T H E B A NAT

- an d t h e s er b o r o u man ian fr o n t ier p r o b l e m .

Th e is the strip of territory bounded by t a T is za th e W he D nube in the South , the in est , th e Mare s in the North and the C arpathians in

l m 1 71 8 i . . . ame o n e he East The n dates y fro , Peace of Pas s aro v its (Po zar' e v ats ) or

a ro v in ce W by which Austri acquired the p z hich

n ev ern b e fo re o n e m v u had been ad inistrati e nit ,

fro m the T urk s t Until then and for many cen tu ries the lowlands had been regarded as sepa

fro m th e mo un t ain i o us - rate district , now known

o mi at Kras s o - z r as the C t (county) of S e en y . In i 3 th u IV o a the Cent ry , King Bela f Hung ry fo rmed t h e e astern district into the Banat of K S ev erin and entruste d the pro vince to the Knights of the Order of the S t . John for t h e purpose of e t t u m 3\ d fending he frontier against he K ans and i Bul ars . o 4t h 1 5th l b g Through ut the and centu ries the Banat of Se verin existed as a frontier

province bordering on the Turkish Empire . ' ro m th e 1 2th i 4th u t h e to the cent ry , low , level part of t h e Banat was divided into counti es

d T m ve Csana , orontal , Horo , Ke h and Temes . Some of t e l o cal counts (comi tes) disting uished th emselves in the wars agains t t u s O a Hu he T rk , notably Pipo de zor , John n yadi and count Paul Bran ko v it ch : E ventually s c everal adj a ent districts ( Horom , Keve and T o or ntal) were placed under one count , for the

o a u r s purp se of better defence gainst the T k , and in the reign of King Mathias I (1 458- 1 490) we fi n d the ce ntral and western part of t h e Banat referre d to as t h e Cap i t an eatus p ar ti am r e n i in e r i o r um o r a t D a g f , still l ter , as he cate d i T e mis v ar or Pro v mtia de Temisvar

Under t h e T urks (1 552 - 1 71 6) the we stern and central di s tricts of t h e Banat were un l te d under t e o f Vil a e t e f m va he nam the y Te es r , while the

' e as te rn part retained its statuts as a separate

tu n t t a a province . This part was r ed in o he B n t

Lu o s u 1 658 u e v t of g , and ntil r l d o er by he Prin ces of Transylvania as a province trib utary

58 e to the T urkish E mpire . In 1 6 parts of it wer incorpora t ed with the Vilay e t of Te mesvar . When the A us trians gained possession of

a 1 71 8 t e m it th e Ban t in , hey r na ed after the

me c t t h e a o Vilayet of Te svar , alling i Ban t f

m s h a a t a a Te e , to w ich were dded p r s of the B n t ' o f Lu . t e t Kras s o gos , viz he pres nt dis rict of

S zoreny . The n e w Austrian province was pre s en t ly given a military organisation under a

governor with Teme s var as t h e oapi tal . B ut t h e military administration of the uni te d Banat

‘ - 1 was only short lived . I n 751 the north e rn a t e m t p r s were giv n civil ad inistra ion , while

the - sou th remaine d u nder mili tary au thori ty 1 fo rming a kind of military frontier . In 773 t h e Southern Ban at was de fin it e ly constitute d the Serbian Military ' rontier (C o n fin s mili taire s ) while th e we s tern forme d the au tonomous Ser h bian county of . T e northern Banat w as incorpora ted wi th Hungary in 1 779 and

div ide d i n t o f u u s . t me o r co nti , viz Toron al , Te s , K ras s o and Szoreny ' but t h e mil itary frontier

e n 1 873 an d t t remained in b ing u til , the dis ric o f Kikinda u n til 1 874 wh e n they were in co rp o Th rated wi t h cou nty of Torontal . us th e B an at was n e ve r un i t ed un d er o n e mil it ar y an d j udi T m c ial ad mi n is t r at io n . h e eas ter n o un ta in o us

d is t r i c ts we r e al way s un der a s ep ar ate ad mi n is

t rat io n bo th mil i tar an d ud icial co n t r o l l ed , y j ,

l a as is t i r r o m Tr an s v an i d n ct o m th e l a i n s . f y , f p The county of Torontal h as an ar e a of

t o f T e me s 7 43 3 Kras s o S o e S . q km tha , , z r ny the total area of th e t h ree c ountie s n . a bei g eg . km The eastern p rt of the

Banat i s mo un t ain i o u s and of the same cha t rac te r as Transylvania . The m ai n slope . is

