Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat
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The Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat was a voivodship (duchy) of the Austrian Empire that existed between 1849 and 1860. It was a separate crown land and was formed in accordance with privilege given to Serbs by the Habsburg emperor in 1691, recognizing the right of Serbs to territorial autonomy within the Habsburg Monarchy. Its former area is now divided between Serbia, Romania, Hungary and Croatia. The Voivodship gave its name to the present Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
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[edit] Names
In German, the Voivodship was known as Woiwodschaft Serbien und Temescher Banat or Die serbische Wojwodschaft und das temeser Banat, in Serbian as Војводство Србија и Тамишки Банат / Vojvodstvo Srbija i Tamiški Banat or Српска Војводина и Тамишки Банат / Srpska Vojvodina i Tamiški Banat, in Hungarian as Szerb Vajdaság és Temesi Bánság, and in Romanian as Voivodina Sârbeascǎ şi Banatul Timişoarei.
[edit] History
The Voivodship was formed by a decision of the Austrian emperor in November 1849, after the Revolutions of 1848. It consisted of the regions of Banat, Bačka and northern Syrmian municipalities of Ilok and Ruma. An Austrian governor seated in Temeschwar ruled the area, and the title of Voivod belonged to the emperor himself. The full title of the emperor was "Grand Voivod of the Voivodship of Serbia" (German: Großwoiwode der Woiwodschaft Serbien). Even after the Voivodship was abolished, the emperor kept this title until the end of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918.
In 1860 the Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat was abolished and most of its territory (Banat and Bačka) was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary, although direct Hungarian rule began only in 1867, when Kingdom of Hungary gained autonomy within newly formed Austria-Hungary. Unlike Banat and Bačka, in 1860 Syrmia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Slavonia, another separate Habsburg crown land. However, the Kingdom of Slavonia subsequently joined with the Kingdom of Croatia forming new kingdom named Croatia-Slavonia, which made a pact with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1868, hence becoming self-governed part of Transleithania (the Hungarian part of Austria-Hungary).
[edit] Languages and ethnic groups
The two official languages of the Voivodship were German and Illyrian (what would become Serbo-Croatian), and its ethnic composition was as follows (census 1850/51):
- Serbs, Bunjevci, Šokci, and Croats = 386,906
- Romanians = 347,459
- Germans = 335,080
- Hungarians = 221,845
- Rusins = 39,914
- Slovaks = 25,607
- Bulgarians = 22,780
- Jews = 15,507
- Gypsies = 11,440
- Czechs = 7,530
- Greeks and Cincars = 2,820
The Voivodship was ethnically very mixed, since the southern parts of Syrmia, Banat and Bačka with compact Serbian settlements were not included in it, while eastern Banat, with a Romanian majority was added to it.
[edit] Administrative divisions
At first, Voivodship was divided into two districts:
Later, it was divided into five districts:
[edit] Rulers
Great Voivods:
- Franz Joseph I, emperor of Austria and grand voivod (great duke) of Voivodship of Serbia (1849-1916).
- Karl I, emperor of Austria and grand voivod of Voivodship of Serbia (1916-1918).
Governors:
- Ferdinand Mayerhofer, governor (1849-1851).
- Johann Coronini-Cronberg, governor (1851-1859).
- Josip Šokčević, governor (1859-1860).
- Karl Vigo de Senkanten, governor (1860).
[edit] References
- Dr Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjiga 3, Novi Sad, 1990.
- Sima M. Ćirković, Srbi među evropskim narodima, Beograd, 2004.
- Lazo M. Kostić, Srpska Vojvodina i njene manjine, Novi Sad, 1999.
- Drago Njegovan, Prisajedinjenje Vojvodine Srbiji, Novi Sad, 2004.
- Dejan Mikavica, Srpska Vojvodina u Habsburškoj Monarhiji 1690-1920, Novi Sad, 2005.
