| Pandurs | |
|---|---|
Croatian pandurs from 1742 |
|
| Active | |
| Country | Habsburg Monarchy Austrian Empire |
| Type | Infantry |
| Engagements | East-Turkish front West-European front |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Baron Franz von der Trenck |
The Pandurs were an irregular militia from the Military Frontier and Croatian Kingdom, part of the Habsburg Monarchy and later Austria-Hungary, and used as a non-linear (irregular) army in the frontier against the Ottoman Empire. They fought on both the East-Turkish front, and the West-European front.[1]
The Pandurs were deployed primarily to raid behind enemy lines, attack baggage and supply trains, conduct guerrilla warfare, and to fight in extended formations. They were well-known for their ferocity in combat, and also because they tended to plunder before engagements, which caused endless grief to their superior officers. The Pandurs were formed in the Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th century, but were not deployed in large-scale conflicts (due to their specialized nature). This unit was first mustered by Baron Franz von der Trenck, who served under Maria Theresa of Austria.[2]
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Although Baron Franz von der Trenck was the first to use the term "pandours", its origins are unclear as the word is not native to any South Slavic, Hungarian, Romanian or Turkish languages.[3] Many scholars agree that the term probably originated from the Latin banderius, meaning a follower of a standard or banner.[3][4]
In 1740 Austria found itself in the War of the Austrian Succession against the King Frederick II of Prussia. The war eventually embroiled most of Europe, and Queen Maria Theresa needed the help supplied by Baron Trenk, who offered to equip 1000 soldiers to engage in war for the queen. The Pandurs were composed of Croats,[5][6][7] Morlachs[5], Romanians[5], and Serbs.[5] Trenck's pandurs spared the town of Waldmünchen in Germany near the Czech border, during the war.[8] An annual celebration of the event during summer is the Historiches Freilichtfestspiele.[8] On June 18, 1741, Pandurs made action against the fortress of Zoptenberg.
Pandurs also existed in other countries - Tudor Vladimirescu (approx. 1780 - 1821), the Romanian revolutionary hero, led an army of Pandurs in the Wallachian uprising of 1821. They most likely originated in the period of Austrian administration in Oltenia (1716/1718-1739).
The first formation of Trenk's pandurs numbered about 1030 soldiers and had the following officer positions:
The members of the Pandur units were Croats and Serbs. The Serb pandurs were mainly from the Croatian Military Frontier and Slavonian Military Frontier.[5]
The standard armament of the pandurs was as follows (18th century[9]):
The typical clothing, based on Engelbrecht illustrations (1740s), was:[8]
The clothing of the pandur major (1740s):[8]
The clothing of the pandurs was very similar to the Turkish military uniform. Turkish influence on the culture of the region was heavy, since the Turks had been driven out of Slavonia only 30 years before.