Stojan Novakovic
Encyclopedia
Stojan Novaković (1 November 1842 – 18 February 1915) was a Serbian
literary critic, scholar, politician and diplomat, and the foremost Serbia
n historian of nineteenth century, holding the post of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia
on two occasions.
He was born in the western Serbian city of Šabac
and died in the southern city of Niš
, Serbia's wartime
capital.
and curator of the National Museum
in Belgrade.
As a young scholar he was founder and editor of the journal Vila (Fairy Lady) that was published from 1865 to 1868. In the early years of his scholarly engagement, Novaković translated into Serbian Leopold von Ranke
's monumental work Die Serbische Revolution, as well as its revised and updated edition (1864–1892) as well as the equally famous Histoire de Charles XII by Voltaire
(1897) and Joseph Scherr, General History of Literature from German (1872–1874). An admirer of Adam Mickiewicz
, Novaković translated into Serbian his famous poem Gražyna in 1886 and famous poem "The Captive of the Caucasus" by Alexander Pushkin. S. Novaković was one of the founders and first president of Serbian Literary Company (Srpska književna zadruga) in 1892, a prestigious publishing house for the most important literary and historical works.
He was strongly influenced by internationally renowned professors of Slavic philology and literature, in particular by Janko Šafárik and Djura Daničić. Under the influence of Daničić, Novaković wrote The History of Serbian Literature (Istorija srpske književnosti) in 1867 (revised in 1871), and compiled the first Serbian Bibliography (1741–1867) in 1869, which resulted in him becoming a corresponding member of the Yugoslav Academy in Zagreb in 1870. He prepared simplified, but complete manuals for Serbian grammar that were widely published and used in various schools.
In 1865 Novaković was elected member of Serbian Learned Society in Belgrade, the precursor of the Serbian Royal Academy , officially founded in 1886. When the Serbian Royal Academy was founded Novaković was made one of its 16 initial members, while in 1906 he became President of the Academy, a position he held until his death in 1915. It was at the initiative of Novaković that the Serbian Royal Academy started comprehensive research and collection of various materials available throughout the Serb-inhabited Balkans
for the Great dictionary of Serbian literary language. Although a disciple of Djura Daničić, who was concentrated primarily on linguistic issues, Novaković managed to expand the field of research, establishing a multi-disciplinary approach in treating all the social sciences related to national history, culture and tradition.
The early works of Novaković were mainly on poetry and literature, including his own early poetry (Pevanija, 1862) and attracted minor interest, as did his early novels (Nesrećni andjelak, Kob, Lepa Nerećanka, Vampir, Kaludjer) written between 1862 and 1865. Novaković was the Serbian counterpart to the prominent Slavist scholars, philologists such as Czech Dobrovský
or Šafárik
among Slovaks
, Jernej (Bartholomeus) Kopitar
and Franc Miklošič
among Slovenians
, and Vatroslav Jagić
among Croats
.
A scholar of renaissance knowledge and interest, Novaković was able to use sources published in a dozen Slavic languages
, as well as the growing literature in French, English and German. After learning Latin and Greek, Novaković, already established as a promising scholar in Slavic literature and linguistics, was able to use medieval sources for his extensive historical research on medieval Serbia
and the Balkans
.
His first major study on historic geography, published in 1877, covered the reign of Stefan Nemanja
(Zemljište radnje Nemanjine). His major work on medieval Serbia, the monograph on late Nemanjić period (Serbs and Turks in 14th and 15th centuries), was published in 1893, while his other important works based on unused documents including the studies of pronoia
(Pronijari i baštinici) from 1887, village life in the medieval epoch (Selo), a comprehensive social and historical study, from 1891, and The Old Serbian Army (Stara srpska vojska), from 1893, as well as a study on medieval Serbian capitals in Rascia
and Kosovo
(Nemanjićke prestonice: Ras, Pauni, Nerodimlje), published in 1911, were considered as chapters of the comprehensive, multi-volume monograph The People and the Land in the Old Serbian State (Zemlja i narod u staroj srpskoj državi) which was never fully completed.
The comprehensive volume of medieval documents under the title Legal Documents of Serbian Medieval States (Zakonski spomenici srpskih država srednjeg veka), from 1912, still stands as the main source on the subject for medieval Serbia (Rascia), Bosnia, and Dioclea
(Zeta). Another major volume is a scholarly edition of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan’s Code
(Zakonik Stefana Dušana cara srpskog), based on the manuscript found in Prizren
, and a work on the Byzantine legal sources of Serbian medieval law (Matije Vlastara Sintagmat), a subject he treated on several occasions.
