Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Habsburg Reforms & Napoléon
Reforms introduced by Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa (1740-80) included the estab-
lishment of a new state administration with a type of provincial government; the building
of new roads; and the introduction of obligatory elementary school in German, and state-
controlled secondary schools. Her son, Joseph II (1780-90), went several steps further. He
abolished serfdom in 1782, paving the way for the formation of a Slovenian bourgeoisie,
and allowed complete religious freedom for Calvinists, Lutherans and Jews. He also made
primary education in Slovene compulsory. As a result of these reforms, agricultural output
improved, manufacturing intensified and there was a flowering of the arts and letters in
Slovenia.
But the French Revolution of 1789 con-
vinced the Austrians that reforms should be
nipped in the bud, and a period of reaction
began that continued until the Revolution of
1848. In the meantime, however, there was a
brief interlude that would have a profound ef-
fect on Slovenia and its future. After defeating
the Austrians at Wagram in 1809, Napoléon
decided to cut the entire Habsburg Empire off from the Adriatic. To do this he created six
'Illyrian Provinces' from Slovenian and Croatian regions, and made Ljubljana their capit-
al.
Ivan Cankar's
Hlapec Jernej in Njegova Pravica
(
The Bailiff Yerney and His Rights
), a tale of the un-
equal relationship between servant and master, is
read as a metaphor for Slovenia under Habsburg
rule.
Although the Illyrian Provinces lasted only from 1809 to 1813, France instituted a num-
ber of reforms, including equality before the law and the use of Slovene in primary and
lower secondary schools and in public offices. Most importantly, the progressive influence
of the French Revolution brought the issue of national awakening to the Slovenian politic-
al arena for the first time.
SLOVENIA'S NATIONAL ANTHEM
The seventh stanza of France Prešeren's popular poem
Zdravljica
(
A Toast
) forms the lyrics of Slovenia's nation-
al anthem:
God's blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o'er earth's habitations
