Ivan Frano Jukic
Encyclopedia
Ivan Franjo Jukić was a writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina
whose life and cultural and political legacy have left an indelible mark on the cultural history of the country, where he is remembered as one of the founders of Bosnian modernism.
to the family of Jozo and Klara Jukić. In 1830 he was sent to the Franciscan monastery in Fojnica
, and was given the monk name Frano. In 1835 he came to Zagreb
where he studied philosophy and met the protagonists of the Illyrian movement
. In 1837 he went to Veszprém
to study theology, and from there he wrote his first songs and sent them to Ljudevit Gaj
, whom he had previously met in Zagreb.
In Hungary Jukić met a certain Bosnian trader called Jovanović, who convinced Jukić and three of his young friends that there was an uprising in the works to free Bosnia from the rule of the Ottoman Empire
. This resulted in the four of them returning to Bosnia in 1840 in an effort to aid the effort, but as soon as they arrived, they were met by fra Marijan Šunjić from Orašje
who told them that this idea was hopeless at the time, and sent them off to the Fojnica monastery with a letter recommending that the Franciscan provincial finds them a refuge outside Bosnia. They were sent to Dubrovnik
where they spent the next two years out of harms way.
In Dubrovnik, Jukić met Božidar Petranović, the editor of the Serb-Dalmatian magazine (Srpsko-dalmatinski magazin), who published Jukić's first books. In 1842, Jukić returned to Bosnia and documented his trip, and made further trips around the country in 1843 as well as 1845, both to Bosnia and to Slavonia
and Dalmatia
. In 1846, he settled in the Fojnica monastery again for another two years, and also sent a letter to Ljudevit Gaj saying he intends to form a literary society aimed at enlightenment, but this never came into being.
In 1848, Jukić moved to Varcar-Vakuf (Mrkonjić Grad
) to become a chaplain. In 1849/1850, he reported to have 30 Catholic and 17 Orthodox children in his school, making that the first school without religiously segregated student population in Bosnia. There he also wrote Slavodobitnica together with fra Grga Martić
, a song about the Bosnian governor Omer-pasha
Latas, whom he befriended.
However, in 1851 he published his proclamation "Requests and pleas of the Christians in Bosnia and Herzegovina", and fell out of favor with Omer-pasha so much that he was banished to Istanbul
and ordered never to return to his home country. Jukić then moved to Rome
, then spent some time in Dalmatia, and then moved back to Rome, then to Ancona
and Venice
.
In 1854, he moved to Đakovo where the bishop Strossmayer
found him a chapel to tend to in Trnava and Drenje. However, as early as 1856 Jukić became gravely ill and had to move to Vienna
for medical treatment. Jukić's life was cut short at the age of only 39, when he died in Vienna.
), against the attempts of its Ottoman
administrators to carry out modernising reforms throughout their ailing empire, Jukić was fascinated by the idea of liberal civic order, equality and national freedom for South Slavs
. In that, he followed the idealism and strong impulse for national independence of similar movements in Serbia
and Croatia
. Referred to as national renaissance, these movements have recently been portrayed as narrowly nationalistic, yet, in the context of their time should be understood primarily as progressive movements for modernity
, national liberation and civic order.
Together with Marijan Šunjić, Martin Nedić, Jako Baltić, Blaž Josić and Fra Grgo Martić, Jukić's cultural and political orientation was based on the parapolitical tradition of Bosna Srebrena as a Franciscan
province and the only officially recognised entity under the influence of Catholic Church in the Ottoman Balkans at the time.
Founder and editor of the first literary magazine in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosanski prijatelj (Bosnian Friend), Jukić was an advocate of the religion-independent cultural identity who put in practice the idea of universal civic education not tied to religious affiliation. For him, as Ivan Lovrenović observed in his seminal work Bosanski Hrvati, ethnic and denominational borders of the Bosnian microcosm were neither absolute, nor God-given.
Jukić's famous 1850 memorandum to the Porte (the government of the Ottoman Empire
), titled Želje i molbe kristjanah u Bosni i Hercegovini, koje ponizno prikazuju njegovom veličanstvu sretnovladajućem sultanu Abdul-Medžidu represents the first draft of a European-inspired civic constitution in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In it, Jukić demands that the Catholic
and Orthodox
populations of Bosnia are no longer called raja, but citizens of the Ottoman Empire, just like the ruling Muslim
stratum of the Bosnian society at the time.
However, Jukić's national belonging was always and primarily defined as Bosniak
(he regularly wrote under the pseudonym of Slavoljub Bošnjak (Slavophile Bosniak), and in such a way so as to include all ethnic and denominational groups inhabiting this space. The only other cultural identity he recognised was Illyrian
, as a cultural supra-identity of all South Slavs, however, he never saw the future or destiny of Bosnia as anything else but its national and organisational unity and independence. Until his death, no other idea of collective cultural identity of Bosnians
and Herzegovinians
had a more significant presence or a more significant advocate.
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...
whose life and cultural and political legacy have left an indelible mark on the cultural history of the country, where he is remembered as one of the founders of Bosnian modernism.
Biography
Ivan Jukić was born in Banja LukaBanja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
to the family of Jozo and Klara Jukić. In 1830 he was sent to the Franciscan monastery in Fojnica
Franciscan monastery in Fojnica
Franciscan monastery of the Holy Spirit is a Bosnian Franciscan monastery in Fojnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was founded in 1668 and it includes a library of ca...