His other studies, also based on primary sources and available literature in various languages, covered the modern period, prior and during the Serbian revolution
(1804–1835): The Ottoman Empire prior to the Serbian Insurrection, 1780-1804 (Tursko carstvo pred srpski ustanak 1780-1804), The Resurrection of Serbia (Vaskrs države srpske) in 1904 (translated into German
and published in Sarajevo
in 1912), as well as the detailed analysis of first phase of Serbian Revolution (Ustanak na dahije 1804). In 1907, equally important was the analysis of the struggle between “supreme and central government” in insurgent Serbia: The Constitutional Question and the Law under Karageorge (Ustavno pitanje i zakon Karadjordjeva vremena).
Apart from scholarly work, Novaković published political analysis mostly under the pseudonym "Šarplaninac". These studies on contemporary politics, ethnographic questions, religious strife and national propaganda of various Balkan states, were published as a collection of papers under the title Balkan Questions (Balkanska pitanja) in 1906. In addition to political works, Novaković published several travelogues, on Constantinople
(Pod zidinama Carigrada), Bursa (Brusa) and Turkey-in-Europe (S Morave na Vardar).
’s Liberal cabinet in April 1873, and started to prepare the Law on high schools in Serbia. In October 1873 he became anew the Librarian, and in November 1874 again the Minister of Education in the Cabinet of Aćim Čumić and in 1875 was offered the same ministerial post at the government of Prime Minister Danilo Stefanović. He became a professor at the Great School in 1875, whilst in 1880-1883 he was, for the third time, the minister of education in the Milan Piroćanac
conservative Progressive government, when he managed to regulate the status and legal position of both primary and secondary schools. Stojan Novaković, a kind of Serbian Jules Ferry
, introduced compulsory primary education for Serbian children, and prepared and made passed dozens of important, often French-inspired bills into laws in the National Assembly. Being an early member of the group of Western-oriented intellectuals that formed the Progressive Party
(Napredna stranka) in 1880, soon to be a pillar of King Milan Obrenović
's Austrophile and Turkophile policy, Novaković was, as other Progressives led by Milan Piroćanac
and Milutin Garašanin (1845-1898), the son of Ilija Garašanin
, in favour of enlightened Western-inspired reforms that were to be introduced to the predominantly ignorant, peasant society of Serbia. In 1883, Novaković became a member of the State Council (Državni Savet), only to be reassigned shortly as Minister of Interior 1884 in Milutin Garašanin's government. He soon stepped down after judging that Garašanin was making too many concessions to King Milan Obrenović
, before eventually returning to a more stable State Council.
Novaković eventually entered into Serbian diplomacy in 1885. He was sent as the Serbian envoy to Constantinople
, considered, along with Vienna
and St. Petersburg, as one of the most important posts in that period. The diplomatic convention with Ottoman Turkey signed in 1886, due to Novaković's skilful negotiations, made possible the opening of Serbian consulates in Skopje
, and Thessaloniki
. Novaković stayed as Serbian envoy to Constantinople for almost seven years, until 1892. He was instrumental in organizing a huge network of Serbian consulates, secular and religious Serbian schools and Serb religious institutions throughout Turkey-in-Europe, in particular in Kosovo
, Metohija
and Macedonia
between Skopje
and Monastir
(Bitolj, Bitola). Furthermore Novaković initiated the establishment of closer Serbian-Greek
cooperation, both with the government in Athens
and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
As President of State Council, 1892–1895, Novaković was a member of a foreign policy committee that was instrumental to the flourishing of Serbian schools in the Ottoman Empire
, as well as to the restoration of the vacant bishopric seat in Prizren
in Old Serbia
(the Vilayet of Kosovo) to a Serbian Metropolitan.
As the Prime Minister under King Aleksandar Obrenović
(1895–1896), Novaković managed to convert the state debt, and avoid the financial collapse of Serbia. In order to obtain efficient protection of persecuted Christian
Serbs in Ottoman
Turkey
, Novaković sided with Russia
, laying ground for further political gains in that area. After resigning from the government, Novaković, in October 1897, retired from leadership in the Progressive Party
.