‘ we s tward with the result that all th e rivers o f t M m a he Banat ( aros , Begej , Te es , Brz va ,

i . . eto . fl o w a e t Karas , ) in th t direction , hey converge towards Belgrade and the line of the m Mora va and Vardar valleys . The cli ate of

o n the p l ains resemble s th at of the Alf ld . I

s u other word , a hot summer is q ickly followed m by a very cold a utu mn . The cli ate of the

T e eastern p arts is more equable . h central and western district of the Banat and those adjoining the Backa are th e most fertile in

H ungary A : T h e e astern hill s are rich in mine

a c a . r ls (coal , cop per , and espe i lly i ron ore) There are th ree free Royal boroughs in th e

l ibe r ate ci v i tates r e iae Pan t oh e v o Banat ( g ) ,

w t e a Ve rs et z ( i h a mainly S rbi n population) , (seat of a n orthodox bishop) and Temes var (also the se at of a Serbi an o rth o dox bishop) . ' i ve cities in the province have their o wn

‘ c u B et oh k e rek ma t o rts , ( Serbian j ori y) , Kikind a (Serbian maj ori ty) Bel a Crkva (Weiss

m m Karan s e b es z Ro u kirchen , Ger an aj ority) , ( manian m aj ority) and Lugos (Ruman ian majo rity) . The counties are subdivided into dis t rio t s 1 4 m 1 1 Kras s o , Torontal into , Te es into , e t 1 4 m a 3 9 Szor ny in o , aking total of dis

‘

t rict s .

D iffe r e n t Nat io n al it ie s i n t h e Ban at,

f 1 r bs . e s r r . S e O all the nationaliti ep e

- d a a t h sented to y in the Ban t , he ave

be e n there longest . They settl e d th ere as early as the oth c e ntu ry at the time of their migration from their original home beyond the C a rpathi ans ' and maintain e d th e msel ve s

‘ s s in pite of invasions by Avar , Bulgars and u b u a fin al l y M agyars who s J g t ed the S e rbs (o r

a ts 1 0 th Jugosl vs) of those par in the century . The Serbian in fl ue n ce was very gre a t in t h e

t 1 1 th an d 1 2th Banat during he centuri es . Towards t he en d of the 1 4th century t h e Ser bian e le ment w as gr e atly re inforce d by Bal kan Serbs co mpelled to emigrat e by the Tur

kish conq uest of the Peninsul a . D uring the c o u rse of the 1 5t h c entury Sou th H ungary ' e e s m and sp cially Torontal , was yste atically coloni zed by t h e Serbian De s pots (prince s )

L azar e v i t c h a B ran k o v it o h Stephan nd George ,

c m who were lords of the ounty at t hat ti e . D uring the latter h alf of the 1 5th c e ntury the H u n garian Serbs rallied round the Serbi an — 6

s s wh o co n fi rme d De pot , were in their dignity 1 471 in by King Mathias I of Hungary . In a t t u 1 483 let er written o Pope Sixt s IV in , King M athias states that Serbs had migra ted to H ungary d uring the years betwe en 1 479 1 483 and .

Most of these Serbs settled i n the Ba n at . During the c ours e of the 1 6 th century the se i mmigrations as s umed fi fo r greater p roportion s . T h e magyar i n habitants fl e d north before the

Turks . Under t h e T urks Serb s cons titute d t h e ’ s o l e integral ethnic community w t t in the central and es ern Bana , as may be se en from th e T urkish register s of taxpayers and from the topography of the country . In a contemporary Hungarian document th e B an at

S a - O rs za is poken of R cz g , the land of Rascia , meaning the land of the S erbs (Ras c ia being t h e n m a Old m s of t h e 1 6 th old a e for Serbi ) , ape

1 7th een turv L n T s ern in Cl u until ( azi s , g and

i n s v er us ) call this country Ras eia . I th e letter of ' erencz II Rakoczy written in the beginn ings of t he 1 8 th century t his co untry i s

m e Raozo rs za t e b t . no inat d g , he S r ian coun ry According to t h e Hungarian historian Szent k laray there were four S e rbian bishoprics in th u m n t e Banat under the T rkish do i a ion , all of them under th e ecc lesiasti c j u risdi cti on of th e

t e Pee 1 7 e mo n as t ri es Pa riarchat of and S rbian ,

t e m u e m . t most of h in the co ntry of T es , he

S e s founda tions of rbi an d espot and n obles . Th is state of affairs con t inued in western and central Banat even u nder Austrian rul e for a

o t an d t t t l ng ime , tha in spite of he colonisa ion by German and Magyar settlers . At th e great National Diet of Temesvar in 1 790 the Serbs req uested t h e Emperor Leop o ld to con s titute the western and central part of the Banat an autonomous prov ince under his

