PHILIP HRISTICH AND JOVAN RISTICH – TWO BROTHERS IN LOW IN SERBIAN STATEHOOD AND DIPLOMACY
PHILIP HRISTICH AND JOVAN RISTICH – TWO BROTHERS IN LOW IN SERBIAN STATEHOOD AND DIPLOMACY

Summary/Abstract: Jovan Ristich (1831–1899) was one of most influential Serbian politicians. He was born in Kragujevac and educated in Belgrade, Heidelberg and Paris. During his long political career he was a Serbian diplomatic agent in Constantinople, a regent to Prince Milan Obrenovich, one of the creators of the 1869 Serbian constitution, a minister for foreign aff airs in the Prince Milan’s first government in 1872 and then a prime minister in 1873, 1876. He led two wars against the Ottoman Empire in 1876 and 1877. He was a Serbian representative at the Congress of Berlin. He was one of the founders of the Liberal party and its leader from 1881. He was again appointed a head of the government in 1887. He became the head of regency ruling in the name of King Alexander Obrenovich aft er the abdication of king Milan in 1889. After King Alexander declared himself of age in 1893, Ristich retired to his private life. His a generation older brother-inlaw and a longtime associate, Philip Hristich (1819–1905) was a Serbian diplomat and a politician. He was educated in Vienna and Paris. He held the position of the secretary to prince Milos’s, was the first prime minister and a minister for foreign aff airs to Prince Michel in 1860/1861, a special envoy and an escort to Princess Julia during a mission to Great Britain in 1863. He was, on and off , a long time Serbian representative to the Ottoman Empire from 1869 to 1880, and the first Serbian Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to the Ottoman Empire in 1879, Habsburg Monarchy in 1881–1882 and to Great Britain 1883–1884. He became the second Governor of the First Serbian National Bank in 1885. He finally retired in 1890. The political and private relationship of those two men, political associates, relatives in-law, close acquaintances, if not friends, and their influence on the Serbian social scene during the 19th century will be the theme of this article.

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