Appointed anew as Serbian envoy to Constantinople (1897–1900), Novaković organized the first diplomatic action in order to protect Christian Serbs in the vilayet of Kosovo (Old Serbia
), that were being persecuted by Muslim
Albanian
outlaws. Lacking Russian support, this action, additionally suppressed by Austria-Hungary
, did not bring tangible results but raised awareness of both the Serbian and European public of the difficult conditions of the Serbs living under Turkish rule. The correspondence of Novaković with the Ottoman Foreign Minister was published in a bilingual French
-Serbian “blue book”, Documents diplomatiques. Correspondance concernant les actes de violence et de brigandage des Albanais dans la Vieille Serbie (Vilayet de Kosovo) 1989-1889 (Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Belgrade 1899). After a brief appointment to Paris
in 1900, Novaković was reassigned to St. Petersburg, where he remained to be envoy of Kingdom of Serbia until 1904.
He retired in 1905. Nevertheless, as the most senior of Serbian statesmen, Novaković was appointed Prime Minister of the all-party government (1908–1909) during the crisis provoked by the annexation of Bosnia & Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary
, considered both as a violation of the Treaty of Berlin of 1878 and of legitimate Serbian interests. Novaković got no tangible results in his mission to Constantinople in order to persuade the Young Turk government to oppose the annexation of Bosnia. After being abandoned by both Russia
and France
in the annexation crisis, Serbia
was obliged to formally accept the fait accompli imposed by Vienna in March 1909. His last, highly successful diplomatic mission as the first delegate was as the head of the Serbian delegation at the Conference of Ambassadors in London summoned after the Balkan Wars
(1912–1913). During difficult deliberations in London
, the efforts and expertise offered by Novaković proved vital in providing significant territorial gains for Serbia in Old Serbia
and Macedonia at the expense of Ottoman Turkey.
After retirement in 1905, Novaković published a memoir in 1912 regarding the political situation in Serbia from 1883 to 1903, covering two decades of rule of the two last Obrenović rulers, various issues regarding the Constitution (he was in favour of two chamber system), and the role of the King and the level of democracy in the then-highly politically divided society of Serbia (Dvadeset godina ustavne politike u Srbiji : 1883-1903 : istorijsko-memoarske zapiske k tome vremenu i k postanju i praktikovanju Ustava od 1888 i 1901).
More cabinet scholar than political leader, Novaković remained famous for his vast knowledge on various sources, strict methodological approach, dispassionate analysis and patriotic interest in discovering unknown historical data on Serbian history. He was elected foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
.
1893, 49 pp. (Glas, Srpska kraljevska akademija, vol. 36)
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
literary critic, scholar, politician and diplomat, and the foremost Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n historian of nineteenth century, holding the post of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
on two occasions.
He was born in the western Serbian city of Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
and died in the southern city of Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, Serbia's wartime
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
capital.
Scholarly career
Stojan Novaković was the first Serbian-educated scholar of the 19th century that obtained international renown. After finishing his secondary education in Belgrade (1860), he studied law and philosophy until 1863 at the Lyceum (Licej) that was eventually transformed into the Belgrade Higher School (Velika škola). In 1865 he became a high school professor in Belgrade. By 1872 he was the librarian of the National LibraryNational Library of Serbia
The National Library of Serbia is the national library of Serbia, located in the city of Belgrade, .-History:...
and curator of the National Museum
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum is the largest and oldest museum in Serbia. It is located in Republic Square, Belgrade, Serbia. The museum was established on May 10, 1844. Since it was founded, its collections have to over 400,000 objects including many foreign masterpieces...
in Belgrade.
As a young scholar he was founder and editor of the journal Vila (Fairy Lady) that was published from 1865 to 1868. In the early years of his scholarly engagement, Novaković translated into Serbian Leopold von Ranke
Leopold von Ranke
Leopold von Ranke was a German historian, considered one of the founders of modern source-based history. Ranke set the standards for much of later historical writing, introducing such ideas as reliance on primary sources , an emphasis on narrative history and especially international politics .-...
's monumental work Die Serbische Revolution, as well as its revised and updated edition (1864–1892) as well as the equally famous Histoire de Charles XII by Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
(1897) and Joseph Scherr, General History of Literature from German (1872–1874). An admirer of Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
, Novaković translated into Serbian his famous poem Gražyna in 1886 and famous poem "The Captive of the Caucasus" by Alexander Pushkin. S. Novaković was one of the founders and first president of Serbian Literary Company (Srpska književna zadruga) in 1892, a prestigious publishing house for the most important literary and historical works.
