"" (, ; 'O God of Justice') "Bože pravde" was adopted in 1882 and had been the national anthem of the Kingdom of Serbia until 1919 when Serbia became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. It was re-adopted as the national anthem at first by the parliamentary recommendation in 2004 and then constitutionally sanctioned in 2006, after Serbia restored its independence.

History

right|thumb|Lyrics of the abandoned 1865 anthem written by [[Jovan Jovanović Zmaj]]

right|alt=Poem text of Jovan Dordevic's Markova sablja (Marko's sword) book. The 1° and 4°~8° lines were maintained.|thumb|Poem text (first version of the lyrics) of [[Jovan Đorđević's Markova sablja]]

Before Serbia had an official national anthem, there were several popular Serbian songs that were unofficially used in this manner like 1804 Obradović's Vostani Serbije and 18th c. Himna Svetom Savi (St. Sava's anthem). The most popular of these was "Rado ide Srbin u vojnike" also known as "Graničarska pesma" (Granichary Song), which was written in 1844 by Vasa Živković on a melody composed by Nikola Đurković. It was used as a Serbian anthem during the Revolution of 1848.

The first initiative to create an official Serbian anthem came from Prince Mihailo in 1865. He hired (through the Ministry of Education) poet Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, to write lyrics, and composer Kornelije Stanković, to compose a melody for a new anthem. Although it had no title, the first verse of this anthem was also "Bože pravde".

After the assassination of Prince Mihailo in 1868, Prince Milan came to the throne. In 1872, celebrating his coming of age, he ordered a play from the manager of the National Theater in Belgrade, Jovan Đorđević. Đorđević quickly wrote and presented the play "" (Marko's sword), with the aim of glorifying Serbian history and the ruling house of Obrenović. The song "Bože pravde", composed by Davorin Jenko, was part of the play's musical score. The song gained more popularity among the people than the piece itself, and in 1882, on the occasion of Milan's enthronement as Serbian king, Đorđević reworked the text and so his new version became the first official anthem of Serbia. After that it started to be performed as the Serbs' ethnic anthem.

During World War I, in the territories of Serbia occupied by Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, the performance of the national anthem, as well as the display of the symbols of the Kingdom of Serbia, was prohibited. During the time of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), "Bože pravde" was part of its national anthem. On the eve of the World War II, at the great international gathering of the Music Confederation, held in Paris, this anthem was declared one of the three most beautiful in the world.

"Bože pravde" was officially abandoned and banned after the World War II in 1945, in favour of "Hej, Sloveni" ('Hey, Slavs'), which was the national anthem of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for 47 years, from 1945 to 1992. After the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991-1992, only Serbia and Montenegro remained in the federation (i.e. the newly-formed Serbia and Montenegro), but since no agreement over the anthem could be reached, "Hej, Sloveni" remained the national anthem. Many Serbs disliked the song during this period and booed it whenever it was played, such as at sporting events. In 1992, "Vostani Serbije" and "March on the Drina" were proposed as the anthem of Serbia along with "Bоže pravde". "March on the Drina", popularized by then-ruling Socialist Party of Serbia, even received a plurality of popular vote on referendum, but was never officially adopted.thumb|Fans singing "Bože pravde" in [[Belgrade Arena before the match Serbia vs Germany, 2012 European Men's Handball Championship]]

The recommendation on the use of "Bože pravde" was adopted unanimously by the National Assembly in 2004 and constitutionally sanctioned in 2006, after Serbia restored its independence, while the recommended text was promulgated into the law in 2009. In 2024, during the heightened tensions in the Bosnia and Herzegovina, Parliament of Republika Srpska passed a law regarding the national symbols, which accepts "Bože Pravde" to be in official use in Republika Srpska, alongside "Moja Republika", though not naming "Bože Pravde" anthem of the Republika Srpska.

Lyrics

The full Serbian national anthem as officially defined consists of eight stanzas, but usually only the first two are performed on public occasions for reasons of brevity.

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!Serbian Cyrillic

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See also

  • National symbols of Serbia
  • List of Serbian anthems

Notes

References

  • Serbian anthem streaming audio, lyrics and info (archive link)
  • National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia - Important Documents