Franjo Malgaj
Encyclopedia
Franjo Malgaj was a Slovenia
n soldier, military leader and poet. He was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army
. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I
, he became one of the commanding officers in the Slovene volunteer army under Rudolf Maister
's command that fought against German Austria
n units during the struggle for the northern Slovenian borderlands. He later became an officer in the Army of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He died during the Austrian-Yugoslav struggles in 1919. He is considered as a Slovenian national hero.
near the Lower Styria
n town of Šentjur
, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Slovenia
). After finishing the elementary school in the nearby Styrian town of Celje
, he enrolled to the prestigious First Celje Grammar School
. He later studied in the Carniola
n town of Kranj
and in Pazin
(Istria
).
After graduation at the of school for infantry reserve officers in Graz
, he participated in the Italian campaign
during World War I
. He participated in the first
and second
battles of the Isonzo
, where he got Typhoid fever
. After recovering, he was transferred to the Tyrolean
sector of the front. For his bold attacks on the Italian stronghold on Monte Zebio
he received the Golden Medal and transferred to the 87th Infantry regiment in Celje. In October 1918, he started to study Law at the University of Graz
.
in late October 1918, he joined the Slovene volunteer army established by Rudolf Maister
. This army, known as "Maister's fighters" , seized the Slovene-inhabited territories in Lower Styria
, and fought against the forces of the German Austria
for the border areas in Styria and Carinthia.
In early November, Malgaj gathered a group of Slovene volunteers around Celje and marched in south-eastern Carinthia (in what is now known as Slovenian Carinthia). Together with general Maister and a company of volunteers composed of soldiers of the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia
that were retreating from imprisonment in Austria, he reached Lavamünd
and conquered the Carinthian
town Völkermarkt
in late November 1918.
on May 6, 1919 on Tolsti Vrh
near Dravograd
in Carinthia after he had been surrounded by Austrian soldiers, or he died after accidentally he activated hand grenade attached on his belt. Unconfirmed rumors suggest he was shot by a group of soldiers from Serbia
, with whom he was allegedly in conflict.
He was buried in the Carinthian town of Guštanj (now Ravne na Koroškem).
was named after him. Malgaj is well known in Slovenia
because he led group of Maister's fighters that won Meža
and its valley for Slovenia after First World War.
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n soldier, military leader and poet. He was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I
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...
, he became one of the commanding officers in the Slovene volunteer army under Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters"...
's command that fought against German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
n units during the struggle for the northern Slovenian borderlands. He later became an officer in the Army of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He died during the Austrian-Yugoslav struggles in 1919. He is considered as a Slovenian national hero.
Education and military career
He was born in HruševecHruševec, Slovenia
Hruševec is a small settlement on the left bank of the river Voglajna in the Šentjur municipality in eastern Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja statistical region....
near the Lower Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
n town of Šentjur
Šentjur pri Celju
Šentjur a town and a municipality in eastern Slovenia. With an area of 223 km2 it is one of the larger municipalities in Slovenia. The town lies on the river Voglajna to the east of Celje. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...
, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
). After finishing the elementary school in the nearby Styrian town of Celje
Celje
Celje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
, he enrolled to the prestigious First Celje Grammar School
First Grammar School, Celje
First Grammar School in Celje is a coeducational nondenominational state secondary general education school for students aged between 15 to 19 in Celje, Slovenia. It was the first high school built in the region, established in 1808 by the Austrian Empire. Initially, the language of instruction...
. He later studied in the Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
n town of Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
and in Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
(Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
).
After graduation at the of school for infantry reserve officers in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, he participated in the Italian campaign
Italian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
during World War I
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...
. He participated in the first
First Battle of the Isonzo
The First Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the Armies of Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between June 23 and July 7, 1915....
and second
Second Battle of the Isonzo
The Second Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and of Austria-Hungary in the Italian Front in World War I, between 18 July and 3 August 1915.-Overview:...
battles of the Isonzo
Battles of the Isonzo
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
, where he got Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
. After recovering, he was transferred to the Tyrolean
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
sector of the front. For his bold attacks on the Italian stronghold on Monte Zebio
Monte Zebio
Monte Zebio is a mountain of the Veneto, Italy. It has an elevation of 1819 metres....
he received the Golden Medal and transferred to the 87th Infantry regiment in Celje. In October 1918, he started to study Law at the University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
.
Slovenian military leader
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the establishment of the State of Slovenes, Croats and SerbsState 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...
in late October 1918, he joined the Slovene volunteer army established by Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister was a Slovene military officer, poet and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters"...
. This army, known as "Maister's fighters" , seized the Slovene-inhabited territories in Lower Styria
Lower Styria
Lower Styria or Slovenian Styria is a traditional region in northeastern Slovenia, comprising the southern third of the former Duchy of Styria. The population of Lower Styria in its historical boundaries amounts to around 705,000 inhabitants, or 34.5% of the population of Slovenia...
, and fought against the forces of the German Austria
German Austria
Republic of German Austria was created following World War I as the initial rump state for areas with a predominantly German-speaking population within what had been the Austro-Hungarian Empire, without the Kingdom of Hungary, which in 1918 had become the Hungarian Democratic Republic.German...
for the border areas in Styria and Carinthia.
In early November, Malgaj gathered a group of Slovene volunteers around Celje and marched in south-eastern Carinthia (in what is now known as Slovenian Carinthia). Together with general Maister and a company of volunteers composed of soldiers of the Army 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...
that were retreating from imprisonment in Austria, he reached Lavamünd
Lavamünd
Lavamünd is a town in the district of Wolfsberg in Carinthia in Austria....
and conquered the Carinthian
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
town Völkermarkt
Völkermarkt
Völkermarkt is a city of about 11,000 inhabitants in Carinthia, Austria.According to the 2001 census 2.6% of the population are Carinthian Slovenes....
in late November 1918.
Death
There are several versions regarding his death. He either committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on May 6, 1919 on Tolsti Vrh
Tolsti Vrh, Dravograd
Tolsti Vrh is a settlement in the Carinthia region in northern Slovenia. A small part of it is in the Dravograd Municipality, while the larger part is in the neighbouting municipality of Ravne na Koroškem.-External links:*...
near Dravograd
Dravograd
Dravograd is a small town and a municipality in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is part of the traditional Slovenian province of Carinthia)....
in Carinthia after he had been surrounded by Austrian soldiers, or he died after accidentally he activated hand grenade attached on his belt. Unconfirmed rumors suggest he was shot by a group of soldiers from 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...
, with whom he was allegedly in conflict.
He was buried in the Carinthian town of Guštanj (now Ravne na Koroškem).
Legacy
On 90th anniversary of Malgaj's death his memoirs from period 1914—1919 memoirs were published. A primary school in ŠentjurŠentjur pri Celju
Šentjur a town and a municipality in eastern Slovenia. With an area of 223 km2 it is one of the larger municipalities in Slovenia. The town lies on the river Voglajna to the east of Celje. The area was part of the traditional region of Lower Styria...
was named after him. Malgaj is well known in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
because he led group of Maister's fighters that won Meža
Meža
The Meža is a long river in Carinthia, Slovenia. It has its source on the Austrian side of the state border near Mount Olševa, becomes subterranean a kilometer from its source, and reappears on the surface in Koprivna near Črna na Koroškem, Slovenia. It is the central river of the Mežica Valley...
and its valley for Slovenia after First World War.