He was strongly influenced by internationally renowned professors of Slavic philology and literature, in particular by Janko Šafárik and Djura Daničić. Under the influence of Daničić, Novaković wrote The History of Serbian Literature (Istorija srpske književnosti) in 1867 (revised in 1871), and compiled the first Serbian Bibliography (1741–1867) in 1869, which resulted in him becoming a corresponding member of the Yugoslav Academy in Zagreb in 1870. He prepared simplified, but complete manuals for Serbian grammar that were widely published and used in various schools.
In 1865 Novaković was elected member of Serbian Learned Society in Belgrade, the precursor of the Serbian Royal Academy , officially founded in 1886. When the Serbian Royal Academy was founded Novaković was made one of its 16 initial members, while in 1906 he became President of the Academy, a position he held until his death in 1915. It was at the initiative of Novaković that the Serbian Royal Academy started comprehensive research and collection of various materials available throughout the Serb-inhabited Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
for the Great dictionary of Serbian literary language. Although a disciple of Djura Daničić, who was concentrated primarily on linguistic issues, Novaković managed to expand the field of research, establishing a multi-disciplinary approach in treating all the social sciences related to national history, culture and tradition.
The early works of Novaković were mainly on poetry and literature, including his own early poetry (Pevanija, 1862) and attracted minor interest, as did his early novels (Nesrećni andjelak, Kob, Lepa Nerećanka, Vampir, Kaludjer) written between 1862 and 1865. Novaković was the Serbian counterpart to the prominent Slavist scholars, philologists such as Czech Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský
Josef Dobrovský was a Bohemian philologist and historian, one of the most important figures of the Czech national revival.- Life & Work :...
or Šafárik
Pavel Jozef Šafárik
Pavol Jozef Šafárik Pavol Jozef Šafárik (Safáry / Schaffáry/ Schafary/ Saf(f)arik / Šafarík/ Szafarzik, Czech Pavel Josef Šafařík, German Paul Joseph Schaffarik, Serbian Павле Јосиф Шафарик, Latin Paulus Josephus Schaffarik, Hungarian Pál József Saf(f)arik) Pavol Jozef Šafárik (Safáry /...
among Slovaks
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
, Jernej (Bartholomeus) Kopitar
Jernej Kopitar
Jernej Bartol Kopitar was a Slovene linguist and philologist working in Vienna. He also worked as the Imperial censor for Slovene literature in Vienna...
and Franc Miklošič
Franc Miklošic
Fran Miklošič , was a Slovene philologist.-Biography:Miklošič was born in the small village of Radomerščak near the Lower Styrian town of Ljutomer, then part of the Austrian Empire....
among Slovenians
Slovenians
The Slovenes, Slovene people, Slovenians, or Slovenian people are a South Slavic people primarily associated with Slovenia and the Slovene language.-Population:Most Slovenes today live within the borders of the independent Slovenia...
, and Vatroslav Jagić
Vatroslav Jagic
Vatroslav Jagić was a Croatian language researcher and a famous expert in Slavic languages in the second half of the 19th century.-Life:...
among Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
.
A scholar of renaissance knowledge and interest, Novaković was able to use sources published in a dozen Slavic languages
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
, as well as the growing literature in French, English and German. After learning Latin and Greek, Novaković, already established as a promising scholar in Slavic literature and linguistics, was able to use medieval sources for his extensive historical research on medieval Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
His first major study on historic geography, published in 1877, covered the reign of Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
(Zemljište radnje Nemanjine). His major work on medieval Serbia, the monograph on late Nemanjić period (Serbs and Turks in 14th and 15th centuries), was published in 1893, while his other important works based on unused documents including the studies of pronoia
Pronoia
Pronoia refers to a system of land grants in the Byzantine Empire.-The Early Pronoia System:...
(Pronijari i baštinici) from 1887, village life in the medieval epoch (Selo), a comprehensive social and historical study, from 1891, and The Old Serbian Army (Stara srpska vojska), from 1893, as well as a study on medieval Serbian capitals in Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
(Nemanjićke prestonice: Ras, Pauni, Nerodimlje), published in 1911, were considered as chapters of the comprehensive, multi-volume monograph The People and the Land in the Old Serbian State (Zemlja i narod u staroj srpskoj državi) which was never fully completed.
The comprehensive volume of medieval documents under the title Legal Documents of Serbian Medieval States (Zakonski spomenici srpskih država srednjeg veka), from 1912, still stands as the main source on the subject for medieval Serbia (Rascia), Bosnia, and Dioclea
Duklja
Doclea or Duklja was a medieval state with hereditary lands roughly encompassing the territories of present-day southeastern Montenegro, from Kotor on the west to the river Bojana on the east and to the sources of Zeta and Morača rivers on the north....
