National Anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia

The  "National anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia" ( / Химна Краљевине Југославије, ) was created in December 1918 from the national anthems of the Kingdom's three historical constituent lands: Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (Croatia), Kingdom of Serbia (Serbia) and Duchy of Carniola (Slovenia).

At the time, the Yugoslav authorities considered the three dominant South Slavic ethnic groups – Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes – as three interchangeable names for one ethnic group (Serbo-Croatian and  "nation" or "people"), while the Pan-Slavic politicians and parts of academia held them as three subgroups of one South Slavic nation (, ; "Yugoslavs", lit. "South Slavs"). Accordingly, the official language was thus called Serbo-Croato-Slovene.

History
Although a law on the national anthem did not exist, the anthems of all three South Slavic nations were unified into a single anthem of the Kingdom. It started with a few measures from the Serbian anthem "Bože pravde", continued with a few lines from the Croatian anthem "Lijepa naša domovino", which were in turn followed by a few lines from the traditional Slovenian anthem "Naprej zastava slave". The anthem finished with some lines from the Serbian anthem again.

It was officially used between 1919 and 1941; there was no official document that declared it invalid or void. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was not in effect after the April capitulation.

Lyrics

Official
Bože pravde, Ti što spase
Od propasti do sad nas,
Čuj i od sad naše glase,
I od sad nam budi spas!

Lijepa naša domovino,
Oj junačka zemljo mila,
Stare slave djedovino,
Da bi vazda sretna bila!

Naprej zastava slave,
Na boj junaška kri!
Za blagor očetnjave
Naj puška govori!

Naprej zastava slave,
Na boj junaška kri!
Za blagor očetnjave
Naj puška govori!

Bože spasi, Bože hrani
Našeg Kralja i naš rod!
Kralja Petra, Bože hrani,
Moli ti se sav naš rod.

The third line of the last verse was changed to "Kralja Aleksandra, Bože hrani," during the reign of Alexander I of Yugoslavia.

English translation
God of justice, You have saved us
from damnation till this day;
Hear our voices from this day,
And from now be our salvation.

Our beautiful homeland,
Dear country glorious and fearless,
Our fathers' old glory,
May you be blessed forever!

Forward, the flags of glory,
To the fight blood of heroes.
For well being of the Fatherland,
Let the rifles speak.

Forward, the flags of glory,
To the fight blood of heroes.
For well being of the Fatherland,
Let the rifles speak.

God save, God protect,
Our King and our people!
King Peter, God protect,
Praying to You is all our kind!

The third line of the last verse was changed to "King Aleksandar, God protect" during the reign of Alexander I of Yugoslavia.

See also

 Hej Slaveni

Notes

References

External links

Category:Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Category:Historical national anthems
Category:National symbols of Yugoslavia
Category:Royal anthems
Category:National anthem compositions in B-flat major
Yugoslavia Kingdom