Ilarion Ruvarac
Encyclopedia
Ilarion Ruvarac ' onMouseout='HidePop("32916")' href="/topics/Sremska_Mitrovica">Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...

, September 1, 1832 — Grgeteg
Grgeteg monastery
The Grgeteg Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery on the Fruška Gora mountain in the northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. According to tradition, the monastery was founded by Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk in 1471...

, August 8, 1905) was historian and Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...

 priest, a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...

 (first Serbian Learned Society and Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences). Ruvarac introduced the critical methods into Serbian historiography
Historiography
Historiography refers either to the study of the history and methodology of history as a discipline, or to a body of historical work on a specialized topic...

. He was archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...

 of Grgeteg monastery
Grgeteg monastery
The Grgeteg Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery on the Fruška Gora mountain in the northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. According to tradition, the monastery was founded by Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk in 1471...

. His brother was Dimitrije Ruvarac
Dimitrije Ruvarac
Dimitrije Ruvarac was Serbian historian, Orthodox priest, politician and publisher. He is known for being one of the most active publishers of his time.- Ruvarac family :...

, historian, politician and one of the most active publishers of his time.

Biography

Jovan Ruvarac was born at Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica
Sremska Mitrovica is a city and municipality located in the Vojvodina province of Serbia, on the left bank of the Sava river. As of 2002 the town had a total population of 39,041, while Sremska Mitrovica municipality had a population of 85,605...

 on the 1st of September 1832 to Very Reverend Vasilije Ruvarac (1803-1873) and his wife Julijana, née Šević. He had three brothers, Lazar, Kosta and Dimitrije. His childhood was spent at Stari Slankamen
Stari Slankamen
Stari Slankamen , also known as Slankamen , is a village located in the Inđija municipality, in the Srem District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...

 and Stari Banovac
Banovac
Banovac, banski denar or banica is the name of a coin struck and used in Croatia between 1235 and 1384. The name is derived from two words Ban and Denarius...

 in Srem
Srem
Śrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...

, where he went to grammar school. In 1847 his family moved from Banovac to Karlovci and later to Vienna, where he completed his high school education at the Gymnasium of Karlovci
Gymnasium of Karlovci
The Gymnasium of Karlovci or the High School of Karlovci, located in the town of Sremski Karlovci in Serbia, is the oldest Serbian secondary school on the slopes of Fruška Gora. This type of school is comparable to U.S...

 and a gymnasium in 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...

 before he enrolled at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...

's School of Law in 1852. At the same time, he studied history, a passion of his going back to high school days when two of his professors, Jakov Gerčić and Aleksandar Stojačković, instilled in him a curiosity that remained with him for the rest of his life. In Vienna in the early 1850s he met poet Branko Radičević
Branko Radicevic
Branko Radičević , an influential Serbian poet, within a short space of time contrived to enhance Serbian literature with several perennially attractive poems.- Biography:...

, philologist Vuk Karadžić, and historian 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 .-...

. After graduating with a law degree in 1856, he enrolled at the Theological Seminary of Saint Arsenius (Sveti Arsenije) in Sremski Karlovci, graduating in 1859. Upon completing his studies in law, history, and theology, he decided to take holy orders and the new name of Ilarion on the date of his tonsure at Krušedol monastery
Krušedol monastery
The Krušedol monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery on the Fruška Gora mountain in the northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. The monastery is the legacy of the last Serbian despot family of Srem - Branković. It was built between 1509 and 1514...

 on the 1st of January 1861. Under his new name (Ilarion), he published numerous historical studies that he had written up until then. Ruvarac was devoted to his scholastic work in history, and was hospitable to the many friends and strangers who found their way to Karlovci. He had great admiration for Vuk Karadžić and Đura Daničić, although their relation were never intimate. He met writer Jovan Subotić (1817-1886) in 1852 and their mutual admiration and respect for each other lasted until Subotić's death in 1886. He was appointed clerk of the Serbian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Court at Karlovci. In 1872 he became a member of the teaching staff at the Gymnasium of Karlovci, his Alma mater. He was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...

 at the Monastery of Grgeteg
Grgeteg
Grgeteg is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Irig municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority among its population of 85 .-See also:*List of places in Serbia...

 in 1874, and a year later, he was appointed rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of the Theological Seminary of Saint Arsenius in Karlovci. He was prominent in secular as well as religious works, interesting himself in every movement that promoted health, morality, or education, and especially serviceable as friendly, unofficial counsellor of all classes. His theology was that of a liberal high-churchman, and his sympathies were broad. In early 1880 he was commissioned to report on the state of education among Serbs in Austria-Hungary, and his able performance of this task brought him an offer of the bishopric of Karlovci, which he declined. In 1882 he decided to resume his monastic career as archimandrite of the Monastery of Grgeteg. The last years of his life were passed in complete seclusion at the monastery. He died there on the 8th of August 1905.

Ruvarac family

Ruvarac family settled in Syrmia
Syrmia
Syrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....

 in 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...

, today's 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...

, from the region between Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...

 and Cazin
Cazin
Cazin is a town and municipality in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Croatia. It is located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cazinska Krajina is named after Cazin...

, nowdays Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...

, then 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...