(Zeta). Another major volume is a scholarly edition of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan’s Code
Dušan's Code
Dušan's Code was enacted by Tsar Dušan in two state congresses: in May 21, 1349 in Skopje and amended in 1354 in Serres. It regulated all social spheres, so it can be considered a medieval Serbian constitution. The Code included 201 articles. The original manuscript is not preserved, but around...
(Zakonik Stefana Dušana cara srpskog), based on the manuscript found in Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
, and a work on the Byzantine legal sources of Serbian medieval law (Matije Vlastara Sintagmat), a subject he treated on several occasions.
His other studies, also based on primary sources and available literature in various languages, covered the modern period, prior and during the Serbian revolution
Serbian revolution
Serbian revolution or Revolutionary Serbia refers to the national and social revolution of the Serbian people taking place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Ottoman province into a constitutional monarchy and a modern nation-state...
(1804–1835): The Ottoman Empire prior to the Serbian Insurrection, 1780-1804 (Tursko carstvo pred srpski ustanak 1780-1804), The Resurrection of Serbia (Vaskrs države srpske) in 1904 (translated into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and published in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
in 1912), as well as the detailed analysis of first phase of Serbian Revolution (Ustanak na dahije 1804). In 1907, equally important was the analysis of the struggle between “supreme and central government” in insurgent Serbia: The Constitutional Question and the Law under Karageorge (Ustavno pitanje i zakon Karadjordjeva vremena).
Apart from scholarly work, Novaković published political analysis mostly under the pseudonym "Šarplaninac". These studies on contemporary politics, ethnographic questions, religious strife and national propaganda of various Balkan states, were published as a collection of papers under the title Balkan Questions (Balkanska pitanja) in 1906. In addition to political works, Novaković published several travelogues, on Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(Pod zidinama Carigrada), Bursa (Brusa) and Turkey-in-Europe (S Morave na Vardar).
Political career
Novaković became the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs in Jovan RistićJovan Ristic
Jovan Ristić, or Ristitch was a Serbian statesman and diplomat....
’s Liberal cabinet in April 1873, and started to prepare the Law on high schools in Serbia. In October 1873 he became anew the Librarian, and in November 1874 again the Minister of Education in the Cabinet of Aćim Čumić and in 1875 was offered the same ministerial post at the government of Prime Minister Danilo Stefanović. He became a professor at the Great School in 1875, whilst in 1880-1883 he was, for the third time, the minister of education in the Milan Piroćanac
Milan Pirocanac
Milan Piroćanac , was a prominent Serbian statesman and politician, leader and founder of the Progressive party , and a Prime Minister of the Principality, later Kingdom of Serbia in the 19th century.- Life and career :Piroćanac was born into a family originally from the Pirot area in...
conservative Progressive government, when he managed to regulate the status and legal position of both primary and secondary schools. Stojan Novaković, a kind of Serbian Jules Ferry
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...
, introduced compulsory primary education for Serbian children, and prepared and made passed dozens of important, often French-inspired bills into laws in the National Assembly. Being an early member of the group of Western-oriented intellectuals that formed the Progressive Party
Serbian Progressive Party (historical)
The Serbian Progressive Party was a liberal political party in Serbia that existed from 1881 to 1919.-Origins:The origin of the Progressive Party can be traced back to a political grouping known as "Young Conservatives" that had existed from 1871...
(Napredna stranka) in 1880, soon to be a pillar of King Milan Obrenović
Milan Obrenovic
Milan Obrenović may refer to:* Milan Obrenović II, Prince of Serbia * Milan Obrenović IV...
's Austrophile and Turkophile policy, Novaković was, as other Progressives led by Milan Piroćanac
Milan Pirocanac
Milan Piroćanac , was a prominent Serbian statesman and politician, leader and founder of the Progressive party , and a Prime Minister of the Principality, later Kingdom of Serbia in the 19th century.- Life and career :Piroćanac was born into a family originally from the Pirot area in...
and Milutin Garašanin (1845-1898), the son of Ilija Garašanin
Ilija Garašanin
Ilija Garašanin was a Serbian politician and statesman, serving as Interior Minister and Prime Minister ....
