THE PLACE OF THE SERBIAN PEOPLE IN THE WORK BYZANTISM AND SLAVISM BY KONSTANTIN LEONTIEV

Abstract

The aim of the research is to determine the place of the Serbian people in the work Byzantism andSlavism by Konstantin Leontiev. It is known that this capital work of the author influenced the political climate atthe end of the nineteenth century in Russia. It confronts two basic ideas: Byzantism as the bearer of civilizationalvalues and Slavism as the bearer of the national spirit. An overview of these two terms is provided with relevantcomments from experts who have dealt with this field. Since the Serbian people are historically present in bothmentioned circles, it is necessary to determine their exact place. Data were collected to the greatest extent from thework itself, but also from all available relevant published works on this topic. The general historical background ofthe work itself is the resolution of the Eastern Question (the collapse of the Turkish Empire) and the further fate ofthe peoples who are part of it, along with the role of Russia in the entire process. Comparisons were mainly madewith already existing descriptions of other Slavic peoples and peoples in the area of former Byzantium, primarilyGreeks and Turks. First of all, the situation in the cultural and political life of the Serbian people during thenineteenth century is analyzed with reference to the most important events of that time. Due attention was paid tothe Russian-Bulgarian and Serbian-Bulgarian relations at the time: the possibilities of their further cooperation, therestoration of medieval states, but also the conflicts that inevitably arose as a result of the actions and influence ofthe great powers were considered. In addition, an exhaustive account of the Serbian people and their historical fate isgiven, where it can be seen that of all the Slavic peoples listed at the time, it was the most fragmented and divided,but at the same time the most ready and determined to stand up to the Turkish occupying power. There were alsodescriptions of the bad character traits of the Serbian people. On the one hand, there is self-sacrifice, readiness tofight for liberation and fearlessness, while on the other hand there are limited forces and the impossibility of fightingindependently without Russian support. In addition, there is the eternal struggle for possible supremacy in theBalkans between the Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks, as well as the desire of the Serbs to fit into modern Europeansociety according to Western patterns as quickly as possible. The author sees this as a distinctly bad trait. Thegeneral conclusion is that the Serbs in the mid-nineteenth century are a nation that is at a turning point betweentraditional and new European culture and that its further political and cultural development will most likely lead tothe creation of a new Balkan federation in which there will be few Orthodox and Byzantine elements, or in generalfactors that could lead to disagreements among the peoples involved.