Pregledni rad
Soldiers from Herzegovina in the Venetian Army Units (the Eighteenth Century )
Lovorka Čoralić
orcid.org/0000-0002-9333-7221
; Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb
Sažetak
During the Early Modern Period, and particularly during the Veneto-
Ottoman wars of the 17th and 18th century, the backbone of the Venetian
trans-Adriatic army forces was formed by the units called the Fanti oltramarini
and the Croati a cavallo. Their military complement consisted
in the first place of soldiers and officers originating from the Venetian
territories from Istria to Albania and Greece, but the cases of participation
of soldiers coming from other areas, mostly those neighbouring the
Republic of Venice. One such case is that of the soldiers from Herzegovina,
who served in Venetian army units during the eighteenth century,
particularly in the first half of that century, which is during the Small or
the Second War of Morea (1714-1718). According to the hitherto conducted
research into the sources kept in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia
(archival series of the Inquisitori sopra l’amministrazione dei pubblici
ruoli), there were 32 soldiers from Herzegovina in Venetian infantry and
cavalry units, who mostly came from Mostar and Trebinje. In most cases
they were ordinary soldiers, and only in a few cases, junior officers
(sergeant, corporals) were also recorded. Regiments and companies in
which the soldiers from Herzegovina operated were commanded in the
first places by the officers from Dalmatia and Boka, in most cases the
scions of noble families providing the Serenissima with high officers for
centuries. Such units were garrisoned alongside Venetian East-Adriatic
possessions (Istria, Dalmatia, Boka), as well as in the urban settlements
and fortresses in Veneto. According to the available data, the average
soldier from Herzegovina in the Venetian Army in the 18th century was
an infantryman 23 years old or a cavalryman in his thirties, brown- or
black-haired, medium height, who served in that army for ten and more
years, particularly if he served during the war or immediately after it.
It may be concluded that total number of soldiers from Herzegovina
in Venetian military units was not high, especially if it is compared to
different regions of Dalmatia (Zadar, Šibenik, Split and their hinterland)
and Boka (Kotor and its district) which were from the beginning of the
fifteenth century within the scope of the Republic of St. Mark. However,
if it is compared to the number of soldiers originating from the Croatian
areas which were not part of the Venetian dominion, it may be seen that
their number, particularly in the 18th century, is still worth of research
attention and scholarly analysis. Of course, some future research will
certainly add some new names to the list of the soldiers from Herzegovina
serving in the Venetian army, but it is very unlikely that it will
seriously alter the picture depicted here.
Ključne riječi
Herzegovina; Republic of Venice; military history; history of the 18th century
Hrčak ID:
227767
URI
Datum izdavanja:
11.12.2013.
Posjeta: 1.234 *