, in favour of enlightened Western-inspired reforms that were to be introduced to the predominantly ignorant, peasant society of Serbia. In 1883, Novaković became a member of the State Council (Državni Savet), only to be reassigned shortly as Minister of Interior 1884 in Milutin Garašanin's government. He soon stepped down after judging that Garašanin was making too many concessions to King Milan Obrenović
Milan Obrenovic
Milan Obrenović may refer to:* Milan Obrenović II, Prince of Serbia * Milan Obrenović IV...
, before eventually returning to a more stable State Council.
Novaković eventually entered into Serbian diplomacy in 1885. He was sent as the Serbian envoy to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, considered, along with Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and St. Petersburg, as one of the most important posts in that period. The diplomatic convention with Ottoman Turkey signed in 1886, due to Novaković's skilful negotiations, made possible the opening of Serbian consulates in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. Novaković stayed as Serbian envoy to Constantinople for almost seven years, until 1892. He was instrumental in organizing a huge network of Serbian consulates, secular and religious Serbian schools and Serb religious institutions throughout Turkey-in-Europe, in particular in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Metohija
Metohija
Metohija , is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo.It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo, namely the historical :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...
and Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
between Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and Monastir
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
(Bitolj, Bitola). Furthermore Novaković initiated the establishment of closer Serbian-Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
cooperation, both with the government in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
As President of State Council, 1892–1895, Novaković was a member of a foreign policy committee that was instrumental to the flourishing of Serbian schools in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, as well as to the restoration of the vacant bishopric seat in Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
in Old Serbia
Old Serbia
Old Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia. It included Raška , Kosovo and Metohija and the Macedonia...
(the Vilayet of Kosovo) to a Serbian Metropolitan.
As the Prime Minister under King Aleksandar Obrenović
Aleksandar Obrenovic
Not to be confused with Alexander I of Yugoslavia.Alexander I or Aleksandar Obrenović was king of Serbia from 1889 to 1903 when he and his wife, Queen Draga, were assassinated by a group of Army officers, led by Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijević-Accession:In 1889 Alexander's father, King Milan,...
(1895–1896), Novaković managed to convert the state debt, and avoid the financial collapse of Serbia. In order to obtain efficient protection of persecuted Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Serbs in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Novaković sided with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, laying ground for further political gains in that area. After resigning from the government, Novaković, in October 1897, retired from leadership in the Progressive Party
Serbian Progressive Party (historical)
The Serbian Progressive Party was a liberal political party in Serbia that existed from 1881 to 1919.-Origins:The origin of the Progressive Party can be traced back to a political grouping known as "Young Conservatives" that had existed from 1871...
.
Appointed anew as Serbian envoy to Constantinople (1897–1900), Novaković organized the first diplomatic action in order to protect Christian Serbs in the vilayet of Kosovo (Old Serbia
Old Serbia
Old Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia. It included Raška , Kosovo and Metohija and the Macedonia...
), that were being persecuted by Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
outlaws. Lacking Russian support, this action, additionally suppressed by Austria-Hungary
Austria-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...
, did not bring tangible results but raised awareness of both the Serbian and European public of the difficult conditions of the Serbs living under Turkish rule. The correspondence of Novaković with the Ottoman Foreign Minister was published in a bilingual French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
-Serbian “blue book”, Documents diplomatiques. Correspondance concernant les actes de violence et de brigandage des Albanais dans la Vieille Serbie (Vilayet de Kosovo) 1989-1889 (Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Belgrade 1899). After a brief appointment to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1900, Novaković was reassigned to St. Petersburg, where he remained to be envoy of Kingdom of Serbia until 1904.
He retired in 1905. Nevertheless, as the most senior of Serbian statesmen, Novaković was appointed Prime Minister of the all-party government (1908–1909) during the crisis provoked by the annexation of Bosnia & Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary
Austria-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...
, considered both as a violation of the Treaty of Berlin of 1878 and of legitimate Serbian interests. Novaković got no tangible results in his mission to Constantinople in order to persuade the Young Turk government to oppose the annexation of Bosnia. After being abandoned by both Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the annexation crisis, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
was obliged to formally accept the fait accompli imposed by Vienna in March 1909. His last, highly successful diplomatic mission as the first delegate was as the head of the Serbian delegation at the Conference of Ambassadors in London summoned after the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
(1912–1913). During difficult deliberations in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the efforts and expertise offered by Novaković proved vital in providing significant territorial gains for Serbia in Old Serbia
Old Serbia
Old Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia. It included Raška , Kosovo and Metohija and the Macedonia...
and Macedonia at the expense of Ottoman Turkey.
