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The Serbian Vojvodina (Serbian Voivodship, Serbian Duchy, Srpska Vojvodina, Српска Војводина) was a Serbian autonomous region within the Austrian Empire. It was proclaimed during the 1848 Revolution, and existed until 1849, when it was transformed into the new (official) Austrian province named Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar.
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During the 1848 Revolution, the Hungarians demanded national rights and autonomy within the Austrian Empire. However, they did not recognize the national rights of other nationalities which lived in the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary in that time.
Wishing to express their national individuality and confronted with new Hungarian authorities, Serbs declared the constitution of the Serbian Vojvodina (Serbian Duchy) at the May Assembly in Sremski Karlovci (May 13-15 1848). The Serbian Vojvodina consisted of Srem, Bačka, Banat, and Baranja regions.
The Serbs also formed a political alliance with the Kingdom of Croatia "based on freedom and perfect equality". They also recognized the Romanian nationality. The metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci, Josif Rajačić, was elected for patriarch, while Stevan Šupljikac for the first duke (voivod). A National committee was formed as the new government of Serbian Vojvodina. Instead of the old feudal regime a new reign was founded based on the national boards with the Head Serbian national board presiding.
The Hungarian government replied by the use of force: on June 12 1848, a war between Serbs and Hungarians started. Austria took the side of Hungary at first, demanding from the Serbs to "go back to being obedient". Serbs were aided by volunteers from Serbia. A consequence of this war, was the expansion of the conservative factions. Since the Austrian court turned against the Hungarians in the later stage of revolution, the feudal and clerical circles of Vojvodina formed an alliance with Austria and became a tool of the Viennese government. Serbian troops from Vojvodina then joined the Habsburg army and helped in crushing the revolution in Hungary. With the help of Imperial Russia, the forces of reaction smothered the revolution in the summer of 1849, defeating all the national and social movements in the Habsburg monarchy.
After the defeat of the revolution, by a decision of the Austrian emperor, in November 1849, an Austrian crownland known as Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar was formed as the successor of Serbian Vojvodina.
The first capital of Serbian Vojvodina was in Sremski Karlovci. It was later moved to Zemun, Veliki Bečkerek (today known as Zrenjanin), and Temišvar (Timişoara).
The coat-of-arms of the Serbian Vojvodina was essentially the Austrian Habsburg imperial arms, with the coat-of-arms of the Serbs (Serbian cross, with four Cyrillic letters "S", reflecting the Serbian national motto "Only Unity Saves the Serbs" - Samo sloga Srbina spasava) on the chests of the black eagle. The bearer of the Serbian arms was the Austrian black eagle, instead of the Serbian white one, in order to show the fidelity of the newly established Voivodship to the Imperial Court in Vienna. The coat-of-arms was simply added to the Serbian national tricolour. Thus the flag differed from the flag of the Principality of Serbia, which had a different arms in the middle of its state flag.¹
¹"Leksiklopedija" (column), TV Novosti magazine, Belgrade, 1991.
