Milan Štefánik was born in 1880 in the Slovak village of Košariská, which at the time was under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1898, Štefánik studied construction engineering in Prague and in 1890 he went to Charles University to study astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. He attended philosophical lectures by Tomáš Masaryk, where he was initially inspired by the ideas of cooperation between the Czechs and Slovaks.
Štefánik at the Meudon Observatory
Štefánik graduated in 1904 with a doctorate and traveled to Paris to find a job at the Paris-Meudon Observatory where he published treatises and made expeditions to make astronomical observations. Štefánik traveled around the world on many diplomatic and astronomical missions for the French government, such as traveling to Tahiti in 1910 to observe Halley’s Comet. As a result of his work for the French, he received French citizenship in 1912 and was made a Knight of the Légion d’Honneur in 1914.
Štefánik in his military uniform
When World War I began in 1914, Štefánik joined the French army as an aviator, believing that the defeat of the Austro-Hungarians could lead to Czech and Slovak independence. During his time as an aviator for the French army, he flew 30 missions, some of which were in Serbia, and used his knowledge to help make improvements to military meteorology.
Eventually, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier and in 1915 returned to Paris, where he met Edvard Beneš and Tomáš Masaryk, and the three worked together to create the Czechoslovak National Council. With France’s support, Štefánik set out to Romania, Siberia, and the United States to make use of his diplomatic and military experience to organize the Czechoslovak legions. He also organized a legion in France and Italy, after signing a treaty with the Italian prime minister.
With World War I over by 1918 and the Central Powers defeated, Czechoslovakia had gained its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Štefánik was appointed as the Minister for War and set out to make sure that all the Czechoslovak legions successfully returned home (especially the one in Siberia). He also set out to deal with the dispute between France and Italy about Czechoslovakia’s territory. However, on his way home from Italy in 1919, Štefánik’s plane crashed near Ivanka pri Dunaji in Bratislava, Slovakia. Štefánik and the rest of the crew did not survive. His body was buried in the Bradlo mausoleum and has remained there since 1928.
Štefánik’s Tomb
Written by James Travis
Sources:
“Milan Stefanik (1880-1919).” Ministere Des Armees. https://www.cheminsdememoire.gouv.fr/en/milan-stefanik.
“Milan Rastislav Stefanik.” Wikipedia. November 29, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Rastislav_Štefánik.
“Portrait of Milan Rastislav Stefanik.” Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670728/
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Milan Stefanik: Czechoslovak Leader.” Encyclopedia Britannica, July 17, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Milan-tefanik.