After retirement in 1905, Novaković published a memoir in 1912 regarding the political situation in Serbia from 1883 to 1903, covering two decades of rule of the two last Obrenović rulers, various issues regarding the Constitution (he was in favour of two chamber system), and the role of the King and the level of democracy in the then-highly politically divided society of Serbia (Dvadeset godina ustavne politike u Srbiji : 1883-1903 : istorijsko-memoarske zapiske k tome vremenu i k postanju i praktikovanju Ustava od 1888 i 1901).
More cabinet scholar than political leader, Novaković remained famous for his vast knowledge on various sources, strict methodological approach, dispassionate analysis and patriotic interest in discovering unknown historical data on Serbian history. He was elected foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
.
Selected works
- Srpska biblijografija za noviju književnost', 1741-1867, U Biogradu : Srpsko učeno društvo, 1869, XXIV+644 pp.
- Istorija srpske književnosti : pregled ugađan za školsku potrebu : s jednim litografisanim snimkom, Drugo sasvim prerađeno izdanje, Beograd : izdanje i štampa Državne štamparije, 1871, XII+332 pp.
- Kosovo : srpske narodne pjesme o boju na Kosovu : pokušaj da se sastave u cjelinu kao spjev, U Biogradu : u Državnoj štampariji, 1871, 40 pp.
- Primeri književnosti i jezika staroga i srpsko-slovenskoga, Beograd, Izdanje i štampa Državne štamparije, 1877, XXVII+593 pp.
- Zemljište radnje Nemanjine, U Beogradu : u Državnoj štampariji, 1877, 83 pp.
- Die serbischen Volkslieder über die Kosovo-Schlacht (1389): Eine kritische Studie 1879, pp. 413–462
- Heraldički običaji u Srba : u primeni i Književnosti, Beograd, Kraljevsko-srpska državna štamparija, 1884, 140 pp.
- Beleške o Đ. Daničiću : prilog k istoriji srpske književnosti, U Beogradu, u Kraljevsko-srpskoj Državnoj štampariji, 1885, 100 pp.
- Pronijari i baštinici : (spahije i čitluk-sahibije) : prilog k istoriji nepokretne imovine u Srbiji XIII-XIX veka : jedna glava iz prostranijeg dela "Narod i zemlja u staroj srpskoj državi", Beograd, Kraljevsko-srpska državna štamparija, 1887, 102 pp. (Glas, Srpska kraljevska akademija, vol. 1)
- Srpska Kraljevska Akademija i negovanje jezika srpskog : poslanica Akademiji nauka filosofskih, pročitana na svečanom skupu akademije, držanom 10 septembra 1888 u slavu stogodišnjice Vuka Stef.Karadžića, Beograd,Kraljevsko-srpska državna štamparija, 1888, 87 pp. (Glas, Srpska Kraljevska Akademija, vol. 10)
- Manastir Banjska : zadužbina Kralja Milutina u srpskoj istoriji, Beograd,Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1892, 55 pp. (Glas, Srpska Kraljevska Akademija, vol. 32)
- S Morave na Vardar : 1886, Beograd, Kraljevska srpska državna štamparija, 1892, 76 pp.
- Srpska gramatika, 1. celokupno izd., Beograd, izdanje i štampa Državne štamparije, 1894, XXII+512 pp.
- Stara srpska vojska : istorijske skice iz dela "Narod i zemlja u staroj srpskoj državi", Beograd, Kraljevsko-srpska državna štamparija, 1893, 207 pp.
- Strumska oblast u XIV veku i car Stefan Dušan, Beograd,Kralj.-srp. državna štamparija,
1893, 49 pp. (Glas, Srpska kraljevska akademija, vol. 36)
- Zakonik Stefana Dušana cara srpskog : 1349 i 1354, Beograd, Državna štamparija, 1898, CLIII+ 312 pp. (Izdanje Zadužbine Ilije M. Kolarca ; vol. 91)
- Srpska knjiga : njeni prodavci i čitaoci u XIX veku, Beograd : Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1900, IV+118 pp.
- Ustanak na dahije 1804 : ocena izvora,karakter ustanka, vojevanje 1804 : s kartom Beogradskog pašaluka, Beograd, Zadužbina Ilije M. Kolarca,1904, VIII+208 pp.(Izdanje Zadužbine Ilije M. Kolarca; vol. 103)
- Vaskrs države srpske : političko-istorijska studija o prvom srpskom ustanku 1804-1813, 2. popunjeno i popravljeno izd. Beograd, Srpska književna zadruga, 1904, 252 pp.
