Lujo Vojnović | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 April 1864 |
| Died | 18 April 1951(1951-04-18) (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Writer, politician and diplomat |
| Notable works | Istorija Dubrovačke republike |
 3rd Minister of Justice ofPrincipality of Montenegro | |
| In office 25 November 1899 – 3 June 1903 | |
| Monarch | Nicholas I |
| President of the State Council | Božo Petrović-Njegoš |
| Preceded by | Valtazar Bogišić |
| Succeeded by | Miloš Đ. Shaulić |
Lujo Vojnović (Serbian Cyrillic:Лујо Војновић, 15 April 1864 – 18 April 1951) was a Serbian[1] writer, politician, and diplomat fromDubrovnik.[2] His older brother wasIvo Vojnović, the dramatist and poet.
Vojnović was born inSplit into the Serbian nobleHouse of Vojnović[3] fromHerceg Novi, the second son ofKonstantin Vojnović and Maria Serragli. Vojnović studied law at theUniversity of Zagreb. However, he graduated and earned a doctorate at theUniversity of Graz 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 inSarajevo andTrieste. 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 toSt. Petersburg in 1896. Back from Russia in late 1896, Lujo Vojnović became a secretary toPrince Nicholas I ofMontenegro. 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 theVatican. Between 1904 and 1906, he served underKing Peter I ofSerbia. Between 1907 and 1911, while inBulgaria, 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 theSt. James Conference, and invited the belligerents to participate. Although Nicholas of Montenegro doggedly continued prosecuting his campaign against Turkish-occupiedScutari, he agreed to send abroad three of his most loyal representatives,Lazar Mijušković, Jovo Popović and Vojnović. Between 1913 and 1914, Vojnović served as the Montenegrin delegate at theLondon Peace Conference, signing theTreaty of London on 28 May 1913. Then again in 1918, Vojnović was one of the Yugoslav delegates to theParis Peace Conference, 1919 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.
