Ivan Mažuranić (1814-1890) was a Croatian poet, linguist and politician—probably the most important figure in Croatia's cultural life in the mid-19th century.

Mažuranić was born into a well-to-do yeomen family in northern coastal Croatia. He became a man of many abilities: he spoke 9 languages and was well versed in astronomy and mathematics.

His realistic assessment of strengths and weaknesses of Croatia's position between the hammer of Austrian bureaucracy and the anvil of Hungarian expansionist nationalism served his country invaluably in times of political turmoil. Mažuranić is best remembered for the "triple accomplishment"—contributions in economics, linguistics, and poetry.

The picture of Ivan Mažuranić appears on the 100 kuna banknote.

Politics and economy

In his tenure as Croatian ban, Mažuranić accomplished the transition from a semifeudal legal and economic system to a modern civil society similar to those emerging in other countries in central Europe.

Linguistics

His linguistic work is remarkable for its enormous influence. Mažuranić's "German-Illyrian/Croatian Dictionary ", 1842 (coauthored with Josip Užarević ) is at the very heart of modern Croatian civilization, since in this 40,000-entry dictionary the principal author Mažuranić had coined words that have become commonplace in standard Croatian—for instance, Croatian words for bank accountancy, rhinoceros, or metropolis. He was much more than "language-recorder"; "language-shaper" would be a better description.

Poetry

But, in his native land, Mažuranić is above all the beloved poet of Smrt Smail age Čengića—"Death of Smail aga Čengić ", 1845. This epic poem is full of memorable verses that have become embedded in the national memory of his people, who cherished it as the treasure of a "Homeric" wisdom praising such epic virtues as fortitude, fidelity and justice.

The tale is based on a minor incident in Bosnia and Herzegovina, when a petty local Muslim tyrant was killed, as an act of retaliation, in an ambush set by local Christian ruffians. Mažuranić's poetry transformed a rather prosaic act of tribal atavistic religious hatred into a hymn celebrating the struggle for freedom—acted out under the hostile forces of fatality.

Following in the steps of Croatian poets like Kačić and Ivan Gundulić (his chief national influence, whose main epic Osman Mažuranić completed), Mažuranić closed the era of Romanticism and of classic epic poetry in Croatian literature.