Municipal Council knew they could no longer base its right to authority on his appointment by a power that no longer existed in its previous form. The Municipal Council invoking the right of self-determination, advocated by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
reappointed Vio as major and expanded its ranks to some 60 co-opted members. in the meanwhile representatives of the National Council of the Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (SHS) arrived in the city and wrested command of the governor palace from Jekelfalussy who left the city. The city now had two self-proclaimed governments, each basing its claims on the same principle. The local representatives of the Municipal Council as a response formed immediately the Italian National Council, headed by Antonio Grossich
Antonio Grossich
Antonio Grossich . He was a surgeon from Fiume, a politician and writer....
. On October the 30th the body Proclaimed the annexation of Fiume to Italy
Italian occupation of Fiume in 1918
Austria-HungaryAustria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
reached an armistice with Italy through the Armistice of Villa Giusti signed on November 3, 1918. This agreement stipulated that Italy could occupy large parts of the territory included in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The National Council of the Slovenes Croats and Serbs (SHS) was dissolved when Italian Army units, commanded by General Enrico di San Marzano, occupied the city. The rule of the Italian National Council was tolerated by the Italian command, much less so by the American, English and French units who also came to the city.
Unification with Italy
At the Paris peace Conference Andrea OssoinackAndrea Ossoinack
Andrea Ossoinack was a businessman and politician who became notable in the process of creating the Free State of Fiume.Andrea was the son of Luigi Ossoinack, who was one of the foremost businessmen in Fiume...
was entrusted by the Italian National Council as its official representative and in that capacity it had a meeting with Wilson in April 1919.
The Italian National Council functioned as a de facto government with interruptions:
- Italian Regency of CarnaroItalian Regency of CarnaroThe Italian Regency of Carnaro was a self-proclaimed state in the city of Fiume led by Gabriele d'Annunzio between 1919 and 1920.-Impresa di Fiume:...
(1919–1920) - Free State of FiumeFree State of FiumeThe Free State of Fiume was an independent free state which existed between 1920 and 1924. Its territory of comprised the city of Fiume and rural areas to its north, with a corridor to its west connecting it to Italy.-History:Fiume gained autonomy for the first time in 1719 when it was proclaimed...
(1920–1924)
The city was annexed to Italy in February 1924.
See also
- History of RijekaHistory of Rijeka- Origins :Fiume is located in the northern tip of the Quarnero in the northern Adriatic.The region of Quarnero fell within the Holy Roman Empire, with the acquisition of the titles of Margraves of Istria and Dukes of Merania by the Andechs family...
- List of governors and heads of state of Fiume
- History of Yugoslavia
- Timeline of Croatian historyTimeline of Croatian historyThis is a timeline of Croatian history. To read about the background to these events, see History of Croatia. See also the list of rulers of Croatia and years in Croatia.This timeline is incomplete; some important events may be missing...