Gudzic: With the Sretenje Constitution, political elites sought to place Serbia among modern European nations

Historian Aleksandar Gudzic stated for Kosovo Online that Sretenje (Statehood Day) is one of the key dates in the modern history of Serbia and the Serbian people, and that the constitution adopted in 1835 was, for its time, among the most progressive in Europe.

“The Sretenje Constitution is certainly an important milestone in the modern history of the Serbian people. By adopting it, the political elites of the Principality of Serbia — that is, the Serbian state — sought to place Serbia and the Serbian people among the ranks of modern, civilized European nations,” Gudzic emphasized.

According to him, it was an exceptionally advanced legal act for its era.

“It was a progressive constitution, one of the most advanced of its time. Naturally, it was opposed by the great powers — above all Austria-Hungary, Imperial Russia, and the Ottoman Empire — because they did not wish, as was said in diplomatic circles at the time, to have a ‘French preserve in the Balkan forest,’” Gudzic noted.

He recalled that international opposition was ultimately used to abolish the constitution.

“Prince Miloš Obrenović exploited the opposition of the great powers to suspend the constitution. Nevertheless, the adoption of the Sretenje Constitution remains an important milestone in the formation of the modern Serbian state,” Gudzic said.

When discussing constitutional milestones affecting Kosovo, Gudzic highlighted the constitutional changes in the second half of the twentieth century.

“The 1963 Constitution and the 1974 Constitution certainly shaped Kosovo and generated the problem, the consequences of which we continue to feel today,” he stated.

He also referred to earlier constitutional acts that established autonomy.

“It is important to mention the first post-war constitution, when the autonomy of the Kosovo-Metohija region was formally structured. Each subsequent constitution only increased the degree of autonomy of Kosovo Albanians, ultimately resulting in open separatism and aspirations for secession,” Gudzic assessed.

He underscored that these constitutional changes had long-term consequences.

“This ultimately contributed to the wars over the Yugoslav legacy in the 1990s and later, in 2008, when Kosovo unilaterally declared independence,” Gudzic concluded.