Professional paper
Metel Ožegović andHis Role in Hungarian Constitutional History
Laszlo Heka
; Institut za poredbeno pravo Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Szovetseg utica 35/5, HU-6726 Szeged
Abstract
The author writes of the ,Croatian issue’, as the dlspute between the two states, Croatia and Hungary, used to be called in Hungary. Not only that it went on in the Parllament in Pressburg / Bra-tislava in the first half of the 19th century, but was much dlscussed also amongst politicians outslde the Chamber.
Croatian nuncio/ delegate to Pressburg Metel Ožegović had a distinguishing role in the dlspute, particularly in the 1843 Parllament sesslon, when the Hungarians wanted to legallze the introductlon of their language in officlal communication. In the lower house of Parllament in Pressburg Metel Ožegović stood agalnst the motlon and refused to speak Hungarian. He strictly kept to the advlce by the Croatian Dlet and proceeded in Latin. His conduct outraged Hungarian representatlves from all ranks because they saw him as the maln obstacle to maklng the Hungarian language legal. The nu-ncio strongly opposed other Hungarian intentions that were agalnst Croatian municipal rights and the Klng decllned to ratify the laws that mlght vlolate The Triune Klngdom’s rights. Metel Ožegović represented Croatia in the Pressburg Assembly 1847¬
when the elght hundred-year-lasting Croato- Hungarian unlon suffered a great crisis resultlng in the 1848 - 49 armed conflict. Croato-Hungarian state actually dld not exist over twenty years that followed (de iure it stlll existed), and then it was restored through the Croato-Hungarian Agreement / Treaty in 1868. This document regulated relatlons between the two countrles / states. Havlng been reached as a political compromise, the Agreement was not welcomed by elther side.
Keywords
Croatian delegate Metel Ožegović (Ozsegovics; Ossegovits; Metel); municipal rights; Hungarian language; Latin (deaconlc) language; matters of dlspute (Latin language; equal rights for Protestants; status of Slavonla and Rijeka); the Illyrian Movement; the Croato-Hungarian Agreement/Treaty
Hrčak ID:
101057
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2013.
Visits: 2.272 *