Habsburg-occupied Serbia Habsburgisch besetztes Serbien (German) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1686–1699 | |||||||||||
| Status | Territory of theHabsburg monarchy | ||||||||||
| Capital | Belgrade | ||||||||||
| Common languages | Serbian,German | ||||||||||
| Religion | |||||||||||
| Government | Military administration | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern period | ||||||||||
• Habsburg occupation | 1686 | ||||||||||
| 1683–1699 | |||||||||||
| 1699 | |||||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | RS | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Habsburg-occupied Serbia refers to the period between 1686 and 1699 of theGreat Turkish War, during which various regions of present-daySerbia (which werede jureOttoman territory) were occupied by theHabsburg monarchy. In those regions, Habsburg authorities have established various forms of provisional military administration, including the newly organizedSerbian Militia. By theTreaty of Karlowitz in 1699, some of those regions remained under the permanent Habsburg rule, while others were returned to the Ottoman Empire.[1]
In 1683, theGreat Vienna War broke out between theOttoman Empire and theHabsburg monarchy. After the victory in theSiege of Buda (1686), Habsburg forces continued their advance towards south, forcing Ottomans to retreat from theOttoman Hungary and neighboring regions. At the same time, localSerbs, who were Christians, formed theSerbian Militia and joined with Habsburg forces against Ottomans, driving them out (fully or partially) from regions ofBačka,Banat andSyrmia (corresponding to modernVojvodina, in Serbia).[2]
In 1688, the Habsburg forces organized a further offensive intoOttoman Serbia, by crossing riversSava andDanube. Concurrently, theSerbian Militia operated throughout regions ofŠumadija andRaška in central Serbia. After the victory in theSiege of Belgrade (1688), Habsburg forces continued their advance towards south, takingNiš and reachingPrizren andSkopje (1689). The Habsburgs were warmly welcomed by the locals as they saw the Christian troops as liberators. Habsburg-controlled area included much of the territory of present-day Serbia.[2]
In 1690, a full-scale Ottoman counter-offensive was launched, forcing Habsburg commanders and the Serbian Militia to retreat to the north. Ottoman atrocities provoked theGreat Migration of the Serbs,[3] led by Serbian PatriarchArsenije III, who left thePatriarchal Monastery of Peć. Arriving to Belgrade, the patriarch presided an Assembly of Serbian ecclesiastical and military leaders, who met in Belgrade in June 1690 and electedemperor Leopold I asKing of Serbia. The emperor responded in August 1690, by issuing the first privilegial charter to the Serbs, thus recognizing their religious and other rights and liberties.[4]
Ottomans undertook theSiege of Belgrade (1690) and recaptured the city in September 1690,[5] but were stopped at theBattle of Slankamen (1691) inSyrmia.[6]
In 1693, Habsburg forces decided to recapture Belgrade. An Imperial army, led by dukeCharles Eugène de Croÿ, attacked the city andlaid siege, but the Ottoman garrison organized a successful resistance and managed to repel the attack. During the next few years, the Ottomans made several attempts to recapture regions ofSyrmia andBačka, but were finally defeated at theBattle of Senta (1697) (modernSenta, in northern Serbia).[6]
The Habsburg withdrawal from the southern territories of present-day Serbia ran in parallel with theGreat Serbian Migrations into the northern regions, remaining within theHabsburg monarchy. The war ended with theTreaty of Karlowitz in 1699 (signed inSremski Karlovci in present-day northernSerbia), under which the territory of present-day Serbia was divided between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Monarchy. According to the Treaty, most of the territory of present-day Serbia remained within the Ottoman Empire, while the region of Bačka and part of the region ofSyrmia were assigned to the Habsburg Monarchy.[2]
The main Habsburg commanders in charge of operations on the territory of present-day Serbia were:
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