Проглас А. Т. Брлића „Браћи Хрватима и Славонцима” из 1852. године
Proclamation of A. T. Brlić “To brothers Croats and Slavonians” of 1852

Summary/Abstract: In the Archives of the Republic of Serbia, in the legacy of Ilija Garašanin, the author of this paper has found a previously unknown text of Andrija Torkvat Brlić. This is a proclamation aimed at Brothers Croats and Slavonians,as it says in the title, and is mainly targeted at the people from the civilian parts of Croatia and the Military Frontier. The proclamation was written by hand by A. T. Brlić in German and translated into Serbian in Belgrade. It was written in September of 1852, and its signatory was ein Croat, which was translated as један Хорваћанин (a Croat). The proclamation is imbued with anti-Austrian spirit and undisguised hatred for the Habsburg dynasty. Brlić pointed out that he had written the proclamation in agreement with Lajoš Košut, because he wanted the Croats and Slavonians, together with Hungarians and Italians, to rise against their oppressors and fight for freedom, independence and brotherhood of nations. With this proclamation Brlić came across as an exceptional expert not only in national and political relations in the civilian Croatia and the Military Frontier but also in their respectivesocial and economic circumstances. The call for the fight for freedom against Austria and for bringing down the Habsburg rule was based on a strikingly unfavourable position of all classes of population in the aftermath of the revolution and after the abolition of feudal relations, in the era of the absolutist system, when new, too high, hitherto unknown, numerous and cumbersome duties were imposed. Seeing that from the house of Habsburg “it is only treachery, lies and oppression that one may expect”, Brlić called for the fight, the insurrection for the sake of freedom and bringing down the Habsburg rule. According to the author, the very fact that Brlić’s proclamation lay among the writings of Ilija Garašanin proves that their relation, established during the revolution, was not broken, as it was assumed in certain scientific circles. It is not known whether Brlić’s proclamation was printed and distributed across Croatia, Slavonia, and the Military Frontier. And even more importantly, why had Brlić sent the proclamation in manuscript form to Garašanin? The author argues that Brlić had been very familiar with Garašanin’s views on Austria and its ruling dynasty. There is not a shadow of a doubt that he had placed huge trust in the Serbian politician when he dared to send him a piece of writing with seditious-revolutionary content. Everything considered,it is highly likely that he intended to embroil Serbia as well in some sort of an international, certainly Hungarian-Italian anti-Austrian action. With his radical anti-Austrian views, made explicit in the proclamation, Brlić recommended himself to Garašanin in the best possible way as a collaborator in national-political and liberating action of Serbia in the territory of Croatia, and particularly in the Military Frontier, but in Bosnia as well. Thus it comes as no surprise that during the second reign of Prince Mihailo Brlić became one of the best known collaborators of Garašanin, his most loyal followers, admirers and helpers, and Slavonski Brod, the town in which he lived, one of the main hubs of Serbian propaganda, spread by Andro Andrić, Brlić’s codename used in the encrypted letters in his correspondence with Belgrade.

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