Stojan Novaković and his Era

Abstract

Stojan Novaković (1842–1915) presented spiritual climate and political trends in Serbia in the second half of the nineteenth and the early twentieth century in the best manner with his scientific opus and high ethical attitude while performing state and diplomatic activities. He is an author of numerous articles in the field of historiography and philology having permanent value, but also of testimonies having political and memoiristic contents being precious for the understanding of phenomena of that time, full of warnings about the need to overcome mutual division of the Serbs before the dangers threatening from the external enemy. By studying the ambience of Serbian medieval countries he drew attention to the trends that, as he used to claim, must not be repeated, which was once more confirmed in the statements given in his writings dedicated to the birth of the Serbian modern state. Fruitful historiographic activities related to the understanding of the Serbian past presented an extraordinary basis for his state and diplomatic actions. Novaković was creator of entire political programme of Serbia of the 1880s that was focused on the liberation and unification of all regions inhabited by the Serbian people. As a politician, he was one of the founders and leaders of Progressive Party, Minister of Education in several governments and creator of several educational laws. As for diplomacy, he was predetermined to work in important European capital cities (Constantinople, Paris, Saint Petersburg), while as a statesman serving as Prime Minister he had a major role in ending economic and political crisis in Serbia in the period 1895–1896 and the Annexation Crisis of 1908–1909. He distinguished himself with his energetic attitude being a Member of Parliament in several convocations of the Parliament, and he was also a reputed representative of Serbia at the Peace Conference in London in 1912–1913. He was also a Professor at the Grande École, member of the Serbian Learned Society, Member of the Serbian Royal Academy and its President in the period 1906–1915. He was a member of several foreign academies of sciences and scientific associations. He also presided over the Serbian Literary Cooperative since its establishment. Novaković’s rich scientific legacy preserved in the library funds as well as numerous documents having been developed during his decades-long devoted activities related to the state affairs, which are stored mainly in the Archives of Serbia and the Archives of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, present sufficient reason to emphasize his high importance in the Serbian science and politics.