Blagojevi？’s Poet–Traveller (Pjesnik–putnik, 1771) in the Context of the “Catholic Enlightenment”

Sa？etak The visit of Joseph II to Slavonia in 1768 was the primary reason why Blagojevi？ wrote his only original work, the poem Pjesnik-putnik (1771), on the basis of which he has been described in Croatian literary historiography as one of the most distinct representatives of Josephinism in Slavonian literature. The first two cantos of Pjesnik-putnik are encomiums on Joseph II and Maria Theresa; in the remaining four cantos, Blagojevi？ discussed and described the social conditions of 18th century Slavonia. In Pjesnik-putnik Blagojevi？ praised Matija Antun Relkovi？ and criticized the anonymous friar, i.e. the Slavonian Tamburitza player who unreasonably lashed out at the writer of the Slavonian truths presented in Satir iliti divjem ？oviku (Dresden 1762, Osijek 1779), a work which is in literary historiography usually seen as a paradigmatic example of the Croatian (literary) Enlightenment. Blagojevi？ also praised the priest Vid Do？en who was the parish administrator in Dubovik near Slavonski Brod and wrote Jeka planine (Mountain’s Echo) (1767); with this poem Do？en had defended Relkovi？. In Pjesnik-putnik Blagojevi？ praised Maria Theresa and Joseph II, referred positively to the reforms of Joseph II and presented himself as a supporter of enlightened absolutism and of the policy of the State Church. Even though Croatian historiography has given fairly good reviews of the poem Pjesnik-putnik as well as of Blagojevi？’s translations, it seems to me that the enlightenment aspect has still not been explained in detail and comes down to a few basic theses - Blagojevi？ is the most outstanding Slavonian representative of Josephinism; his attitudes are somewhat more radical than Relkovi？’s (for instance his very strong criticism of the Franciscans); nevertheless, he is still far from western Illuminism (atheism and deism), hence, his enlightenment is rather “moderate”, referring to domestic circumstances or, in the words of Rafo Bogi？i？, a Croatian Enlightenment. Such a clarification is not precise enough, given that it focuses primarily on what the (Croatian) Enlightenment is not (or what it lacks to become Enlightenment), rather than what it truly is. In my opinion, a potentially more precise definition of the so called “Croatian version of the (literary) Enlightenment” in this matter (primarily in the example of Adam Tadija Blagojevi？) would be the term Catholic Enlightenment. Through Viennese intellectual circles, particularly those of Joseph von Sonnenfels, Blagojevi？ might have come into contact with the ideas of the Catholic Enlightenment that was