Serbs in Vojvodina
The Serbs are the largest ethnic group in the Vojvodina province of Serbia. For centuries, they lived under the foreign rule, but despite many attempts for their assimilation, they preserved their national consciousness, language, religion, culture as well as the rich folklore, national costumes, music and songs.
History of Serbs in Vojvodina
Origins
Before the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC, Illyrian, Thracian and Celtic tribes inhabited the territory of present day Vojvodina region. During the Roman rule, original inhabitants were heavily Romanized, and latter they are known under name of Vlachs. It is thought that this original population didn't entirely disappeared, meaning that they left certain genetic traces into the modern Serb population of the region.
During the early medieval migrations, Slavs (Severans, Abodrites, Braničevci and Serbs) settled today's Vojvodina in the 6th and 7th centuries. Until the 13th century, the region had dominant Slavic population.
In the 9th century the region of present day Vojvodina was ruled by the two local Bulgaro-Slavic dukes (voivods). Their names were Salan and Glad. Salan ruled the territory of Bačka, and his capital city was Titel, while Glad ruled the territory of Banat. The descendant of Glad was Ahtum, another local duke of Banat, the last ruler who opposed to the establishment of Hungarian kingdom in the 11th century. The important local Bulgaro-Slavic duke was also Sermon, a vassal of the Bulgarian emperor Samuil, who ruled over Srem in the 11th century.
Hungarian rule
Parts of Vojvodina were conquered by the Hungarian Kingdom between the 10th and 12th centuries. This was followed by the destruction of local Bulgaro-Slavic tribal organization and introduction of the county system of rule. The first known prefect of Bač county (in the region of Bačka) was recorded in 1074 and his name was Vid, which is a Slavic name by origin. During the rule of the Hungarian king Coloman (1095-1116), the local Serb nobles in Bačka were Uroš, Vukan and Pavle. An record from 1309 speak about "Schismatics" (Orthodox Christians), who lived in Bačka.
Between 1282 and 1316 the Serbian King Stefan Dragutin ruled the Kingdom of Srem, which consisted of Mačva, Usora and Soli. His capital city was Debrc (between Belgrade and Šabac). In that time the name Srem was designation for two territories: Upper Srem (present day Srem) and Lower Srem (present day Mačva). Kingdom of Srem under the rule of Stefan Dragutin was actually Lower Srem, but some historical sources mention that Stefan Dragutin also ruled over Upper Srem and Slavonija. Stefan Dragutin died in 1316, and was succeeded by his son, King Vladislav II (1316-1325).
An increasing number of Serbs began settling in the Vojvodina region from the 14th century onward. By 1483, according to a Hungarian source, as much as half of the population of the Vojvodina territory of the Kingdom of Hungary at the time consisted of Serbs. The Hungarian kings encouraged the immigration of Serbs to the kingdom, and hired many of them as soldiers and border guards.
After the Ottoman Empire conquered Serbia (in 1459), Serbian despots ruled in parts of Vojvodina as vassals of the Hungarian kings. The residence of the despots was Kupinik (today Kupinovo) in Srem. The Serbian despots were: Vuk Grgurević (1471-1485), Đorđe Branković (1486-1496), Jovan Branković (1496-1502), Ivaniš Berislav (1504-1514), Stevan Berislav (1520-1535), Radič Božić (1527-1528), Pavle Bakić (1537) and Stefan Štiljanović (1537-1540). The last three did not rule in the territory of present day Vojvodina, but had possessions in the territories of present day Romania, Hungary and Croatia. The fact that Despots of Serbia ruled in the territory of present day Vojvodina, but also the presence of large Serbian population, are reasons because in many historical records and maps, which were written and drawn between 15th and 18th centuries, territory of present day Vojvodina was named Rascia (Raška, Serbia) and Little Raška (Little Serbia).
Ottoman rule
The Ottoman Empire took control of Vojvodina following the Battle of Mohač of 1526 and the fall of Banat in 1552. Soon after the Battle of Mohač, Jovan Nenad, a leader of Serbian mercenaries, established his rule in Bačka, northern Banat and a small part of Srem. He created an ephemeral independent state, with Subotica as its capital. At the pitch of his power, Jovan Nenad proclaimed himself "Serbian Emperor" in Subotica. Taking advantage of the extremely confused military and political situation, the Hungarian noblemen from the region joined forces against him and defeated the Serbian troops in the summer of 1527. "Emperor" Jovan Nenad was assassinated and his state collapsed.
The establishment of the Ottoman rule caused a massive depopulation of the Vojvodina region. Most of the Hungarians and many local Serbs fled from the region and escaped to the north. The majority of those who left in the region were Serbs, mainly now engaging either in farming either in Ottoman military service.
Under Ottoman policy, many Serbs were newly settled in the region. During the Ottoman rule, more than 90% of the inhabitants of the Vojvodina region were Serbs. In that time, villages were mostly populated with Serbs, while cities were populated with Serbs and Muslims (mostly Turks, but also converted Serbs, among others). In 1594 Serbs in Banat started a large uprising opposing Turkish rule. This was one of three largest Serbian uprisings in history, and the largest one before the First Serbian Uprising led by Karađorđe.