, and was given the monk name Frano. In 1835 he came to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
where he studied philosophy and met the protagonists of the Illyrian movement
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
. In 1837 he went to Veszprém
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
to study theology, and from there he wrote his first songs and sent them to Ljudevit Gaj
Ljudevit Gaj
Ljudevit Gaj was a Croatian linguist, politician, journalist and writer. He was one of the central figures of the Croatian national reformation, also known as the Illyrian Movement.-Origin:...
, whom he had previously met in Zagreb.
In Hungary Jukić met a certain Bosnian trader called Jovanović, who convinced Jukić and three of his young friends that there was an uprising in the works to free Bosnia from the rule of the 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...
. This resulted in the four of them returning to Bosnia in 1840 in an effort to aid the effort, but as soon as they arrived, they were met by fra Marijan Šunjić from Orašje
Orašje
Orašje is a town in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the river Sava on the border with Croatia. Orašje is the center of the Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
who told them that this idea was hopeless at the time, and sent them off to the Fojnica monastery with a letter recommending that the Franciscan provincial finds them a refuge outside Bosnia. They were sent to Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
where they spent the next two years out of harms way.
In Dubrovnik, Jukić met Božidar Petranović, the editor of the Serb-Dalmatian magazine (Srpsko-dalmatinski magazin), who published Jukić's first books. In 1842, Jukić returned to Bosnia and documented his trip, and made further trips around the country in 1843 as well as 1845, both to Bosnia and to Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
and Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
. In 1846, he settled in the Fojnica monastery again for another two years, and also sent a letter to Ljudevit Gaj saying he intends to form a literary society aimed at enlightenment, but this never came into being.
In 1848, Jukić moved to Varcar-Vakuf (Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjic Grad
Mrkonjić Grad is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce.-Name:...
) to become a chaplain. In 1849/1850, he reported to have 30 Catholic and 17 Orthodox children in his school, making that the first school without religiously segregated student population in Bosnia. There he also wrote Slavodobitnica together with fra Grga Martić
Grga Martic
Grgo Martić also known as Grga Martić was a friar and writer from Herzegovina.Martić was born in Posušje, Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire and was educated in Zagreb and Pest. He was ordained on Christmas Day, 1844. He served for three years in Kreševo and Osova.From 1851 to 1879 he served as a...
, a song about the Bosnian governor Omer-pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
Latas, whom he befriended.
However, in 1851 he published his proclamation "Requests and pleas of the Christians in Bosnia and Herzegovina", and fell out of favor with Omer-pasha so much that he was banished to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and ordered never to return to his home country. Jukić then moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, then spent some time in Dalmatia, and then moved back to Rome, then to Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
In 1854, he moved to Đakovo where the bishop Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a Croatian politician, Roman Catholic bishop and benefactor.-Early life and rise as a cleric:...
found him a chapel to tend to in Trnava and Drenje. However, as early as 1856 Jukić became gravely ill and had to move to 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...
for medical treatment. Jukić's life was cut short at the age of only 39, when he died in Vienna.
Work and impact
Having lived during one of the most dramatic periods in Bosnia's history, which was marked by the insurgency of the Bosniak nobility (led by Husein-kapetan GradaščevićHusein Gradašcevic
Husein-kapetan Gradaščević was a Bosnian Muslim general who fought for Bosnian autonomy in the Ottoman Empire. He is often referred to as "Zmaj od Bosne", meaning "Dragon of Bosnia"...
), against the attempts of its Ottoman
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...
administrators to carry out modernising reforms throughout their ailing empire, Jukić was fascinated by the idea of liberal civic order, equality and national freedom for South Slavs
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
. In that, he followed the idealism and strong impulse for national independence of similar movements in 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...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. Referred to as national renaissance, these movements have recently been portrayed as narrowly nationalistic, yet, in the context of their time should be understood primarily as progressive movements for modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
, national liberation and civic order.
Together with Marijan Šunjić, Martin Nedić, Jako Baltić, Blaž Josić and Fra Grgo Martić, Jukić's cultural and political orientation was based on the parapolitical tradition of Bosna Srebrena as a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
province and the only officially recognised entity under the influence of Catholic Church in the Ottoman Balkans at the time.
Founder and editor of the first literary magazine in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosanski prijatelj (Bosnian Friend), Jukić was an advocate of the religion-independent cultural identity who put in practice the idea of universal civic education not tied to religious affiliation. For him, as Ivan Lovrenović observed in his seminal work Bosanski Hrvati, ethnic and denominational borders of the Bosnian microcosm were neither absolute, nor God-given.
Jukić's famous 1850 memorandum to the Porte (the government of the 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...
), titled Želje i molbe kristjanah u Bosni i Hercegovini, koje ponizno prikazuju njegovom veličanstvu sretnovladajućem sultanu Abdul-Medžidu represents the first draft of a European-inspired civic constitution in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In it, Jukić demands that the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
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,...
populations of Bosnia are no longer called raja, but citizens of the Ottoman Empire, just like the ruling Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
stratum of the Bosnian society at the time.
However, Jukić's national belonging was always and primarily defined as Bosniak
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
(he regularly wrote under the pseudonym of Slavoljub Bošnjak (Slavophile Bosniak), and in such a way so as to include all ethnic and denominational groups inhabiting this space. The only other cultural identity he recognised was Illyrian
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
, as a cultural supra-identity of all South Slavs, however, he never saw the future or destiny of Bosnia as anything else but its national and organisational unity and independence. Until his death, no other idea of collective cultural identity of Bosnians
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
and Herzegovinians
Herzegovinians
The Herzegovinans are the people who hail from the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The region which is Herzegovina forms a part of the Dinaric Alps...
had a more significant presence or a more significant advocate.