July victims
The July victims (Croatian: Srpanjske žrtve) were members of the Croatian People's Party who fell victim to a crackdown by the Austrian Imperial Army on July 29, 1845.
With the restoration of the Zagreb County, local elections were held around the Croatian capital Zagreb. When it was announced that the Hungarian-allied candidate won, members of the People's Party took to St. Mark's Square to protest the result. The Croatian ban, ethnic Hungarian Franz Haller called on the Austrian army to empty the square.
When the army moved in to empty the square, one of its officers was attacked by a protester. The army then moved in with force. In the end, thirteen of the People's Party's protesters were killed and 27 were injured. Due in large part to this incident, ban Haller left his post and bishop Juraj Haulik took his place soon after.
This incident showed the tension developed between Croats who supported the Illyrian movement and the restoration of a unified Croatian Kingdom, and Hungarian-Croatians (Magyars) and some Croats who supported closer relations with Hungary (represented by the Croatian-Hungarian Party). In the following years, Croatia did gain some concessions as Croatian replaced Latin as the nation's official language.
External links
- "HNS-LD - Povijest - 19. stoljeće - 1845. – Srpanjske žrtve" [History of the People's Party - 19th century - 1845 - July victims] (in Croatian). Retrieved 2010-12-27.