Lujo Vojnović ( sr-cyr, Лујо Војновић, 15 April 1864 – 18 April 1951) was a Serbian writer, politician, and diplomat from

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

. His older brother was

Ivo Vojnović Ivo Vojnović (9 October 1857 – 30 August 1929) was a writer from Dubrovnik. Biography Vojnović was born in Dubrovnik as the first son of Count Konstantin Vojnović (1832–1903) and Maria de Serragli (1836–1922) on 9 October 1857 in D ...

, the dramatist and poet.

Biography

Vojnović was born in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

into the Serbian noble House of Vojnović from

Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...

, the second son of

Konstantin Vojnović Konstantin "Kosta" Vojnović ( sr-Cyrl, Константин Војновић; ; March 2, 1832 – May 20, 1903) was a Croatian Serb politician, university professor, and rector in the kingdoms of Kingdom of Dalmatia, Dalmatia and Kingdom of Croa ...

and Maria Serragli. Vojnović studied law at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

. However, he graduated and earned a doctorate at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

in 1892. This choice of university is indicative of Vojnović's political loyalties for during this period Serbs who were ardently anti-Austrian usually took their degrees at Graz or later Prague instead of at Vienna as had been customary earlier. After graduating, he served as a judicial clerk in Zagreb, and later became a law clerk in

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and

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. He eventually settled in Dubrovnik, beginning in 1894 (until 1896), and spent less time in his law office and more time scouring through myriad manuscripts that he found in the municipal and private collections of Dubrovnik's ancient archives. He spent two years as tutor to Prince Alexander II Karađorđević, accompanying him to

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in 1896. Back from Russia in late 1896, Lujo Vojnović became a secretary to Prince Nicholas I of

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. Vojnović was promoted to Minister, serving as Montenegro's Minister of Justice. Following his appointment, he reformed the Montenegrin judicial system. Between 1901 and 1903, Vojnović served as Montenegro's plenipotentiary ambassador in the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

. Between 1904 and 1906, he served under King Peter I of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. Between 1907 and 1911, while in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, Vojnović prepared the grounds for the Serbo-Bulgarian Agreement in 1911. Lujo Vojnović returned to Montenegro in 1912, serving in government once more. When the Turks sued for peace with the Serbs and Bulgarians, and concluded an armistice on 3 December 1912, the Powers decided to arrange a peace conference in London on 12 December, known as the St. James Conference, and invited the belligerents to participate. Although Nicholas of Montenegro doggedly continued prosecuting his campaign against Turkish-occupied Scutari, he agreed to send abroad three of his most loyal representatives,

Lazar Mijušković Lazar Mijušković ( sr-cyrl, Лазар Мијушковић; 24 December 1867 – 29 September 1936) was a Montenegrin politician and diplomat. Biography Mijušković was born on 24 December 1867 in the village of Povija in Pješivci, in the ...

, Jovo Popović and Vojnović. Between 1913 and 1914, Vojnović served as the Montenegrin delegate at the London Peace Conference, signing the Treaty of London on 28 May 1913. Then again in 1918, Vojnović was one of the Yugoslav delegates to the

Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the capital and largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the 30th most densely pop ...

where he and his knowledge of history and ethnic distribution in the Balkan peninsula served him in good stead. Vojnović married Tinka Kopač and had two daughters: Marija and Ksenija. He died in Zagreb in 1951. He was 87.

Works

''Dubrovnik i Osmansko carstvo'' (Dubrovnik and the Ottoman Empire), Belgrade: ''Srpska Kraljevska Akademija'', 1898

''Dalmatia and the Jugoslav Movement'', London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.; New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920

''The Question of the Adriatic: Fiume (Rieka)'', Publisher: Graphique, 1919
* ''A Saunder Through the History of Dubrovnik'', "Jadran" Booksellers and Printers, 1927 * ''Književni ćasovi'', Knižara Mirka Breyera, 1912

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vojnovic, Lujo 1864 births 1951 deaths People from Dubrovnik People from the Kingdom of Dalmatia Lujo Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik Justice ministers of Montenegro 19th-century Serbian lawyers Serbian diplomats Serbian writers Serbs of Croatia Writers from Austria-Hungary People from the Principality of Montenegro