Gudzic: The First Serbian Uprising and the Sretenje Constitution key moments in the creation of the modern Serbian state

Historian Aleksandar Gudzic stated, on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day, that the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising in 1804 and the adoption of the Sretenje Constitution in 1835 are considered two crucial moments in the formation of the modern Serbian state.

Gudzic emphasizes that the First and Second Serbian Uprisings were in no way different from the French Revolution.

"Their goal was to resolve two fundamental issues: to abolish Ottoman Turkish feudalism and create conditions for the development of a civil society, as well as to address the national question. The Serbian Uprising initiated these two issues, Ottoman feudalism was shaken and never recovered, leading to its complete abolition in the 1830s, disappearing from the territory of the rebellious Serbia. However, the insurgents also raised the national question – the issue of liberation and unification of all Serbs. The First Serbian Uprising did not resolve this issue, but it was set in motion and was finally resolved in 1918," Gudzic stated.

He reminds that Sretenje is celebrated in memory of the day when Karadjordje initiated the First Serbian Uprising, as well as the day in 1835 when the Sretenje Assembly adopted the Sretenje Constitution.

"The constitution was one of the most democratic in Europe at the time, but it was abolished by the will of the great powers, primarily Austria-Hungary and Russia, which, as diplomats of the time put it, did not want a 'French garden in the Balkan forest.' Therefore, the constitution was annulled by the will of the great powers. Prince Milos Obrenovic, who was an autocrat, welcomed this reaction from the great powers as an opportunity to abolish the constitution himself, so it did not remain in force for long. These two dates, the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising and the adoption of the Sretenje Constitution, are considered two key moments in the formation of the modern Serbian state," Gudzic said.