. His brother, Kosta Ruvarac (1837-1864), was a writer and literary critic who died while still a student at a university in Pest. Lazar Ruvarac who graduated from the University of Vienna, became a high official in the Serbian Government. His younger brother, Dimitrije Ruvarac
Dimitrije Ruvarac
Dimitrije Ruvarac was Serbian historian, Orthodox priest, politician and publisher. He is known for being one of the most active publishers of his time.- Ruvarac family :...

, was also a prominent historian and an Orthodox priest, besides being a politician and a publisher.

Ilarion Ruvarac, like many of his Serbian peers of his day, spoke several languages, Latin, Greek, German, Hungarian, Rumanian, and Italian.

Historiography

In 1887 a serious intellectual debate was being waged between adherents of old, traditionalist and romantic schools in Serbian historiography, represented by historians Panta Srečković and Miloš Milojević
Miloš Milojević
Miloš S. Milojević was a Serbian lawyer and historian.-Biography:Miloš S. Milojević, son of a parish priest, was born at Crna Bara in Mačva, Serbia, on the 16th of October 1840. He graduated with a law degree from Belgrade's Grande École in 1862; studied philosophy, philology and history at the...

, and the advocates of the new, critical and realistic school, headed by Ilarion Ruvarac and Ljubomir Kovačević.

Ruvarac was the first to make a name for himself as a historian who sought justice and truth in every critical work he undertook. He used scientific approaches to refute many deeply rooted and beloved legends, traditions about the treachery of Vuk Branković, the eternal freedom of Montenegro, and the death of Tsar Stefan Uroš V at the alleged hands of Vukašin Mrnjavčević
Vukašin Mrnjavcevic
Vukašin Mrnjavčević was a Serbian ruler in modern-day central and northwestern Macedonia, who ruled from 1365 to 1371. According to 17th-century Ragusan historian Mavro Orbin, his father was a minor noble named Mrnjava from Zachlumia, whose sons Vukašin and Uglješa were born in Livno in western...

. Ruvarac was the first to stress the use of primary sources as much as possible in order to obtain the evidences of historical truth. He even questioned himself, more often than not, when critically examining historical texts, asking how they were obtained, who had written them and when, and for what purpose.

Being pitilessly conscientious and of a cynical, sharp wit, Ruvarac exposed many Montenegrin fables that some wished to palm off as historical facts -- either for personal, political gain, dynastic reasons (Habsburgs, Vatican, Ottomans), or simply to flatter their own vanity. Ruvarac ushered in a revision of all historical inconsistencies written by foreigners or inspired by them concerning Serbs of Montenegro and other regions, destroying one ill-conceived legend after another with no less passion than had those who fabricated them in the first place. Ruvarac, like most intellectuals, knew that so-called events can exert influence even though they never occurred.

He also proved that the so-called massacres as described in Njegoš's The Mountain Wreath
The Mountain Wreath
The Mountain Wreath is a poem and a play, a masterpiece of Montenegrin and Serbian literature, written by Montenegrin Prince-Bishop and poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš.Njegoš wrote The Mountain Wreath during 1846 in Cetinje and published it the following year after the...

 and in the Montenegrin histories of that period, had never taken place. He knew that Njegoš used poetic licence to create a drama in which he could get his ideas across. Ruvarac was right only in that he denounced such speculation as being unauthenticated and therefore unhistorical, as indeed they were.

Ruvarac had good reason sometimes to be exasperated by the inaccuracies and fabrications of histories because they were written by foreigners who perpetuated all kinds stories and myths without researching Venetian archives. It was the Republic of Venice, after all, which had lorded it over the Adriatic coast and fought over it with the Turks for some four centuries (not to mention the French, Austrians, Hungarians, and the intrigue of the Vatican, each with their own political agenda
Political agenda
A political agenda is a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate....

).

Most of Ruvarac's career was spent mercilessly struggling with national myth which distorted the historical truth, but there was no turning back after him, since he inspired other historians to investigate the past with a critical eye. The tradition of Ruvarac's scholarship and critical method was carried on by Stojan Novaković (1842-1915), Ljubomir Kovačević (1848-1918), Mihailo Gavrilović
Mihailo Gavrilovic
Mihailo Gavrilović , was a prominent Serbian historian and diplomat.-Scholary career:...

, Stanoje Stanojević
Stanoje Stanojević
Stanoje Stanojević was a Serbian historian, university professor, academic and a leader of many scientific and publishing enterprises.-Career:...

 and many others. Jovan Radonić
Jovan Radonić
Jovan Radonić was historian, librarian of Matica Srpska library and member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts....

 dedicated his first book to Ilarion Ruvarac honouring him for introduction of the critical approach to Serbian historiography.

Selected works

  • O pećkim patrijarsima od Makarija do Arsenija III, 1868, 1879.
  • Stari Slankamen, 1892.
  • Dvije bosanske kraljice 1893.
  • Banovanje Tvrtka bana 1333. do 1377, 1894.
  • Montenegrina, prilošci istoriji Crne Gore, 1898.
  • O humskim episkopima i hercegovačkim mitropolitima do godine 1766, 1901.
  • Raški episkopi i mitropoliti 1901.

External links

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