– together with several other leaders of the upris- ing – fled to Austro-Hungarian lands, unlike Mi- loš Obrenović. By remaining in Serbia, Miloš had earned the favour of the people, while Belgrade Vi- zier Sulejman Paşa Skopljak, recognising that he was a skilled diplomat, promoted him to the sta- tus of prince. Miloš managed to achieve the sta- tus of self-governance for the principality, while ensuring he inherited the title of Prince of Serbia for himself. He abolished the feudal sipahi system and issued the Constitution, again on the holiday of Candlemas. The Constitution was compiled by Dimitrije Davidović, a diplomat, journalist and pub- licist who served as Miloš’s secretary. This highest legal act was extremely just and democratic, even recognising freedom of religion. However, pressure applied by the great powers of the time led to the Candlemas Constitution be- ing suspended after just 55 days. Despite not last- ing long, this constitution established deeply dem- ocratic horizons. Already by the next generation (1869), Serbs gained universal manhood suffrage, and were again among the first in Europe on this front. Candlemas was celebrated as Serbian State- hood Day until it was abolished with the 1918 crea- tion of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, only for it to begin being celebrated again in Serbia as of 2002. And each year during that time we re- member the greats who preceded us and who, with their deeds, led to us today living in this magnif- icent country.
Donošenje Sretenjskog ustava je značajno kao početak puta ka stvaranju demokratskog društva i države The adoption of the Sretenje Constitution was important as it marked the beginning of the path to a democratic society and state
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