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Declaratory Rescript of the Illyrian Nation (Latin:Rescriptum Declaratorium Illyricae Nationis;Serbian Cyrillic:Деклараторни рескрипт илирске нације, Деклараторија) was issued on 16 July 1779 byMaria Theresa, Dowager-Empress andQueen of Hungary (1740-1780).[1] It was a royalrescript, issued in response to a series of petitions made byEastern Orthodox subjects of theHabsburg monarchy, regarding the regulation of their religious freedom and ecclesiastical autonomy. The document was the result of a process, initiated by previously issuedRegulamentum privilegiorum (1770) andRegulamentum Illyricae Nationis (1777), both of them replaced by the royal rescript of 1779.[2]
The Rescript contained detailed regulations on the organization of theMetropolitanate of Karlovci, that was established in 1708,[3] as an autonomous ecclesiastical province ofEastern Orthodox Christians in theHabsburg monarchy, who were mainlySerbs andRomanians.
The Serbs who were established on Hungarian territory since 1690 were designated as the "Illyrian nation" underLeopold I of Habsburg (1656-1705),[4] reviving anarchaic term in a classicizing manner, inconsistent with the use of the termIllyrian up to that point. The so-called Illyrian privileges were meant to encourage the Orthodox faithful to join the imperial army against theOttoman Empire in the Balkans.[5]
After the Ottoman border stabilized in 1739, the Habsburg Empire no longer prioritized the privileges for the Serbs, as their military role became less important, and supporting religious diversity ran counter to their general policies of centralization.[6] At the same time, especially underMaria Theresa (1740-1780), the privileges were extended to various Eastern Orthodox subjects, including Serbs, Romanians and other smaller groups.[7]
During the reign of Maria Theresa and her predecessors, several assemblies of Habsburg Serbs were held,[8] with royal consent, sending their grievances and petitions to the Habsburg court.
In 1777, the Illyrian Court Deputation in Vienna was abolished.[4] The reaction from the Orthodox clergy and faithful to this reduction of autonomy was violent.[7]
In response to that, the Rescript of 1779 regulated, on some issues restrictively, many important questions, from the procedures regarding the elections of Eastern Orthodox bishops, to the management of dioceses, parishes and monasteries. With small changes, the Rescript was upheld in force until it was replaced by the "Royal Rescript" issued on 10 August 1868.[9]
In 1791, the special office in Vienna was briefly reinstated as the Illyrian Imperial Chancellery.[4]
After thePeace of Schonbrunn of 1809, the termIllyrian Provinces referred to a different subset of territories in former ancient Illyria.[4]