- Dva dana u Skoplju : 14-15-16 jul 1905, Beograd, Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1905, 58 pp.
- Tursko carstvo pred Srpski ustanak : 1780-1804, Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, 1906, VIII, 429 pp.
- Balkanska pitanja i manje istorijsko-političke beleške o Balkanskom poluostrvu : 1886-1905, Beograd, Izdanje Zadužbine I. M. Kolarca,1906, VIII+ 559 pp.
- Katolička crkva u Srbiji : Pisma vladike J. J.Štrosmajera iz 1881-1885, Beograd, "Dositej Obradović" – Štamparija Ace M. Stanojevića, 1907, 55 pp.
- Ustavno pitanje i zakoni Karađorđeva vremena : studija o postanju i razviću vrhovne i središnje vlasti u Srbiji 1805.-1811. Stojana Novakovića, Beograd, Nova štamparija "Davidović", 1907 IV+131 pp.
- Jovan Sterijin Popović : 1806-1856 :književno-istorijska studija Stojana Novakovića, Beograd, Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1907, 121 pp.
- Matije Vlastara Sintagmat : azbučni zbornik vizantijskih crkvenih i državnih zakona i pravila : slovenski prevod vremena Dušanova, Beograd, Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1907, LXXXVII+621 pp. (Zbornik za istoriju, jezik i književnost srpskoga naroda. Prvo odeljenje, Spomenici na srpskom jeziku, knj. 4)
- Najnovija balkanska kriza i srpsko pitanje : beleške, razmišljanja, razgovori i politički članci iz 1908-1909, Beograd, Štamparija "Štampa" St. M. Ivković i Komp., 1910, 100 pp.
- Nemanjićske prestonice : Ras - Pauni - Nerodimlja, Beograd, Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1911, 54 pp.
- Bibliografija Stojana Novakovića : 1858-1911, Beograd, Državna štamparija Kraljevine Srbije, 1911, 96 pp.
- Zakonski spomenici srpskih država srednjega veka, Knj. 5, Beograd, Srpska kraljevska akademija, 1912 XLII+912 pp. (Posebna izdanja,Srpska Kraljevska Akademija, vol. 37)
- Dvadeset godina ustavne politike u Srbiji : 1883-1903 : istorijsko-memoarske zapiske k tome vremenu i k postanju i praktikovanju Ustava od 1888 i 1901, Beograd, S. B. Cvijanović, 1912, 336 pp.
- Kaludjer i hajduk : pripovetka o poslednjim danima Srbije u XV veku, Beograd, Zadužbina I. M. Kolarca, 1913, 296 pp.
- Selo, Beograd, Srpska književna zadruga, 1965 243 pp. (Introduction and comments, Sima M. Ćirković)
- Prepiska Stojana Novakovića i Valtazara Bogišića (Correspondance entre Stojan Novaković et Valtazar Bogišić), B. M. Nedeljković (ed.), Beograd : Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti,1968, IX + 264 pp.(Zbornik za istoriju, jezik i književnost srpskog naroda, Odeljenje 1, vol. 28)
- Istorija i tradicija : izabrani radovi, Beograd, Srpska književna zadruga, 1982 XX+478 pp. (comments by S.M. Ćirković)
- Stojan Novaković i Vladimir Karić, ed. M. Vojvodić, Beograd : Clio & Arhiv Srbije, 2003, 615 pp.
- Radovi memoarskog karaktera, Beograd, Zavod za udžbenike, 2007, XVI+500 pp. (Izabrana dela Stojana Novakovića; knj.7)
- Izabrana dela Stojana Novakovića (Selected Works of Stojan Novaković), Belgrade: Zavod za udžbenike 2001-2008, 16 vols.( Zemlje i narod u staroj srpskoj državi, Spisi iz istorijske geografije, Srbi i Turci, Tursko carstvo pred srpski ustanak, Vaskrs države srpske, Balkanska pitanja, Nacionalna pitanja i misao, vol I, Nacionalna pitanja i misao vol. II, Autobiografski spisi, Istorija srpske književnosti, Prvi osnovi slovenske književnosti, Stara srpska književnost vol. I, Stara srpska književnost vol. II, Primeri književnosti i jezika starog srpskoslovenskog, O narodnoj tradiciji i narodnoj književnosti, Srpska bibliografija).