Dimitrije Milaković
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dimitrije Milaković | |
|---|---|
Димитрије Милаковић | |
 | |
| Born | October 6, 1805 |
| Died | August 27, 1858 (aged 52) |
| Resting place | Lipsko, Poland |
| Alma mater | University of Vienna |
| Occupations | linguistics, philology, Slavic studies |
| Known for | Secretary of the Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović Njegoš, implementer of Njegoš's Serbian program of cultural and educational development |
| Movement | Serbian Revival |
Dimitrije Milaković (Serbian: Димитрије Милаковић; October 6, 1805 – August 27, 1858) was a Serbian philologist and historian.
He served as the personal secretary of Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš from 1831 until the Prince-Bishop's death in 1851. He actively worked on the realization of Njegoš's program of cultural and educational development of the country and was the editor of the first Montenegrin magazine Grlica (1835–1839).[1]
With regards to his literary-linguistic concept, Milaković can be described as moderate supporter of Vuk Karadžić's reforms. However, his insistence on more archaic orthography and morphological elements (archaic superlative and participle) largely pushed him into obscurity.[2]
Dimitrije Milaković was born in the village of Jasenica near Mostar on November 6, 1805. As a child, he moved to Mostar with his father,[3] who died when Dimitrije was a small child.[4]
Around the age of ten, he moved to Dubrovnik with his mother and older brother Jovan, fleeing a plague epidemic. Jovan became a merchant, while Dimitrije, being lame on one leg, studied the sciences.[4] He finished elementary school in Dubrovnik, and high school in Novi Sad[5] under Professor Georgije Magarašević. He graduated in philosophy in Pest and law in Vienna.[3]
Milaković moved to Cetinje in 1831 and became Secretary of State in the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro.[4][3] Two years later, he traveled with Archimandrite Petar II Petrović-Njegoš to the Russian Empire,[1] where he went to receive ordination. Milaković was also a personal friend of Njegoš, as well as accompanying him in various diplomatic activities, such as establishing the border between the Austrian Empire and Montenegro and establishing peace in Dubrovnik between the Prince-Bishop and Ali Pasha Rizvanbegović.[6]
In 1836, he traveled again to the Russian Empire, where he stayed for about a year.[1] After this, he became the personal secretary of Prince-Bishop Njegoš. During his stay in Russia, he received the Order of Saint Vladimir. He became a corresponding member of the newly founded Society of Serbian Letters in 1842.[6]
After the death of Prince-Bishop Petar II, he traveled with Prince-Bishop Danilo to Saint Petersburg, where he became a secular Prince of Montenegro. On his return, Dimitrije spent some time in Trieste, where he sought information on Montenegrin history. After that, he spent two and a half years in Belgrade, from where he moved into his brother's home in Dubrovnik. He was in Dubrovnik for three years, where he was engaged in literary work.[6]
After the Austrian police seized some of his papers as part of an investigation, Dimitrije decided to go to Saint Petersburg in February 1858.[6] Now in poor health, he fell ill in Warsaw. After recovering somewhat, he moved to Dresden where he intended to continue his treatment and from there proceed to Paris where he'd stay for a short period of time. However, he died in Dresden on August 27, 1858.[7][1] His brother ordered his corpse be transported from Dresden to Lipsko, where he was buried in the Orthodox cemetery.[8]
