Vjekoslav Klaić

Who was Vjekoslav Klaić?

Vjekoslav Klaić was a Croatian historian and writer, most famous for his monumental History of the Croats.

Klaić was born in Garčin near Slavonski Brod as the son of a teacher. He was raised in German spirit and language, since his mother was German. Klaić went to school in Varaždin and Zagreb. Literature and music were more to his liking in the seminary than history; some of his musical works were performed. He studied history and geography in Vienna. After completing his studies, he taught for more than fifty years, first as a high school teacher, and after 1893 as a professor of general history at the University of Zagreb, where he stayed with short breaks until 1922, when he retired. He died in Zagreb.

In 1896 he became a regular member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, and was an honourable doctor of the University of Prague and an external member of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Klaić wrote for the weekly Hrvatska lipa of the Croatian Party of Rights and was the editor of Vienac for several years, founded an orchestra and conducted it, promoting Croatian music. In 1892 he started and edited the musical magazine Gusle. He wrote short stories and political articles in the Croatian spirit.