Habsburg rule
The Habsburg Empire took control of Vojvodina among other lands by the treaties of Karlovci (1699) and Požarevac (1718). The Serbian patriarch, Arsenije III Čarnojević, fearing the revenge of the Turks, immigrated in the last decade of the 17th century to the Habsburg Empire with as many as 36,000 families. The Habsburg Emperor promised them religious freedom as well as the right to elect their own "vojvoda" (military governor), and incorporated much of the region where they settled, later known as Vojvodina, into the military border. The emperor also recognized Serbs as one of the official nations of the Habsburg Empire and he recognized the right of Serbs to have territorial autonomy. This right, however, was not realized before the revolution in 1848-1849. The immigration of Serbs to the region was maintained during the 18th century.
During the Kuruc War (1703-1711) of Francis II Rakoczi, the territory of present day Vojvodina was a battlefield between Hungarian rebels and local Serbs who fought on the side of the Habsburg Emperor. Serbs in Bačka suffered the greatest losses. Hungarian rebels burned Serbian villages and many Serbs were expelled from Bačka. Darvaš, the prime military commander of Hungarian rebels, which fought against Serbs in Bačka, wrote: "We burned all large places of Rascia, on the both banks of rivers Danube and Tisa".
During the Austrian rule many colonists settled in the territory of present day Vojvodina. They were mainly (Catholic) Germans and Hungarians, but also Ruthenians, Slovaks, Romanians, and others. Because of this colonization, Serbs lost the absolute ethnic majority in the region, and Vojvodina become one of the most ethnically diverse regions of Europe. However, there was also some emigration of Serbs from Vojvodina: after the Tisa-Moriš section of the military frontier was abolished, Serbs from the northeastern part of Bačka left this region and immigrated to Russia (notably to Nova Serbia and Slavo-Serbia) in 1752, and this region was then populated with new Hungarian settlers. Serbs, however, remained the single largest ethnic group in Vojvodina, until the second half of 20th century, when they become the absolute majority again.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Vojvodina was the cultural centre of the Serbian people. Especially important cultural centres were: Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, and the monasteries of Fruška Gora. In the first half of the 19th century, Novi Sad was the largest Serb city; in 1820 this city had about 20,000 inhabitants, of which 2/3 were Serbs. The Matica Srpska moved to Novi Sad from Budapest in 1864. The Serbian gymnasiums of Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci were at the time considered to be among the best in the Hungarian Kingdom. Novi Sad was being called the "Serb Athens".
During the Revolution of 1848, the Hungarians demanded national rights and autonomy within the Habsburg Empire. However, they did not recognize the national rights of other nationalities which lived in the Habsburg 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 Dukedom) at the May Assembly in Sremski Karlovci (May 13-15, 1848). The Serbian Dukedom consisted of Srem, Bačka, Banat, and Baranja. The Serbs also formed a political alliance with the Croats "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. 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 12th 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 Serbian 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.
After the defeat of the revolution, by a decision of the Austrian emperor, in November 1849, an Austrian crownland known as Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat ( German: Woiwodschaft Serbien und Temescher Banat) was formed (consisting of Banat, Bačka and Srem). An Austrian governor seated in Temišvar ruled the area, and the title of Duke belonged to the emperor himself. The full title of the emperor was "Great duke of Vojvodina of Serbia" (German: Großwoiwode der Woiwodschaft Serbien). Even after this province was abolished, the emperor kept this title until the end of Habsburg Empire in 1918.
In 1860 the crownland of Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat was abolished and most of its territory (Banat and Bačka) was incorporated into Habsburg Hungary, although the real Hungarian rule has begun only in 1867, when Hungary became autonomous part of Habsburg Empire. Unlike Banat and Bačka, the Srem region was in 1860 incorporated into the Kingdom of Slavonia, another separate Habsburg province. However, the Kingdom of Slavonia was too incorporated into Hungary in 1868.
After Vojvodina was abolished, one Serbian politician, Svetozar Miletić, appeared in the political sphere. He demanded national rights for Serbs and other non-Hungarian nationalities of Hungary, but he was arrested and imprisoned because of his political demands. In 1867, the Austrian Empire was transformed into Austria-Hungary, with Hungary becoming one of two autonomous parts of the new state. This was followed by a policy of Hungarization of non-Hungarian nationalities, most notably the aggressive promotion of the Hungarian language and supression of Slavic languages (including Serbian). The franchise was greatly restricted so as to keep power in the hands of the Hungarians. The new government of autonomous Hungary took the stance that Hungary should be a Hungarian nation state, and that all other peoples living in Hungary: Germans, Jews, Romanians, Slovaks, Ruthenes, Serbs, and others should be assimilated. Finally, the privilegies given to Serbs by the Habsburg emperor in 1690, were abolished in 1912.
