Ante Starcevic

Ante Starcevic once stated: "I don't understand those who claim that the Kingdom of Croatia, which has defied both East and West for five centuries, cannot stand independently!". February 28th marks the anniversary of the death of Ante Starcevic - widely recognized as the "father of the Croatian homeland". In the 19th century Europe hostile to such a notion, he held to the ideal that Croatia could survive and control her future, only as an independent country; in effect, forming the basis for thoughts of nationhood which have been esteemed throughout Croatian history until the present  day.

Starcevic was born in the village of Zitnik, Lika, on May 23 1823. Upon completing high school in autumn of 1845 he enrolled in the Senj seminary, where he was sent as a model student to Budapest for further theological study. Starcevic completed his studies in 1848, having obtained a doctorate in philosophy. However, just prior to his ordination, he decided against life as a priest, sensing that his service was required more immediately in his people's struggle for justice and sovereignty.

Failing to attain a teaching position at Zagreb University, Starcevic went on to work in the office of Zagreb Lawyer L. Sram where he remained until 1861. That year he was elected to the Croatian Parliament as the Representative for Rijeka. It was here that he most fervently advocated the need for Croatia's independence, calling continually for weakened ties with Vienna and Budapest, laying the foundations for the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) which he later founded with Eugen Kvaternik.

In 18663, Starcevic was jailed, after which he again returned to Sram's office, this time until October 1871. Following the Rakovica uprising against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (engineered by his old colleague Kvaternik). Starcevic was once more arrested and jailed, and the Party of rights dismembered. As a result, Starcevic kept a low political profile for some years, until his re-election for the Croatian Parliament in 1878, where he served until his death in 1896.