Political Discontent in Dubrovnik 1820-1859 (According to the Austrian Police Archives)

U dvadesetim godinama 19. st. neki su dubrovački vlastelini poduzimali i diplomatske korake na većini europskih dvorova želeći obnoviti Republiku. Drugi vlastelini su pod pritiskom austrijske vlasti izrazili caru lojalnost. U pedesetim godinama političko je nezadovoljstvo u Dubrovniku bilo liberalno, a ne legitimističko, ali slučajno i neorganizirano.Political discontent in the 1820’s was manifested in diplomatic actions by some Dubrovnik noblemen, who wished to revive the Ragusan (Dubrovnik) Republic, which is today part of Croatia. The Republic was overthrown by Napoleon in 1808, and the city was later occupied by Austrian troops. The Dubrovnik patricians took unsuccessful diplomatic steps with the governments in Istanbul, London, Paris, Vienna, and Rome. The Grand Council of the Republic never renounced its sovereignty. Yet, a huge number of noblemen expressed, in fear, their loyalty to the Austrian Emperor and his rule. The diplomatic activity described had no impact on the people of Dubrovnik and the villages of the former Republic, and it did not manage to take the path towards the liberal ideology, as did the Venetian revolutionaries in 1848, as they managed to restore the Venetian Republic for a short period of time. Following the stormy year of 1848 and the absolutism, which lasted until 1859, political discontent in Dubrovnik was incidental and isolated. It was the discontent of a few individuals, some of which were immigrants, actually, immigrants of liberal background. During the absolutism Dubrovnik was involved in the international conspiracy and espionage network, and was frequented by the agents of Giuseppe Mazzini and Lajos Kossuth