Epilogue
At the end of World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, and the Serbs in Vojvodina gained another oportunity to achieve their political demands. On November 25, 1918, the Assembly of Serbs, Bunjevci, and other nations of Vojvodina in Novi Sad proclaimed the union of Vojvodina (Banat, Bačka, and Baranja) with the Kingdom of Serbia. One day before this, on November 24, the Assembly of Srem also proclaimed the union of Srem with Serbia. Since December 1, 1918, the Vojvodina region is part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After the centuries of living under foreign rule, the Vojvodina Serbs now lived in their own country, together with other Serbs and South Slavs. That marked a new stage in the national development of the Serb people in the Vojvodina region.
The difficult time period for the Serbs in Vojvodina was a World War II and the Axis occupation (1941-1944), when Vojvodina region was held by the German, Hungarian and Croatian occupation forces. The occupying powers committed numerous crimes against the ethnic Serb population in the region. It is estimated that during the occupation, about 50,000 people in Vojvodina (mostly Serbs and Jews) were murdered, while more than 280,000 people were interned, arrested, violated or tortured.
The Axis occupation ended in 1944 and the autonomous province of Vojvodina (incorporating Srem, Banat, and Bačka) was formed in 1945 as a part of Serbia. The province was created as a territorial autonomy for all peoples who live in it, with the significant role of the Serbs, who were ethnic majority in the province.
Culture of Serbs in Vojvodina
Serb monasteries in Srem
There are as many as seventeen Serb Orthodox monasteries located in the Srem region. Most of them are located on Fruška Gora mountain, except the Fenek monastery, which is located near the Sava river. According to the historical data, these monastery communities were historically recorded since the first decades of the 16th century, but the legends relate their founding to the period between the 12th and 15th centuries. In the course of centuries of their existence, these monasteries sustained the spiritual and political life of the Serbian nation. Here is the list of monasteries:
- Beočin - The time of founding is unknown. It is first mentioned in Turkish records dated in 1566/1567.
- Bešenovo - According to the legend, the monastery of Bešenovo was founded by Serbian king Dragutin at the end of the 13th century. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1545.
- Velika Remeta - Traditionally, its founding is linked to the king Dragutin. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1562.
- Vrdnik-Ravanica - The exact time of its founding is unknown. The records indicate that the church was built during the time of Metropolitan Serafim, in the second half of the 16th century.
- Grgeteg - According to tradition the monastery was founded by Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk (despot Vuk Grgurević), in 1471. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1545/1546.
- Divša - It is believed to have been founded by despot Jovan Branković in the late 15th century. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in the second half of the 16th century.
- Jazak - The monastery was founded in 1736.
- Krušedol - The monastery was founded between 1509 and 1516, by bishop Maksim (despot Đorđe Branković) and his mother Angelina.
- Kuveždin - Traditionally, its foundation is ascribed to Stefan Štiljanović. The first reliable records of it are dated in 1566/1569.
- Mala Remeta - The foundation is traditionally ascribed to the Serbian king Dragutin. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in the middle of the 16th century.
- Novo Hopovo - According to tradition, the monastery was built by the Despots of the Branković family. The first reliable mention of monastery is dated in 1641.
- Privina Glava - According to the legends, Privina Glava was founded by a man named Priva, in the 12th century. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1566/1567.
- Petkovica - According to the tradition, founded by the widow of Stefan Štiljanović, despotess Jelena. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1566/1567.
- Rakovac - According to a legend written in 1704, Rakovac is the heritage of a certain man, Raka, courtier of despot Jovan Branković. The legend states that Raka erected the monastery in 1498. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1545/1546.
- Staro Hopovo - According to the tradition, the monastery was founded by bishop Maksim (despot Đorđe Branković). The reliable data about the monastery date back to 1545/1546.
- Šišatovac - The foundation of the Monastery is ascribed to the refugee monks from the Serbian monastery of Žiča. The reliable facts illustrating the life of the monastery date back from the mid 16th century.
- Fenek - According to tradition, the founders of Monastery were Stefan and Angelina Branković, in the second half of the 15th century. The earliest historical records about the Monastery are dated in 1563.
Serb monasteries in Bačka
- Kovilj monastery in Novi Sad municipality. The monastery was reconstructed in 1705-1707. According to the legend, the monastery of Kovilj was founded by the first Serb archbishop Saint Sava in the 13th century.
- Bođani monastery in Bač municipality. It was founded in 1478.
- Sombor monastery in Sombor municipality. It was founded in 1928-1933.
Serb monasteries in Banat
- Mesić monastery in Vršac municipality. It was founded in the 15th century.
- Vojilovica monastery in Pančevo municipality. It was founded during the time of despot Stefan Lazarević (1374-1427).
According to one historical record from 1543, there were 17 Serb monasteries in the Banat region in that time.
Important Serb cultural institutions in Vojvodina
- Matica Srpska, the oldest cultural-scientific institution of Serbs. It was founded in 1826 in Budapest and moved to Novi Sad in 1864.
- Serbian National Theatre, the oldest professional theatre among Serbs and South Slavs. It was founded in 1861 in Novi Sad.