THE NARRATIVES ABOUT SERBIA IN GERMAN PUBLICATIONS AT THE END OF THE 18TH AND THE BEGINNING OF THE 19TH CENTURIES

Abstract

The development of the periodical press during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries fundamentally transformed the European information landscape. Newspapers became the first medium capable of providing regular, continuous, and publicly accessible information, thereby contributing to the emergence of a modern public sphere. Within the Holy Roman Empire, the political fragmentation of the German lands encouraged the establishment of numerous printing centers and newspapers, creating a diverse and competitive media environment. Military conflicts, diplomatic negotiations, and political developments quickly became dominant subjects of reporting, while newspapers assumed an increasingly important role in shaping public opinion. Against this background, Serbia entered the German-language press primarily through reports on the Austro–Ottoman War of 1788–1791. Military campaigns, especially the siege and capture of Belgrade under Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon, attracted considerable attention. Newspapers described military operations in detail, reported on the movements of imperial and Ottoman forces, and highlighted the participation of Serbian volunteer units. Such reports familiarized German readers with Serbia long before the establishment of its autonomous state institutions.

The paper demonstrates that newspaper accounts were closely connected to the political objectives of the Habsburg Monarchy. Military successes were presented as victories of Christian Europe over the Ottoman Empire, while Serbia appeared as a strategically significant frontier region. Nevertheless, these reports gradually moved beyond purely military issues and increasingly included information on the country‘s population, economy, administration, and political prospects. A significant transformation occurred after the Serbian uprisings and the recognition of Serbian autonomy. German travel literature and historical publications began to portray Serbia not merely as a theatre of war but as a society undergoing rapid political and social change. Otto von Pirch‘s Reise in Serbien im Spätherbst 1829 occupies a particularly important place within this corpus. Based on first-hand observations, Pirch described Serbian institutions, settlements, customs, and everyday life while emphasizing the country‘s progress under Prince Miloš Obrenović. His account reflected broader European discussions concerning national liberation, modernization, and the future of the Ottoman Empire in Southeastern Europe. The paper also analyzes biographies and historical narratives dedicated to Karađorđe Petrović and Prince Miloš Obrenović. Intended for a broad German-speaking audience, these works adopted a distinctly heroic tone, presenting the leaders of the First and Second Serbian Uprisings as complementary historical figures. Karađorđe was depicted as the revolutionary liberator and military commander, whereas Miloš emerged as the statesman who transformed military achievements into durable political institutions. Such publications contributed to the romantic image of the Serbian Revolution and reinforced positive perceptions of Serbia as a nation striving for freedom and statehood.

The study concludes that the German-language press played a significant role in shaping European perceptions of Serbia throughout the late eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth century. Newspaper reports, travel accounts, and historical studies did not merely transmit information but actively constructed narratives about Serbia‘s political development, cultural identity, and European future. These narratives, however, were not static. By the end of the nineteenth century and especially at the beginning of the twentieth century, changing geopolitical interests of Germany and Austria-Hungary substantially altered media portrayals of Serbia, replacing earlier romantic and sympathetic interpretations with increasingly political and strategic representations.