Author:
Frederico Benvinda, MA
PhD Student in Contemporary History at
the Lisbon School of Arts and Humanities (FLUL)
Researcher at the Centre For History
of the University of Lisbon (CH-UL)
Fig.3 - Cover of Illustração Portugueza (JOUBERT, José Chaves (lit. ed.), Illustração Portgueza - Edição Semanal do jornal O Século, Year 7, no.166, Lisboa, Empreza do Jornal O Seculo, April 26, 1909) depicting Zófimo Consiglieri Pedroso (1850-1910) in honour of his role as president of the II Pedagogical Congress, organized by the Liga Nacional de Instrução and held in April of 1909 at the Lisbon Geographical Society.
Zófimo Consiglieri Pedroso (1851-1910), Portuguese republican historian, MP, publicist and ethnologist followed similar federalist ideals to Carrilho Videira (1845-1905) in 1874, when the two republicans co-owned the daily newspaper Republica – Liberdade – Egualdade – Solidariedade. The publication espoused Charles Lemonnier’s (1806-1891) positions, originally publicized in his leaflet Les États-Unis d’Europe, first published in 1872. Consiglieri Pedroso’s later writings concern the Balkans and Serbia in particular.
"Consiglieri Pedroso argues that, if Russia did not adopt a “regime of liberty” it could pose a threat to the independence of the newly formed Balkan nations. However, he also argued that Russia’s intervention in the Russo-Ottoman war (1877-1878), although it was rooted in the empire’s desire for expansion, had allowed for “important victories for the cause of civilization and progress."
The treaty forming the Triple Alliance was signed on May 20, 1882. It encompassed Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Serbia was the linchpin of the Dual Monarchy’s policy on Balkan matters. In 1881, Austria-Hungary signed a secret treaty with Milan Obrenović (1854-1901), placing Serbian foreign policy under Viena’s approval. In 1889, the king abdicated in favour of his son, King Alexandar (1876-1903). In February to May 1887, the Mediterranean Agreements were signed, followed by the Reinsure Treaty of June the same year, designed to prevent a Franco-Russian alliance. The treaty was allowed to elapse by Leo von Caprivi (1831-1899) in 1890, who considered it in opposition to Germany’s commitments to Austria-Hungary concerning the Balkans.
Consiglieri Pedroso’s first position on Balkan matters can be found in his 1884 history manual Manual de História Universal. In it, Consiglieri Pedroso argues that, if Russia did not adopt a “regime of liberty” it could pose a threat to the independence of the newly formed Balkan nations. However, he also argued that Russia’s intervention in the Russo-Ottoman war (1877-1878), although it was rooted in the empire’s desire for expansion, had allowed for “important victories for the cause of civilization and progress.”
A notorious Russophile, he built upon his previous statements in 1896, when he travelled to Russia. In his travel notes, the author espoused his belief in the future formation of a pan-slavic federation headed by Russia that should encompass Serbian, Polish, Chez, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, and Slovak populations.
In 1903, after the assassination of King Alexander and the election of Petar Karađorđević (1844-1921), Consiglieri Pedroso derided Serbian authorities for refusing to prosecute the perpetrators of the crime and noted king Petar Karađorđević’s rein could bring about a pro-russian period of Serbian foreing policy.
After the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 5, 1908, Consiglieri Pedroso put his Russophile position aside for a brief period, after having restated it on June 6, 1908 in the newspaper A Lucta. Instead, the author defended Serbia’s right (based on the ethno-linguistic principle, taken from Johann Gottlieb Fichte’s [1762-1914] and Ernst Moritz Arndt’s [1769-1860] writings, that a nation’s borders could legitimately expand to the areas where its language was spoken) to form Greater Serbia. The position was in line with the Serbian government’s own objections concerning the annexation, but in the same article, Consiglieri Pedroso also argued that any Serbian aspirations were impossible to achieve.
On February 26, 1909, the Turkish government accepted the Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On March 31, 1909 Serbia accepted the conditions of the Dual Monarchy’s ultimatum, sent on March 22, asking Petar I to abstain from continuing to protest Serbia’s claims.
On April 1, 1909, writing for the periodical Brasil-Portugal, Consiglieri Pedroso left Serbia and its aspirations out of his arguments completely, describing the annexation crisis instead as a struggle between Austria-Hungary and Germany on one side and Great Britain on the other for influence over the evanescent Ottoman Empire.
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