József Klekl (politician) facts for kids
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József Klekl (also known as Jožef Klekl) was a Slovene priest and politician. He was born on October 13, 1874, and passed away on May 30, 1948. He came from the Prekmurje region, which was part of Hungary.
Klekl was a Roman Catholic priest and also a writer. He led a group called the Slovene People's Party. Later, he became a delegate, which is like a representative, in Belgrade. He strongly believed that the Slovene people in Hungary should have their own independent area, called the Slovene March. For a time, he even wanted this area to join with the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.
Early Life and Priesthood
József Klekl was born in a village called Krajna, in the Prekmurje region. This area was then part of the Kingdom of Hungary. His parents, István Klekl and Teréz Sálmán, were farmers.
Another writer named József Klekl (1879–1936) was his cousin. To tell them apart, our József Klekl is sometimes called Jožef Klekl Stari, which means 'József Klekl Sr.' in Slovene.
József Klekl became a priest on July 11, 1897. He worked as a chaplain in different towns. He was a chaplain in Tišina, then in Dürnbach im Burgenland, and later in Črenšovci. In 1905, he became the main priest in Pečarovci. He retired in 1910 and lived in Črenšovci.
Political Work
József Klekl was very active in politics and for the Slovene people. In 1904, he started a Catholic newspaper for Hungarian Slovenes called Marijin liszt.
Later, in 1914, he started another newspaper called Novine. In this paper, he spoke out against the Hungarian government trying to make everyone in Prekmurje speak only Hungarian. He wanted to protect the Slovene language and culture.
The Slovene March Idea
Around 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was breaking apart. Klekl worked with a Slovene politician named Anton Korošec. They, along with other Slovene leaders, wanted to create an independent Slovene March. The idea was for this area to eventually become part of Yugoslavia.
Klekl and other leaders like József Szakovics and István Kühár created a plan for the Slovene March. However, a new government came to power in Hungary. Soon after, Serbian forces took control of Prekmurje.
Some people in Prekmurje were upset because an independent Slovene territory was not fully created. The area of Szentgotthárd stayed in Hungary. In Prekmurje, Slovene became the official language.
After World War I
After 1920, József Klekl became a delegate in Belgrade, which was the capital of Yugoslavia. He continued to work for his people.
Klekl and Szakovics were important in writing and promoting the standard Prekmurje Slovene language. However, after 1945, this language was not allowed to be used officially.
József Klekl passed away in Murska Sobota in 1948.
See also
- List of Slovene writers and poets in Hungary
- Prekmurje Slovene
- Slovene March (Kingdom of Hungary)