S o n Alexander . In spite of promise s from

n n v s s Vie a howe er , the wi hes of the Serb l l ma un fulfil ed . O u re ined nly m ch ater , in 1 848 was the Banat i n corporated with the S erbi an (Duchy) with Teme s v ar as 1 874 the capital . When in the B anat was defi n itel o a e H y inc rpor t d with ungary , the Serbs still constitute d the mo s t ' impo rtan t ethni c com

B eh k r k muni ty in the province . It was at e e e t 1 868 S Mil etiteh in Torontal hat in Dr . vetozar put forward , the poli ti cal programme of the 1 884 t h i s ro ramme Serbs in Hungary , and in p g

mo difie d o it o f was at Kikinda , an ther c y the

Ban at . To Serbian literature the Ban at has given the great ph ilosopher D o s ith eus Ob rado — 8 v it eh G ura J aks h itoh a o , the poets j nd J van

ov a firs t m S a a Pop itch , lso the odern erbi n p in

Jo v an o v itoh an d U ro s h Predit ch tors , Pavle ,

h e firs t m s a o t odern hi torian , George Br nk

Vit oh fin all o — e s , and y the w rld renown d phy icist

- ' Michael Pupin , Professor in New ork , and

Marshal Radomi r Putnik .

R uman i n s a . According to Constantine

Ji re oek s t v , profes or of history at he Uni ersity

t s of Vienna , and one of the greatest au horitie o n L m the atin element in the Balkans , the Ru a ‘ ’ h ians ar e not descended from Traj an s colonists

b u t e ou e in Dacia , are indig n s Balkan peopl , m a a a This theory is shared by Ger an , M gy r nd

Rus s mn schol ars . ' rom the Balkans the R u manes migrated t o Vall aoh i a and T ran s yl v ama during the course of the 1 1 th and 1 2 t h centu ries ' they madetheir appearanc e in the eastern Banat (coun ty of Kras s o Szoreny) in the 1 3 th e t u w c ntury , and in he cent ries that follo ed made their way gradually into the hilly regions o f the present county of Temes . It was no t until the twen t ies of the 1 8th centuries th at the Rumanian began to people the lowlands of the

Banat . Throughout the Middle Ages and under the Turkish domination th e Ru manians did no t \ ‘ ‘ play an important political role . Unde r Aus t u 1 864 Ruman es at rian r le , up to , the of the Ban . an d Transylvani a were under the e cclesi astic jurisdiction of the Serbian Archbishop of Kar

l ovo i in Srem () . Not a single monas t ry owes i ts foundati o n to the Humanes of the

a a o a c o B n t , n r h ve they produ ed a single pers n al ity of note in R umani an science and li t tera

ture . ' rom the v er y fi rs t the Rumanians there ave n a m t h bee landless people , as ost of hem a o w S 77h 502 r t this day , hile the erbs own hect ar of land in the weste rn and central Banat a t m a alone , par fro property held by Serbi n

church p arishes and other communi ti e s .

‘ m n a Ger a s . When Austria cquired the Banat her sovereigns at once inaugu rat e d the systematic colonisation b y German s of th e

western and cen tral parts of the Province . This colonisation was pa rticularly acti ve d uring

the reign of the E mpress Maria - Theresa (1 740 when large numbers of Germans from

t n a he Rhine Province , Maye ce , Cologne , B den

and Hesse emigrated to the Banat .

M agy ar colonies are of even 1 0

“ m t o i t n n in t h e a ore recen r gin ha Germa B nat , th e t e h m 1 790 . oldes being Rittb rg , whic dates fro

C o l o n is at io n ' b ecame more active between 1 840 a 1 847 1 867 a ar i nd , and since it h s been c r e d ou t systematically .

- / z - re Cz ech o S l o va cs . The C e ch o Slovaks a co mp arat iv e l v mode rn s e tl e rs in th e Banat , th e l r oldest se ttlement s have be e n fo unded

2 - between 1 8 3 1 83 0 . Czech settlements are to b e fo und in the Moldav a dis trict (county of Kras s o

S zoreny) .

