Serbian Free Corps

Serbian Free Corps

Illustration of a volunteer
Active 1787 — 1792
Country Habsburg Monarchy Habsburg Monarchy
Allegiance Habsburg Monarchy
Role Serbian liberation and unification with the Habsburg Monarchy
Size 5,000 (1787)
Garrison/HQ In Banat Military Frontier
Nickname frajkori
Engagements

Austro-Turkish War (1787–91):

  • Siege of Belgrade (1787)
  • Siege of Belgrade (1788)
Disbanded 1792 (Treaty of Sistova)
Commanders
Main commander Mihailo Mihaljević, major
Notable
commanders		 Koča Anđelković and Radič Petrović

The Serbian Free Corps (German: Serbische Freikorps), known simply as frajkori (Serbian Cyrillic: фрајкори), was a volunteer militia composed of ethnic Serbs, established by the Habsburg Monarchy, to fight the Ottoman Empire during the Austro-Turkish War (1787–91).

History

A Serbian freikorps of 5,000 soldiers had been established in Banat (Banat Military Frontier), composed of refugees that had fled earlier conflicts in the Ottoman Empire.[1] The Corps would fight for liberation of Serbia and unification under Habsburg rule.[1] The main commander was the Austrian major Mihailo Mihaljević.[2] Among volunteers were Aleksa Nenadović and Karađorđe Petrović, and the prominent Radič Petrović and most of all, Koča Anđelković.[2] The Austrians used the Corps in two failed attempts to seize Belgrade, in late 1787 and early 1788.[1]

Other Serb militias were the Kozara Militia and Prosar Militia, established in Bosnia in 1788, composed of 1,000 soldiers each.[3]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Serbian Free Corps.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Paul W. Schroeder (1996). The Transformation of European Politics, 1763-1848. Oxford University Press. pp. 58–59. ISBN 978-0-19-820654-5.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ćorović 2001.
  3. ↑ Ljubo Mihić (1987). Kozara: priroda, čovjek, istorija. Dnevnik. prosarska i kozarska milicija

Sources