Historical development of education and science in Serbia from the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century

The work focuses on the period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The research observes the prism of the emergence of the Serbian state and carefully considers the development of science. The emergence of modern science in Serbia can be observed and followed in fragments from the Middle Ages to the modern era. The period from the 15th to the 18th century, however, marked almost complete stagnation in all fields, including science. The Turkish occupation interrupted the development of the intellectual thought of the Middle Ages and thus separated the Serbian people from the continuity of thought ideals. The beginning of modern scientific development is chronologically connected to the uprisings of 1804 and 1815. The events that triggered the turmoil in the 18th century were the basis for the development of science and its highest level through the early 19th century. Precisely for this reason, observing the development of science in the chronological period of the late 18th and early 19th centuries reveals the foundations of modern education in our country. In order to understand and perceive the context, the paper also refers to earlier periods of Serbian statehood and science. The paper concludes that the development of statehood in Serbia was closely related to the development of science and that the key participants in those processes understood the importance of the qualifications of state administrators and the very creation of a nation. Competence, in that sense, was understood as the scientific progress of an individual and consequently of the community.