Jovan Subotić (1817–1886) was a Serbian lawyer, writer, politician and academic.
Biography
Jovan Subotić was born at Dobrinci in Srem on 30 January 1817. After completing his high school (gymnasium) education in Sremski Karlovci and Segedin, he proceeded in 1833 to the University of Pest (now the University of Budapest). He was among the most popular students of his time and served as president of the Serbian Students' Union. Before going to the university he had published some verses, and while still at the university put forth a book of collected poems under the title of Lira in 1837, and in 1843 another volume of poems entitled Bosilj. In 1840 he left the University of Pest with two doctorate degrees, one in philosophy (1836) and another in jurisprudence (1840). He then settled in Pest where he opened a law practice; and began contributing regularly to Srbski Narodni list.
The Serbski letopis, later renamed Letopis Matice srpske (Annals of the Matica Srpska) was by then well established as a quarterly and, because it had only two editors during this period, was much more stable. Teodor Pavlović remained as editor until he became ill in 1842. He was succeeded by Subotić for the period 1842–1853. Letopis improved considerably under Subotić's leadership.
Also, Subotić took additional duties as state censor for Serbian and Romanian publications; and got heavily involved in politics. The private collection of Sava Tekelija's 4,000 books was moved from Arad to Budapest on 30 March 1843, the Library of Matica Srpska became the largest Serbian library outside of Serbia. Subotić directed the Library from 1842 and 1843, and in 1842 he began publishing the first Serbian current bibliography in "Letopis." He prepared this bibliography with the idea that the Library should be the book center for Serbs living in Hungarian-occupied Serbian territory.
Subotić was a member of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences and Serbian Learned Society.
He was married to Savka Subotić (1834–1918), a progressive proponent of women's education, and a founding member of several Serbian women's organizations. They had seven children: Dejan, Žarko, Vid, Verica, Vojislav, Branislav, and Ozren. Zarko and Vida, died as children; Vojislav became a famous doctor in Serbia, and Dejan (Dean) went to study in Imperial Russia and became a lieutenant general and governor-general in the Russian Far East.
Patriot
Subotić was an ardent Serbian patriot, and during the 1848 Revolution he distinguished himself by his steady resistance to Hungarian pretensions on territories populated by Serbs. He was actively involved in the 1848 Serbian National Movement as a Budapest delegate, representing the Serbian nation in the Austrian Empire, and then as a member of the Serbian Central Committee in Karlovci. He left in his autobiography a vivid recollection of the historic first Slav congress uniting representatives from many Slav countries, then under the Austrian yoke. In 1848 he was sent as a delegate to attend the Prague Slavic Congress, 1848, a culmination of the initial phase of Pan-Slav cultural collaboration in the Habsburg Empire. The Council of the Serbs in Pest selected their delegates for Prague including Archimandrite Nikanor Grujić, a renowned orator, Archpriest Pavle Stamatović, who led that delegation, Djordje Stojković, and Jovan Subotić. The delegates from Serbia included the dean of Serbian thought, Vuk Karadžić, and the philologist Djura Daničić, Karadžić's ardent supporter. Subotić acted as the secretary.
According to several testimonies, Prague had a festive appearance due to the efforts of all its citizens. Banners were everywhere and all the houses were decorated. Jovan Subotić, a statesman and a member of the Serbian delegation gave his own account of this event. In his writings he commented on the disruption of the Congress in the aftermath of Vidovdan (Saint Vitus Day). The congress itself is not described in much detail, but Subotić includes some interesting recollections and evaluations of the historic meeting by Serbian delegates, and by the indomitable Mikhail Bakunin which illuminate more clearly the central theme of his book. According to Subotić's recollections, the celebration in the street of Prague were monitored and declared unruly by the Austrian authorities.