Rudolf Maister: Difference between revisions

Rudolf Maister
Rudolf Maister
	Rudolf Maister in the 1910s
Nickname(s)	Vojanov
Born	March 29, 1874; Kamnik, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary (now in Slovenia)
Died	July 26, 1934; Rakek, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now in Slovenia)
Allegiance	Austria-Hungary; State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs; Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Years of service	1890-1923
Rank	Divisional General
Commands held	Slovenian army; Commander of Maribor
Awards	Signum laudis; Order of White Eagle; Order of Star of Karađorđe; Order of Saint Sava
Other work	Poet and self-taught painter

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File:Brdar-Maister.JPG

Statue of Maister in Ljubljana

Rudolf Maister (Vojanov) (29 March 1874 – 26 July 1934) was a Slovene military officer and political activist. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern Slovenia became known as "Maister's fighters" (Slovene: Maistrovi borci). Maister was also an accomplished poet and self-taught painter.

Maister was born in the Upper Carniolan commercial town of Kamnik, then part of Austria-Hungary. A career soldier, during World War I, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1917, he was sent to Graz and promoted to the rank of a major. On 1 November 1918, near the end of the war, the newly-formed Slovene National Council awarded him the rank of a general. He then organized a strike force consisting of some 4,000 Slovene soldiers and officers from the dissolving imperial regiments and took control of the city of Maribor on November 23. The surrounding and overwhelmingly Slovene-speaking region of Lower Styria was thus secured for the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which united with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on December 1. In recognition of the importance of this action the Government of Slovenia in 2005 named November 23 "The Day of General Maister" and proclaimed it an official state holiday.

In November 1919, Maister's forces and the units of the Kingdom of SHS launched a major offensive in Carinthia. Maister thus took part in the taking of Klagenfurt, which the Slovenes call Celovec and which used to be one of the main Slovene intellectual and publishing centers in the 19th century.^{[citation needed]}

After the Carinthian Plebiscite of October 1920, in which a slight majority (59.1% of the total cast) voted in favor of Austria, Maister withdrew to private life. He spent most of his later years in an estate near Planina in Inner Carniola.

Maister also wrote poetry, which he published in two collected volumes, in 1904 and in 1929. Most of his poetry follows the Post-Romantic aesthetics, and is influenced by 19th century Slovene lyrical and patriotic poetry of Simon Jenko, Simon Gregorčič and Anton Aškerc. In his works he often returned to the topic of Carinthia, which remained unredeemed for the Slovene nation. In this sense, the poem "Our Border Markers" is typical of his poetry:

Young lads! Stand prepared:

Never drop the sword from your right hand,

Nor lose our rights from your eyesight!

Let the stallion graze with the saddle on,

So that you can rush like lightning

And roll over the false border markers,

When your day - arrives.

Brothers guardsmen - I salute you!

In today's Slovenia Maister is regarded as a national hero and one of the founders of modern Slovene army. It is for this reason that the highest Slovene military decoration is named in his honor; namely, the Order of General Maister.

Controversy

On 27 January 1919, a group of ethnic Germans awaiting the American peace delegation at Maribor's main marketplace intentionally provoked the Slovene troops, under Maister's command, into a firefight. Nine German-speakers were killed and more than eighteen were seriously wounded. Austrian sources accused Maister's troops of shooting without cause, while Slovenian witnesses, such as Maks Pohar, testified that the German-speakers (some still in the uniforms of the pro-Austrian paramilitary organization called the Green Guard, which was overwhelmed in the city by Maister's forces the previous year in a surprise operation) attacked the Slovene soldiers guarding the city hall.^{[citation needed]}

References

Bruno Hartman, Rudolf Maister: general in pesnik (Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 2006)

