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***** 9.0. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BANAT *****



Latest Update: 11 March 1997 (Links updated)

***** 9.0. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BANAT *****
keyword: FindBanat

The following sketches Banat history in brief. For a more comprehensive account, retrieve the faq "banat.history" (28K) by sending mail to majordomo@sierra.net with the message body

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Prior to 1526, when the Ottoman Empire defeated Hungary at the battle of Mohacs, there were several Banats. These were districts ruled by an official known as a Ban. The most common use of the term, though, is The Banat of Temesvar, which, oddly enough, was never administered by a Ban. Ruled by the Ottomans from 1552 until 1716, it was then conquered by the Habsburg armies led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, and officially transferred to Austria by the Treaty of Passarowitz/Pozarevac in 1718.

During the years of Ottoman rule, the area was largely depopulated and had a large proportion of marshland. Count Mercy was appointed governor in 1720 and started the process of turning the Banat into a settled agricultural region. In 1779 the Banat was transferred to Hungarian rule. From 1848 to 1860 the Banat and the Batschka were ruled directly by the crown. From 1860 until 1919 the Banat was formally a part of Hungary.

Presumably, since you're attracted to this list, you have determined that your ancestors were Donauschwaben (German-speaking) immigrants to the Hungarian area of the Habsburg Empire. Between 1722 and 1787, many skilled settlers were recruited from Habsburg domains in the Holy Roman Empire to populate the newly-gained lands. The first settlers came primarily from Swabia, hence the term Donauschwaben.

Immigration occurred sporadically after that time, and the original "Schwabenzuege" also included French-, Italian-, and Spanish-speaking immigrants. The first two "Schwabenzugs" were restricted to Roman Catholics, but the third was also open to Protestants. Emperor Josef II had granted freedom of religion in the Habsburg Empire by that time.

The early immigrants were recruited and given travel stipends and loans for seeds, implements, and tools, and were apportioned houses in master-planned villages. Fields were allotted in farmlands surrounding the villages. Freedom from serfdom, initial exemption from taxes, uncrowded land, startup help, and association with the Habsburgs were the lures for immigration to a frontier region which was beset by border wars, marshland, and illness. To put things in perspective, the Banat was still a frontier region in Europe at the time of the American Revolution.

The immigration of the "Swabians", along with the settlement of the Military Frontier by Serbs recruited for settlement and military service, populated a border region recently won from a perennial foe.


***** 9.1 RECOMMENDED HISTORY READING *****
keyword: FindHistory

An excellent capsule history of the "Great Swabian Trek" in English is available in Volume 8, Number 1, 1st Quarter of the German Genealogical Digest. Subscriptions and back issues are available at: 245 North Vine, #106 Salt Lake City, Utah 84103 Back issues and subscriptions are available at this address.

This issue also includes a list of the microfilmed church records for villages in Yugoslavia. Volume VII, Number 2 (2nd Quarter, 1991) of the Digest has a list of Ortssippenbuecher. These are compilations of community parish registers linking families and generations.

Banat Germans, The by Nikolaus Engelmann, translated by John Michels University of Mary Press Bismarck, North Dakota (701) 255-7500 -- ask for the public relations department. NOTE: there is an 800 number, try 800 directory assistance. An excellent overview of Banat customs and history and is available in English. Most of the book covers the portion of the Banat currently in Romania, but the customs and historical flavor applies to the whole of the region.

Danube Swabians, The by Paikert, Geza C. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1967. The definitive work on the Donauschwaben, worth borrowing on inter-library loan if necessary.

German-Hungarian Relations and the Swabian Problem by Spira, Thomas. Eastern European Quarterly. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1977.

Hungary in the Eighteenth Centuryby Marczali, Henry. Introductory essay by Harold V. Temperly. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1910, reprinted by Arno Press, 1971. Excellent resource on the settlement and development of the Banat.
Journey to Johannesfeld (in October 1988) and And So We Meet (Germany in the Spring of 1990) by Sue Clarkson. Please note these both are copyrighted and published by Frank Schmidt of Heimat Publishers of Scarborough, Canada. They are reprinted here with his permission under this original copyright.

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