Vidovdan at the Archives of Yugoslavia

The Archives of Yugoslavia preserve the original of one of the most valuable documents held within its archival fonds and collections: the Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes of 28 June 1921, commonly referred to as the Vidovdan Constitution. Today marks the 105th anniversary of its promulgation. Beginning today, the original Constitution will be on public display in the central hall of the Archives of Yugoslavia and will be accessible to visitors on every working day from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes of 28 June 1921—the Vidovdan Constitution—was the first of the five constitutions adopted during the existence of the Yugoslav state (1918–1991), between 1921 and 1974. It was adopted at the Sixty-second Regular Session of the Constituent Assembly of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, held on 28 June 1921, and defined the newly established Yugoslav state as a constitutional, parliamentary, and hereditary monarchy. It established the separation of powers, regulated the constitutional role of the monarch within the system of government, and prescribed the state's official symbols. The Constitution guaranteed personal liberty, as well as freedom of religion, conscience, and the press, together with the rights of association, public assembly, and petition. It prohibited usury, abolished feudal relations, established the electoral franchise, and introduced a centralized system of government accompanied by a new administrative division of the state.

The Constitution remained in force until 6 January 1929, when King Alexander I Karađorđević abolished it in an effort to resolve the escalating political and social crisis within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. He dissolved the National Assembly, prohibited the activities of all political parties and trade unions, banned political gatherings, imposed press censorship, and established a regime of personal dictatorship.

The original text of the Vidovdan Constitution is preserved in the archival fonds National Assembly of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (AJ-72), file 3, archival unit 21. The document consists of sixteen bound printed leaves (measuring 23.5 × 31.5 cm), comprising a total of twenty-eight pages. It bears the signatures of the Secretary and the President of the Constituent Assembly, Regent Alexander I Karađorđević, all members of the Government of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, as well as the place and date of promulgation: Belgrade, 28 June 1921.