Prije Khuena bana: nemiri u Hrvatskoj godine 1883.

The monograph Before the Ban of Khuen: Riots in Croatia in 1883, by historian and politician Rudolf Horvat (published in 1934), is a key historiographical work for understanding the turbulent socio-political situation in Banal Croatia at the end of the 19th century. The book deals in detail with the events of August and September 1883, when mass popular protests broke out in Zagreb and throughout Croatian villages against the illegal placement of bilingual (Croatian-Hungarian) inscriptions and coats of arms on the buildings of financial administrations.

Based on rich archival material, newspaper reports and testimonies, Horvat thoroughly reconstructs the course of the rebellion, from the removal of hateful inscriptions in the capital to the bloody clashes between peasants and the army in Prigorje, Zagorje and Pokuplje. The author precisely analyses the causes of popular discontent, caused by the violation of the Croatian-Hungarian settlement, the liquid resistance to armed force and the harsh repressive measures taken by the authorities in Vienna and Pest.

This work sheds light on the political vacuum and the introduction of the commissariat by General Ramberg, which served as a direct reason for the arrival of Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry to the Ban's chair. Horvat's book is a valuable account of the struggle for Croatian autonomy and an indispensable read for all researchers of recent Croatian history.