Zagreb celebrates the centenary of the trialist manifest of Blessed Emperor and King Charles I and I

Sunday, October 21, 2018, in Zagreb the centenary of the trialist proclamation of the Blessed Emperor and King Karl I and IV Habsburg-Lothringen was solemnly celebrated, which marks the last reorganization of the KuK monarchy (Austro-Hungary), as well as legal unification of Croatian crown lands. The end of World War I was also marked, on which occasion candles were lighten in remembrance for all the fallen in the Great War.

The commemoration began with the gathering in front of the building of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb, after which the procession was led by historical, royal, state and national Croatian flags. The procession went through the Đuro Deželić street until it reached the old complex of the Royal Army Barracks of HRH Crown Prince Rudolf in the Austria street. In front of the memorial to the fallen Croats in the Great War (1914-1918), which is on the main building of the Crown Prince Rudolf complex, there the flag bearers formed a line for the commemoration to start. The most interesting of them was the one in the uniform of Croatian Royal Domobran officer from the Great War.

Mr Ante Franić, student of law from the University of Zagreb, introduced other speakers, of which the first lecture was held by Sir Ante Brešić pl. Mikulić, Doctoral student of Art History at the University of Split. His presentation was held on the subject of the historical context of the Trialist proclamation of Blessed King Karl IV, as well as the historical-social circumstances that led to it.

''...The Trialist manifest in its articles defines the way in which Dalmatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatian lands in Littoral Austria (Istria) are united with Croatia-Slavonia, to form a single state known as Kingdom of Croatia. After which the Kingdom of Croatia steps out from the crown union with the Kingdom of Hungary, with a notice, that until Croatia becomes fully independent it can use the the organizational work of the common ministries it had before. The government in the Kingdom of Croatia is defined by the Ban from Zagreb (nominated by the King) and Viceban of Zadar (Dalmatia), Viceban of Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and eventually Viceban of Ljubljana (Slovenia). Also after the War the Grand Sabor (Parliament) would be establihsed as well as regional parliaments ann councils....'' (ABM) ''...As the Yugoslav movement and the pro Yugoslav National Council were gaining power in that time they forced that the Croatian State Sabor be held on 29th October 1918, during which it proclaimed unification of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia with Rijeka to sever all ties with Austria and Hungary as well as form a State of Slovens, Croats and Serbs. The Yugoslav movement at that time held a minor advantage but it did not have full support. Fearing that Croatian Field Marshal Svetozar Baron Boroević pl. Bojna would return and take control in Zagreb, they started arresting all loyal officials. Among them were Governor and General Sarkotić, Pravaši parliamentarian Horvat and many others. The National Council feared it so much, it hastily went with no consensus or voting for unification of the neutral State of Slovens, Croats and Serbs with the Kingdom of Serbia, which resulted in the forming of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovnes (Yugoslavia). This outraged people, specially soldiers which were returning from the front and being unarmed by the National Council. On 5th December 1918 a grand rally and protest against the National Council and Yugoslavia took place, during which the National Council ordered to open fire killing the protesters on the main square....'' (ABM)

The second lecture was held by Mr Ante Franic, who from a legal point of view spoke of the importance of the trialist proclamation itself, not only for historical continuity, but also for the problematic question of the preamble of the Croatian Constitution today.

''...Primarily, this proclamation solves the most important problem of the Croatian nation from 1918 now on, until the Homeland war, and I would dare to say, a problem which in a certain way lasts even today. This resolve of the Croatian national question and preservation of Croatian statehood. If we fallow the historic part of the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and events which fallowed after the breaking of state-legal relations with the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, we can see that does one who agitated for "freedom of the Croatian nation", ending state, legal, cultural and spiritual relations with Austria, Hungary and the Western civilization, which led Croatian into the hands of Greater Serbian politics, and later indirectly into the hands of revolutionary socialist experiments which have ingloriously collapsed in front of the new dawn of the Croatian state, today's Republic of Croatia. The fact is that only a little of political wisdom could have prevented such an development of events and spare the Croatian nation at list a part of the bloody wars for self preservation. The trialist reorganization of the Monarchy, would insure Croatia its political existence, military stability and economic cooperation with other members of the new federal state of Central European nations....'' (AF)

''...Later, unfortunately, it has led to the demise of a large proportion of our legal heritage in this insane attempt that on the area of our Homeland a new socialist legal framework is build for the new socialist Man, and the consequence is more and more disempowerment, legal uncertainty in regulations and institutions of government under the influence of the (Communist) Party, as well as arbitrary interpretation of legal rules for the needs of the governing Party. Today the Croatian legal system is trying to come back to its own old Austrian ideals, from over a century ago. Which even in a level of legal system confirms that the era of Monarchy has been, and will remain the golden era of the history of the Croatian nation...'' (AF)

The third lecture was held by Mr Filip Katanić, Doctoral student of History, at the University of Zagreb, who based his lecture on the role of Croats in the First World War, emphasizing the often forgotten and significant military leaders of that period, such as General Maksimilijan pl. Čičerić.

After the lectures were held, the ceremonial lighting of candles for all the fallen in the Great War began, and people who attended the centenary showed their respect to the fallen soldiers. After which the official part of the commemoration ended.

Among the dozens of guests, it should be noted that with the members of the Croatian Royal Council, the commemoration was also attended by members of the Social Initiative Monarchists in the pub, the Family History Association of members of the Vrban clan, members of the Association and the interdisciplinary scientific magazine Obnova (Renewal), members of the oldest Croatian cultural organization Matica Hrvatska (Matrix Croatia), etc. Among the guests the commemoration was attended by Sir Domagoj pl. Jurčić, economist and automotive sportsman, Mr Marko Paradžik, PhD student of History and Lawyer, president of the Obnova (Renewal) association. Particularly worthy of mention is the attendance of Mr Charles A. Coulombe, American politologist and writer, as well as many other guests, among which we are extremely proud to see a large number of young people, especially students.