'

B ulgar s . These number several thous an d t o a and are o be found in the localities f Ving , m u o vo Te esrekas (co nty f Temes) , Beseno

o o a a e (c unty of Tor ntal) , likewise in K r nseb s

O . 1 73 7 and rs a va They settled in the Banat in .

Numer i cal p r op o r tio n o] th e n at io n al ities i n th n n ffi e B a at . Accordi n g to the H u gari an o cial c n a ab o e e sus returns , the M gyars are in s lut maj ority in the borough of Turkish Kanisha

‘ o o - Kan is za 52 o the (T r k ) , where per cent f population are M agyars as against 3 6 per cen t m Serbs . In the county of Torontal the Ru a n ian s are in absolute majority only in the d is t rict n 51 r S e s of Alibunar , Ruma ians pe cent , rb 40 G m s ab s o per cent , while the er an are in lute m ajority (in thi s cou nty) in the districts of Cze n e m s 53 1 9 e r y (Ger an per cent , Serbs p Pe r amo s e m s 55 S b cent) , y (G r an per cent ' er s ,

1 1 t Zs o rn b o l e m s per cen ) , y or Hatzf ld (Ger an

54 per c ent ' Serbs 8 per cent) . The Serb s are in the majority in the co u nty of T o ro n tal in th e k to Pan tch ev o Beczk e re an d . wns of , , Kikinda In the county of Temes t he Serbs are in absolute majority in the district of Bel a Crkva

57 u 22 e r (Serbs, per cent ' R manians , p cent) and almos t in ab s ol ute maj ority in that part o f (Serbs 48 p er cent ' Rumanians 1 6 pe r

t me c mo s t cent) , while he nu ri al proportion is al

u Vrch atz u th e eq al in the district of , incl ding town of that name which is the seat of th e T m Serbian bishop . h e Germans are in aj ority in the distri c ts of Ko zpon ti (49 pe r ce nt) and 56 th e o f Novi Arad ( per cent) , and in towns a V r T h R u c h atz v . e Bel Crkva , and Temes ar man i an s are in absolute majority i n th e

s c u 64 e r e Czak o v o 57 e r di tri ts of B zias ( p c nt) , ( p c L 61 a d s ent), ipova ( per cent) n Temes Reka 5 (5 per cent) . In no di s tri c t ar e the Magya rs in the majority . — In the cou nty of Kras so Szoreny the Serb s — and C zech o Slovak s together co n stitute the t t l t majori y only in the distric of Mo dava , he s outhern most part of the c ounty . Thus th e county of Torontal and the s o u t h e rn parts of th e c ou nty of Temes are both t b u t it v diffi e hnically Serbian , would be ery cult matter to draw th e l in e of demarcation between Rumania and Jugoslavi a solely on the ethnical principl e . A line drawn on this prin cipl e al one wou ld mean der through the pl ains an d deprive th e Jugo s l av State of an important a c mm a - me rtery of o unication , viz . the Ar d Te s

- var Ban as line . Not only wou ld the capital of

a e h e e b ut th e Serbia , Belgr de , be expos d r by ,

' whole northern fro n tiei of Serbia . At the time of th e German- Austrian offensive in the autumn

1 9 1 5 e e a m of , the S rbs realized th e gr t i portance

t Beczk e rek - Pan t ch ev o e of the hree lines , P trovo

—Ko v m em — a c k Selo and T esvar B zias , whi h s irt ’ Serbia s northern frontier . The slope of the land in Serbia is northward with th e result tha t d u ring pa s t centuries the country w as almost liabl e to attacks from the neighbo uri ng Ki n g

d o m o . a e f Hungary This d ng r still persists , because of the German de sire to penetrat e into t h e — t a Morava Vardar valley owards S lonica , respectively Constantinople . Hence it is necas s ary for the s ake of prot e ction to let the Balkan — I 3

t a ov S ate of the Serbs , Croats nd Sl enes extend as fa r to the no rth a s possible : In this di rec ti on the ri ver Maros (Morish) is the natura l frontier . But the Jugoslav State also needs an adequate eastern frontier where it will bo rder

o u a a a s up n the fut re Gre t Rum nia , which spire

a Do b rud a to the Bukovin , Bessarabia and j ,

es va Kriz h an a an d b ides Transyl nia , Mara

‘ rn r e u es h . The best fronti r line would be that whi ch at present di vides the county o f Kras s o from Rumani a and the county of H unyadi in

Transylvania . B ut as the Rumanians consti ' u t o al a Kr as s o - o e t te he nati n m jority in Sz r ny , t h e o t fr ntier will have to be shifted farther wes , so as to run p arallel with th e ridge of moun tains w hich at present m arks the frontier be t

Kr ween the county of as s o and Rum ania .

h e a a s T line should st rt below Kaz n , then cros th e fi rs t a o e a ridge , in n rth rly and then in n o h w t o n u a L rt es erly directi , ntil it re ches ippa

v e o n the M aros . Thus Jugosla ia would h av the entire basin of the Karas and Ne ra a s a a Kras s o s igned to her , nd lso the Serbs of and the Black ' orest of the Banat to the north . east of Temesv ar .

