Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski facts for kids
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski (born May 29, 1816 – died August 1, 1889) was an important Croatian historian, politician, and writer. He is most famous for being the first person to give a speech in the Croatian language in the Parliament. Kukuljević was known as a great patriot. He strongly supported the Illyrian movement and loved collecting old historical documents. These documents were very important for his work on Croatian history writing and lists of books.
Early Life and Education
Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski was born in Maruševec, a town near Varaždin. He went to high school in his hometown and in Zagreb. Later, he attended a military academy in Krems. While he was a student, Kukuljević started writing in German.
In 1833, he joined the army. Three years later, in 1836, he became an officer in Vienna. In 1837, he met Ljudevit Gaj, a leader of the Illyrian movement, and joined this important national movement. In 1840, he was ordered to move to Milan. However, in 1842, he left the army and returned to Croatia. He then joined the political fight against attempts to make Croatians speak Hungarian (called Magyarization) and against limiting free speech (called censorship). He quickly became one of the main leaders of the Illyrian movement.
A Leader in Politics
Kukuljević was a key member of the People's Party from as early as 1843. His political work can be seen in two main periods: before 1850 and from 1860 to 1867. There was a break in his political activity from 1851 to 1860. This was because of a period of strict rule by the Austrian government, which stopped political life in Croatia.
In his first political period, Kukuljević wanted Croatia to be free from Austria and Hungary. He strongly believed in revolutionary actions to unite the South Slavs (people like Croats and Serbs). He thought that these groups could only become free and united through military strength. He spoke to Croats and Serbs living in the Military Frontier region. Inspired by him, these frontiersmen asked for freedom and unity for the South Slav peoples in their "People's Requests" in 1848.
On May 2, 1843, Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski made history. He was the first person to give a speech in Croatian before the Croatian Parliament. Before this, the language used in parliament was Latin. His speech bravely pushed for national freedom. He asked for Croatian to become the official language in schools and offices. He also wanted it to be slowly introduced into public life. He warned about the danger of other languages replacing Croatian. This speech caused a lot of excitement. Kukuljević continued to give strong speeches in parliament and at local meetings, always supporting Croatia's freedom and independence. Because of his efforts, the parliament decided to make Croatian the official language in 1847.
In 1845, he became the chief judge of the Varaždin County. During the Revolutions of 1848, Kukuljević was among the radical democrats. He influenced the Croatian leader, Josip Jelačić, to call the Croatian Parliament meeting on June 5, 1848, even though the emperor had forbidden it. Kukuljević also helped start the Slavic Congress in Prague.
After the revolutions were put down, the government became very strict. Kukuljević was removed from politics and watched by the police. In the 1850s, his political views changed a lot. In his second period of political work, after becoming the head of Zagreb County in 1861, he was loyal to Vienna. He carried out policies that were not helpful to Croatians and the South Slavs.
After the Compromise of 1867, he lost his political positions and retired. He was later elected to the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) again in 1883. He passed away at Tuhakovec Castle in Zagorje and was buried in Zagreb.
Historian and Cultural Figure
Even with the changes in his later political life, Kukuljević's early patriotic poems and historical writings greatly influenced Croatian national feelings. He helped create the Society for Yugoslavian History. He also edited a magazine called Arhiv za Povjesnicu jugoslavensku (Archive for Yugoslavian History). He published many valuable historical books. Because of his hard work, Kukuljević is known as the "father of modern Croatian history writing."
Kukuljević collected and published many original historical texts about the history of Croatia. He also wrote a dictionary with biographies of 800 artists. He is seen as a pioneer in creating scientific lists of books in Croatia.
In 1850, Kukuljević took part in the Vienna Literary Agreement, which was important for standardizing the South Slavic languages.
Due to money problems, Kukuljević had to sell his huge library, which had 12,000 books. The Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Zagreb bought it. One of the old handwritten books from his library is a play called Skanderbeg. It was based on the work of another writer, Andrija Kačić Miošić.
Key Works
- Juran i Sofia ili Turci kod Siska: junačka igra u trih činih (Juran and Sofia or the Turks under Sisak: Heroic Play in Three Acts)
- Beatrica Frankopan i njezin rod (Beatrice Frankopan and Her Lineage)
- Pjesnici hrvatski 16 vieka (Croatian Poets of the 16th Century)
- Borba Hrvatah: S Mongoli i Tatari: Povjestno-Kriticna Razprava (The Struggle of Croats: With Mongols and Tatars: A Historical-Critical Discussion)
- Slavjanke: sa historičkimi primetbami (Slavic Women: With Historical Notes)
- Monumenta historica Slavorum meriodionalium (Historical Monuments of the Southern Slavs)
- Cronaca del secolo XVI (Chronicle of the 16th Century)
