Milan Heimerl

Heimerl studied at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, until he was expelled for his part in the burning of the Hungarian flag during the 1895 Zagreb visit by Emperor Franz Joseph.^[1] On the final day of the emperor's visit, 70 to 80 students, led by Vladimir Vidrić, marched from the university to Ban Jelačić Square and burnt a Hungarian tricolour.^[2] The protest was devised by Stjepan Radić, who had already been expelled from Zagreb University for political activities.^[3] The students said the protest was directed against violations of the Croatian–Hungarian Settlement^[4] that upheld but also curbed Croatian political autonomy, restricting it to internal affairs.^[5]

In Hungary, regardless of the guarantees regarding Croatian autonomy, the Settlement was viewed as a step towards full integration of Croatia into the Hungarian state, and the Hungarian government's policies threatened Croatian autonomy. As this position became better known, Croats increasingly opposed the Settlement.^[6] For his role in the protest, Heimerl was convicted and sentenced to two months in prison. Heimerl continued his education in Vienna and then Prague, where in 1897 he served as a co-editor of the Hrvatska misao [hr] journal. In that period, Heimerl joined the Croatian Progressive Youth movement, harbouring liberal and Pan-Slavist views and believing church should not be involved in politics.^[1]

After returning to Zagreb as a member of the Progressive Youth, Milan Heimerl took part in the consolidation of Croatia's political landscape. In 1902, the Independent People's Party and the Party of Rights merged into a new party named the Croatian Opposition (Croatian: Hrvatska opozicija) led by Aleksandar Bresztyenszky. The following year, the bloc was joined by the Progressive Youth members who returned to Croatia and rebranded as the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP).^[7] The Progressive Youth members joining the HSP at the time were Heimerl, together with Stjepan Radić, Milivoj Dežman [hr], Milan Marjanović, and Milutin Cihlar Nehajev [hr]. Heimerl went on to serve as a member of the HSP's executive committee.^[1]

In 1903, a minority of the opposition, including the Progressive Youth, launched a series of public assemblies to rally supporters for the improvement of Croatia-Slavonia's constitutional position within Austria-Hungary in what became known as the Croatian National Movement of 1903 [hr]. By May, the movement saw violent protests in multiple cities, and Progressive Youth figures were imprisoned over their involvement.^[8] In the period, Heimerl organised public rallies against the policies of the Ban of Croatia, Károly Khuen-Héderváry.^[1] Heimerl was charged with inciting a protest on 24 April 1903 in his native Križevci. The protest opposed the prohibition of rallies and resulted in a clash with police, culminating in 24 arrests.^[9] In response, Heimerl was arrested with Lav Mazzura and Josip Pasarić [hr], and was convicted and sentenced to two months in prison.^[1]

Between 1901 and 1904, Heimerl edited the Obzor [hr], the gazette of the Party of Rights. In December 1904, Heimerl co-founded the Croatian Progressive Party as well as published and edited the party newspaper Pokret.^[1] The party, led by Ivan Lorković, was meant to attract more popular support for the party's programme calling for financial independence of Croatia from Hungary and political cooperation with the Croatian Serbs as a means to achieve the financial independence.^[10] The party's programme reflected Heimerl's views on necessity of cooperation between Croats and Serbs. Heimerl ran for the Sabor in the Garčin district in the 1906 Croatian parliamentary election, and then in the Križevci and Čazma districts in the 1908 Croatian parliamentary election, losing both polls. The same year, he became a member of the central committee of the Croatian Independent Party [hr] formed through the merger of the HSP and the Croatian People's Progressive Party [hr].^[1] Heimerl ran unsuccessfully once more in the Križevci district in the 1913 Croatian parliamentary election, this time as a candidate for the Croat-Serb Coalition.^[11]

For two years following graduation from university, Heimerl worked in Bohemian judiciary from 1900 to 1902. From around 1910, Heimerl gradually shifted his professional focus from politics and journalism. He moved to Križevci and worked as a clerk in a law office with his brother before receiving a licence to practise law independently. During the First World War authorities kept him under surveillance. Heimerl died in Križevci on 10 July 1917.^[1]