‘ It should not be ove rlooked th at if th e

a a a o a a s Rum nians re lise their n ti n l aspir tion , 1 4 thei r frOn t-lers will in any case in clude close u po n three millio n subj ects of alien n at i o n a l ities a f ff , and they c n there ore well a ord to reno unce the two hundred thousand Rumani an peas ant s in t he c o un ty of Toro n tal e t Temes who are not at all s e t upon union wi th R uma

ia t l a t un fav o u n , as hey are wel ware of he

e rable conditions for the p asantry there . As r m egards the Ger ans and Magyars , they would if they were g iven the choice prefer

t u ma c e t Serbia o R nia , as was re n ly shown at t s e m e an d m a heir a s bl s at Te esv r , where the Germans an d Magyars e xpress ed

t is e ff t . heir w hes to this ec The Jews , who e mm i t m f have a larg co un y in Te esvar , avour

S a i t t u t th e s erbi , because n ha co n ry Jew enj oy

a c . full civil nd politi al rights , whereas in

m n Ru ania they do o t .

n n n Eco o mic Co s id er at io s . The plain s of t h e t m t t Bana , which for part of he grea Panno n s m t ian ba in , is econo ically linked wi h Bel

- , u Wi t h t h e . M v a g rade and , th s ora a Vard r l v alleys . A l the r i ve rs of the Banat are tribu

a o f t Da s a t t ries he nube or the Ti za , nd herefore

' lik e t h e s ave and the Drave converge t s a e th e n a oward Belgr d . The railways of Ba t — 1 5

i likewise follow this direction . Belgrade s therefore t h e ' g reat empori u m for the so uthern a t s t p r of the Pannonian ba in (the Bana , a m m t o Bachk , Syr ia or Sre , Slavonia) , he pr

c u t r d ucts of whi h are bo nd by rail , or wa e ei ther for Saloni c a via the vall eys of t h e o av Vi a a M r a and Vardar , or to Rijek

' u o r S l e t t . ( i me) , via Bosnia to p i (Spala o) B f War e ore the world , Serbia exported a great t deal of h er c e real prod uce . Uni ted wi h Mo n t e n e ro a g , D lmatia , Bosnia and Hercegovina , s h e o ut will not be able te exp rt in the f ure , ‘ b u t only j ust b e able to su pply the ba rre n and improductive of the Jugoslav l ands . I t i s therefore not only just b ut ' ab s o l u t e ly ne cessary from the econo mical point of View that the plain s and cen tral part of t h e Banat should a t form part of the St te of he Serbs , Croats and

S lovenes .

Rum an iad o e s t t e t no s and in n ed of the Bana , as s h e herself is one of the greatest granari es

- of Europ e . Her res ou rce s as a grain prod a c ing co untry will even b e incre ased by the acqui s iti on of p arts of eastern H ungary an d

Bessarabia . It would s pell e conomic ruin for

m c the Banat , which is econo i ally linked with

' t - a v t h e to he Morava V rdar alleys and Adriatic , be united with Rumania , Cu t o ff from that kingdom by a range of high mo untains an d a only poorly connected with it by road or r il , o t e mm a m a pr ducing he sam co odities s Ru ani , the Banat would soon sink into i n el gmfi can ce without any prospect of improvement in the future. ' i mi o e nally , in deter ning the future fr n ti r

Ru rnan ia o between Serbia and it should als . be taken into accoun t how much these two coun tries have staked and s ac rificed in order to help to secu re an Allied V ictory in this war ' et in this re s pect it is s upe rfl uo us to draw a comp a

o n um w h o o in tl ris between R ania and Serbia , j y ‘ wi th the J ugo s l av s co n t ri b ut ed greatly in 1 91 8 to t h e defeat of B ulgaria and thus to the rapid debacle of the Central Powe rs .

' ovan RAD O NI T C H .

P r o es s o r o h e Un i er i l f f t e s t y of B e gr ad e .

— I PA L D UPONT . P aris . , mp . U (CL)