External links

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@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 [[File:Brdar-Maister.JPG|thumb|right|[[Maister Monument|Statue of Maister]] in Ljubljana]]
 [[File:Rudolf Maister House.jpg|thumb|right|Birth house of Rudolf Maister in [[Kamnik]]]]
-'''Rudolf Maister''' ('''Vojanov''') (29 March 1874 &ndash; 26 July 1934) was a [[Slovenes|Slovene]] [[officer (armed forces)|military officer]], [[poet]] and [[activism|political activist]]. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern [[Slovenia]] became known as "Maister's fighters" ({{lang-sl|Maistrovi borci}}). Maister was also an accomplished [[poet]] and self-taught [[Painting|painter]].
+'''Rudolf Maister''' ('''Vojanov''') (29 March 1874 &ndash; 26 July 1934) was a [[Slovenes|Slovene]] [[officer (armed forces)|military officer]] and [[activism|political activist]]. The soldiers who fought under Maister's command in northern [[Slovenia]] became known as "Maister's fighters" ({{lang-sl|Maistrovi borci}}). Maister was also an accomplished [[poet]] and self-taught [[Painting|painter]].
-Maister was born in the [[Upper Carniola]]n commercial town of [[Kamnik]], then part of [[Austria-Hungary]]. A career soldier, during [[World War I]], he served in the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]]. In 1917, he was sent to [[Graz]] promoted to the rank of a [[major]]. In 1918, near the end of the war when it was obvious that Austria-Hungary was losing, he organized local Slovene volunteer forces and took seized control of the city of [[Maribor|Marburg an der Drau]] and the surrounding region of [[Lower Styria]]. The Slovene National Council for Lower Styria awarded him the rank of [[general]] on November 1. The German-speaking city was thus secured for the newly formed [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]], which united with the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] into the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] on December 1.
+Maister was born in the [[Upper Carniola]]n commercial town of [[Kamnik]], then part of [[Austria-Hungary]]. A career soldier, during [[World War I]], he served in the [[Austro-Hungarian Army]]. In 1917, he was sent to [[Graz]] and promoted to the rank of a [[major]]. On 1 November 1918, near the end of the war, the newly-formed Slovene National Council awarded him the rank of a [[general]].  He then organized a strike force consisting of some 4,000 Slovene soldiers and officers from the dissolving imperial regiments and took control of the city of [[Maribor]] on November 23.  The surrounding and overwhelmingly Slovene-speaking region of [[Lower Styria]] was thus secured for the newly formed [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]], which united with the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] into the [[Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes]] on December 1.  In recognition of the importance of this action the Government of Slovenia in 2005 named November 23 "The Day of General Maister" and proclaimed it an official state holiday.
+In November 1919, Maister's forces and the units of the Kingdom of SHS launched a major offensive in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]. Maister thus took part in the taking of [[Klagenfurt]], which the Slovenes call Celovec and which used to be one of the main Slovene intellectual and publishing centers in the 19th century.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}
-On 27 January 1919, [[ethnic Germans|Austrian majority]] awaiting the [[United States|American]] peace delegation at the city's marketplace were fired on by Slovenian troops under the command of Maister. Nine Austrians were killed and more than eighteen were seriously wounded. The responsibility for the shooting has not been conclusively established. Austrian sources accused Maister's troops of shooting without cause, while Slovenian witnesses, such as [[Maks Pohar]], testified that the Austrians (some still in the uniforms of the pro-Austrian paramilitary organization called the Green Guard) attacked the Slovene soldiers guarding the city hall.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} The Austrian Germans allegedly attacked the police inspector, Ivan Senekovič, and then pressed towards the Slovenian soldiers in front of the city hall. A Slovenian version of this event involves an Austrian firing a revolver in the direction of the Slovenian soldiers, who responded spontaneously by firing into the civilian crowd.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} The event became known in [[German language|German]] as the ''Marburger Blutsonntag'' ([[Marburg's Bloody Sunday|Marburg Bloody Sunday]]).
-In November 1919, Maister's forces joined the Kingdom of SHS army's offensive in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]. Maister joined them later and took part of the capture of [[Klagenfurt]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} After the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]], in which majority of the [[Carinthian Slovenes|local Slovenian population]] decided to remain part of [[Austria]], Maister withdrew to private life. He spent most of his later life in an estate near [[Planina, Postojna|Planina]] in [[Inner Carniola]].
+After the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]] of October 1920, in which a slight majority (59.1% of the total cast) voted in favor of [[Austria]], Maister withdrew to private life. He spent most of his later years in an estate near [[Planina, Postojna|Planina]] in [[Inner Carniola]].
-Maister also wrote poetry, which he published in two collected volumes, in 1904 and in 1929. Most of his poetry follows the [[Post-Romantic]] aesthetics, and is influenced by 19th century Slovene lyrical and patriotic poetry of [[Simon Jenko]], [[Simon Gregorčič]] and [[Anton Aškerc]].
+Maister also wrote poetry, which he published in two collected volumes, in 1904 and in 1929. Most of his poetry follows the [[Post-Romantic]] aesthetics, and is influenced by 19th century Slovene lyrical and patriotic poetry of [[Simon Jenko]], [[Simon Gregorčič]] and [[Anton Aškerc]].  In his works he often returned to the topic of Carinthia, which remained unredeemed for the Slovene nation. In this sense, the poem "Our Border Markers" is typical of his poetry:
+Young lads!  Stand prepared:
+Never drop the sword from your right hand,
+Nor lose our rights from your eyesight!
+Let the stallion graze with the saddle on,
+So that you can rush like lightning
+And roll over the false border markers,
+When your day - arrives.
+Brothers guardsmen - I salute you!
+In today's Slovenia Maister is regarded as a national hero and one of the founders of modern Slovene army.  It is for this reason that the highest Slovene military decoration is named in his honor; namely, the Order of General Maister.
+==Controversy==
+On 27 January 1919, a group of [[ethnic Germans]] awaiting the [[United States|American]] peace delegation at Maribor's main marketplace intentionally provoked the Slovene troops, under Maister's command, into a firefight. Nine German-speakers were killed and more than eighteen were seriously wounded. Austrian sources accused Maister's troops of shooting without cause, while Slovenian witnesses, such as [[Maks Pohar]], testified that the German-speakers (some still in the uniforms of the pro-Austrian paramilitary organization called the Green Guard, which was overwhelmed in the city by Maister's forces the previous year in a surprise operation) attacked the Slovene soldiers guarding the city hall.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}
 ==References==