How the Slovenes celebrated memorial dates from their history in 1908

Abstract

In 1908, the Slovenes celebrated three anniversaries: the 400th anniversary of the Lutheran preacher and founder of the Slovenian language and literature Primož Trubar, the centenary of the outstanding Slovenian national leader Janez Bleiweis, and the 60th anniversary of the reign of Emperor and King Francis Joseph I. Comparative analysis of the attitude of the Slovenes to these three jubilees shows not only the level of development of their national consciousness with its distinguishing features but also the specific manner of modelling their historical memory by their national leaders. The perception of Trubar’s personality was ambiguous; it reflected the conflicts between Liberals and Catholics as well as those between Slovenes and Germans. Bleiweis, despite all his merits, became a figure of minor political and symbolic significance. The celebration of the Emperor’s anniversary, also designed to achieve national goals, revealed the peculiarities of the Slovenes’ intellectual horizons: they identified the concept of the “broader homeland” with the Empire and sought to transform it from German to Slavic.

Keywords

• 1908
• slovenian liberals
• national identity
• modelling history
• primož trubar
• janez bleiweis
• francis joseph i