Background
He was born in a wealthy entrepreneurial family in the Upper Carniolan village of Kamna Gorica, in what was then the Austrian Empire, present-day Slovenia.
He was born in a wealthy entrepreneurial family in the Upper Carniolan village of Kamna Gorica, in what was then the Austrian Empire, present-day Slovenia.
After graduating from the classical lyceum in Ljubljana in 1845, he enrolled at the University of Vienna, where he studied law.
Later he helped founding one of the first Slovene publishing houses, the Slovenska matica. Together with Janez Bleiweis and Etbin Henrik Costa, he was part of the leadership of the Old Slovene party. During his student years, he became influenced by Romantic nationalist ideas.
He rose to prominence as a political activist during the Revolution of 1848.
In April 1848, he was among the students who first raised the Slovenian flag in the center of Ljubljana. After the revolution, he continued his studies and graduated from the University of Graz.
The two lived in Graz until her early death in 1854. He died in Rondaun near Vienna, and was buried in his native village of Kamna Gorica.
After his wife"s death he moved to Radovljica, where he worked as a lawyer
In 1861, he was elected to the Austrian Parliament. He was also considered among the most popular Slovene politicians in the 19th century. He was known for his vigorous temperament and for his many public functions.
His overwhelming influence in the political decision-making in the Slovene National Movement was frequently criticized by his opponents, who sometimes mockingly referred to Carniola as "Tomania".
In 1867, he was involved in a scandal around the construction of the railway line between Ljubljana and Tarvisio. These charges were probably unubstantiated.
Among other things, he was the founder of the prestigious Slovenska matica publishing house and served as its first chairman. He was accused by his opponents of having sold out his vote in favour of the Austro-Hungarian compromise, which he had previously opposed, in order to achieve the license for the construction of the railway line.
In the 1860s, he became one of the most powerful leaders of the conservative Old Slovene party, together with Janez Bleiweis, Luka Svetec, and Etbin Henrik Costa.
He was a Slovene national conservative politician and member of the Austrian Parliament.
