Josif Rajačić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јосиф Рајачић; 20 July 1785 – 1 December 1861), also known as Josif Rajačić-Brinski, was a metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci, Serbian Patriarch, administrator of Vojvodina, and baron.


Josif Rajačić
Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch
Josif Rajačić-Brinski
Native name
Јосиф Рајачић
ChurchSerbian Orthodox Church
MetropolisSremski Karlovci
Installed26 January 1848
Term ended1 December 1861
PredecessorStefan Stanković
SuccessorSamuilo Maširević
Orders
Ordination10 April 1810
Consecration20 June 1829
RankPatriarch
Personal details
Born
Ilija Rajačić

20 July 1785
Died1 December 1861(1861-12-01) (aged 76)
Sremski Karlovci, Kingdom of Slavonia, Austrian Empire
BuriedSerbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicolas in Sremski Karlovci
NationalitySerbian
DenominationEastern Orthodox
ResidenceBelgrade (1848–1861)
OccupationAdministrator of Serbian Vojvodina
SignatureJosif Rajačić's signature

Life

edit

Rajačić was born in Lučani, a former village near Brinje in Lika (then Habsburg monarchy, today Croatia). He studied in Zagreb, Karlovci, Szeged and Vienna before dropping out to join the Imperial Austrian Army in 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition. On 10 April 1810, he became a monk of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Gomirje Monastery.[1]

On 24 June 1829 he became the Eparch of Dalmatia. On 5 July 1833, he became the Eparch of Vršac. In August 1842, he was named the Metropolitan of Karlovci.[1]

At the May Assembly of Serbs in Sremski Karlovci in 1848, from the balcony of the Sremski Karlovci town hall, he was appointed Patriarch of the Serbs, while Stevan Šupljikac was chosen as the first Duke (Voivode) of Serbian Vojvodina. Apart from being a spiritual leader, Rajačić shared political and military leadership of Serbs at the time of war.[citation needed]

 
Proclamation of Serbian Vojvodina in 1848 in Sremski Karlovci – Josif Rajačić is at the centre.

He became administrator of Serbian Vojvodina, and was head of the new Serb government (praviteljstvo) of Vojvodina. Rajačić formed an alliance with the House of Habsburg after being promised autonomy for opposing the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. After the Hungarians were defeated, Rajačić was nominated civil commissioner of Vojvodina by the Austrian Empire.[citation needed]

Rajačić assisted the educational development of the Serb people in the Austrian Empire. In the time when he was metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci, many new Serbian schools were opened. He opened the Patriarchal Library and Print Works. Rajačić spent much of his energy attempting to bring Vojvodina under Serbian administration. On 5 June 1848, on the day of Josip Jelačić's inauguration as Ban of Croatia, Jelačić was appointed Ban in the Patriarch's presence due to Juraj Haulik's current absence from Zagreb.[2]

He was decorated Order of Leopold and Order of the Iron Crown of the first class.[3]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Dalmatinska Eparhija 2004.
  2. ^ Unity, Concord, and Homelands Defence Archived 2007-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, suc.org; accessed 13 April 2015.
  3. ^ Acović, Dragomir (2012). Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima. Belgrade: Službeni Glasnik. p. 77.

Sources

edit
Government offices
Preceded byas Duke Commissioner of Serbian Vojvodina
15 December 1848 – 1849
Succeeded byas Grand Duke
Succeeded byas Governor of the
Voivodeship of Serbia and
Banat of Temeschwar
Eastern Orthodox Church titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Kalinik II
as Patriarch of Serbs
(Patriarch of Peć)
Patriarch of Serbs
(Patriarchate of Karlovci)

1 May 1848 – 13 December 1861
Succeeded by
Preceded by Metropolitan of Karlovci
1842–1848
Raising to Patriarchate
Preceded by Bishop of Vršac
1833–1842
Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Dalmatia
1829–1833
Succeeded by