Croatian general who as Ban from 1848 proclaimed separation from Hungary, invaded it and helped crush the Vienna October Uprising
Born in 1801 at Petrovaradin on the Slavonian Military Frontier, the son of a Croatian baron, he was educated at the Theresian Military Academy in Vienna and commissioned a lieutenant in the Austrian army in 1819. A supporter of the Illyrian movement, he was promoted to major-general on 22 March 1848 and elected Ban by the Croatian Sabor the same day. On 19 April he proclaimed the union of the Croatian lands and their separation from the Kingdom of Hungary; on 11 September he invaded Hungary and took Székesfehérvár on 26 September, but after the battle of Pákozd he asked for a truce and withdrew. In October he bombarded Vienna with Windischgrätz and crushed the October Uprising, and in 1849 he fought in southern Hungary. He is also remembered for abolishing serfdom in Croatia. He left the office of Ban in 1859 and died the same year.
Also known as: Josip Jelacic · Joseph Jellachich · Josip Jelačić Bužimski · Jelasics József
Activities and affiliations
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1819–1859
Austria state institutionsMain
Military command -
1848–1859
Government and administration
Career Timeline
- 1819Commissioned a lieutenant in the Austrian army
- 1848–1859Ban of Croatia
- 1848Invaded Hungary; Pákozd; took Vienna
Related historical events
- 1848.03–1849.10The Hungarian Revolution and War of IndependenceBan of CroatiaElected Ban in March 1848, he separated Croatia from Hungary, invaded Hungary in September and was checked at Pákozd. In October he took Vienna together with Windischgrätz.
- 1848–1849The Revolutions of 1848Ban of CroatiaInvaded Hungary in September 1848 and joined in crushing the Vienna rising in October.