Janko Drašković

Janko Drašković (Hungarian: Draskovich János; 20 October 1770 – 14 January 1856) was a Croatian politician who is associated with the beginnings of the Illyrian movement, a 19th-century national revival. Drašković studied law and philosophy before joining the military, from which he was discharged on medical grounds. In the 1790s, Drašković pursued a political career, winning a seat in the Croatian Parliament and in the Diet of Hungary.

Drašković advocated for the protection of Croatian interests against the threats of Germanisation and Magyarisation in the Habsburg monarchy, and subsequently in the Austrian Empire, Drašković preferred gradual political reforms; he became a leading figure in the Croatian national revival following the 1832 publication of the Dissertation, a manifesto outlining the main political, cultural, economic, social development and cohesion problems in Croatia. The Dissertation became largely regarded as the programme of the Croatian national revival. Drašković supported and significantly contributed to the group gathered around Ljudevit Gaj in working toward the objective outlined in the Dissertation. Gaj's group and others supporting the objectives of the Croatian national revival became known as Illyrians after the term Drašković used for the unified Croatian lands proposed in the Dissertation.

Drašković's lasting contribution to the culture of Croatia is Matica hrvatska, which he helped establish in 1842. The institution, which was initially named Matica ilirska, was established to promote literacy and knowledge in Croatia – in the national language – to improve the economic circumstances of the country and its people. Drašković served as the first president of the newly established institution, and co-founded the People's Party, one of Croatia's first two political parties. Drašković was the party's first leader and chaired the Croatian Parliament in 1848.