Suchergebnisse

This paper is based on data from the handwritten autobiography of Jean- Frédéric Diesbach, which is kept in the Historical Archives in Fribourg, Switzerland, and in which the Battle of Petrovaradin and the siege of Belgrade are discussed. Diesbach, a Swiss nobleman who was originally in the Swiss and French military service, was later transferred to the Austrian army. This well-known European military leader finished his career as a governor of Syracuse in Sicily and a Major General of the Austrian army. A segment of his memories provides a brief description of the Battle of Petrovaradin and the operations of the Austrian army during the siege of Belgrade. Although it is part of the manuscript of a few pages, it has the value of a historical source, because it is the testimony of participants in these events.

This paper examines, from the historiographical aspect, the context of late humanism, the epoch that marked the time between humanism and the Baroque, with its specific cultural and historical development. This short period is a sort of an intermediate stage in cultural and historical phenom­ena, thus, still in the first half of the 20th century, scientists defined this period as late humanism. The characteristics of late humanism are different social specificities and a wide range of cultural, art, and educational elements that emerged at the time.

The phenomenon of Serbian participation in the political and military elites and leadership of the Independent State of Croatia was not enough or rather not at all scientifically analysed and researched. The purpose of this paper is to inspire the historians of our recent past to research and critically evaluate the problems. In the beginning of the war during the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, the Serbs were not involved in the Home Guard units as regular armed forces of Independent State of Croatia. Along with the development of the Independent Ustaš State of Croatia, the necessity for Serbian participation in Home Guard units arose. The Serbs were mainly educated in Austro-Hungarian schools for officers. They also participated in the armed forces of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes i.e. the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The most prominent among them were: Dr Savo Besarović, general Teodor Dragojlov, general Đuro Dragičević, general Đuro Grujić, a knight, general Milan Desović, general Mihailo Lukić, general Dušan Palčić, general Miroslav Opačić (Fridrich), a church official Zvonimir Stimaković, general Miloš Obrknežević, Minister without portfolio Ljubomir Antić, general Lalislav Milić, general Milan Uzelac and others. Apart from being the most prominent ones in the Home Guard units, there were Serbs in the political elites of the Independent State of Croatia, as well as in the Presidency of the Parliament and in the positions of the Ministers in the Independent State of Croatia. This phenomenon should be an example for future generations, in a case of war, not to happen that one part of the people takes the enemy side because the greatest sin ever is to betray its own people and country.