New Serbia or Novoserbia was a frontier region of Imperial Russia settled in 1752 by Serbian immigrants from the Military Frontier in the south of the Habsburg monarchy. It was situated in New Russia. From 1752 to 1764, it was subordinated directly to the Governing Senate and Military Collegium. In 1764, the territory became part of the New Russia Governorate.

Unlike serfs, Eastern Orthodox Serbs in the Frontier had enjoyed substantial levels of autonomy in exchange for providing soldiers to fight against the Ottoman Empire. This had been granted in multiple documents, starting with Statuta Valachorum, but was gradually eliminated by the creation of the centralized modern state.

Part of the Military Frontier was demilitarized in 1751, and many Serbs in that region objected to the resulting loss of privileges. Under a compromise reached after riots, some would be transferred to the Banat Military Frontier, while those who would remain in the region would get provincial status with preservation of religious autonomy.

Jovan Horvat was a leader of a group which rejected this compromise. Horvat proposed instead that they emigrate to Russia, where they would become military colonists in land recently captured from Ottoman Turkey. This idea was enthusiastically supported by Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia. It was the first centrally planned settlement of the southern steppe which led to deterioration of Russian relations with Habsburg monarchy and Ottoman Empire and crystallization of the key features of the future Eastern Question.

The region was mostly in the territory of present-day Kirovohrad Oblast of Ukraine, although some parts were in present-day Cherkasy Oblast, Poltava Oblast, and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The administrative centre of New Serbia was Novomirgorod (literally "New Mirgorod"), which is now Novomyrhorod, Ukraine.

History The Russian state was able to secure a large part of the territory of modern Ukraine through the 1667 Truce of Andrusovo and the 1686 Treaty of Perpetual Peace with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Until 1764–1775, the territory had an autonomous local government with limited sovereignty, the Cossack Hetmanate.

In 1751 (or 1750 according to some sources) the Russian envoy in Vienna Count Mikhail Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin was contacted by Jovan Horvat, a colonel of the Austrian military, with a request to allow him and other Serbs to resettle in the Russian Empire. They were Granichary (Grenz infantry) that used to protect the Austrian Military Frontier from the Ottoman Turks.

Russian authorities gave these Serbian settlers a land, which thus acquired its name, New Serbia soon after the War of the Austrian Succession. Like the Austrian Military Frontier, New Serbia was organized into a military province located on the Russian-Polish border and on the land of the Zaporizhian Sich. The purpose of the polity was to protect the southern borders of the Russian Empire and to participate in Russian military operations near that region. The commandant of New Serbia was Jovan Horvat who vouched for his subordinates the Austrian Grenz infantry. The largest number of settlers came from the Serbian Hussar Regiment because of its military merits. This unit had the same task as the Cossacks from Zaporozhye – the protection of the border area.

Demographics Before the formation of New Serbia, its territory included 3,710 houses of settlers from the Hetmanate, Slobozhanshchina and Zaporizhia, 643 houses of native inhabitants and 195 houses of Ukrainian settlers from Poland and Moldavia. According to the memoirs of Serbian soldier and settler Aleksandar Piščević (Simeon Piščević's relative), their neighbors were Russians. When New Serbia was formed, the Russian senate ordered that all these settlers, except native inhabitants, must return to the places where they had previously lived.

After the formation of New Serbia, its initial new settlers were Serbs. Still, also many Moldavians and other Romanians (Mocani from Transylvania), Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, and others settled in the area.

Some of the original Ukrainian settlers who left the territory of New Serbia settled in the southern regions of modern-day Ukraine. In 1745, before the formation of New Serbia, its territory was populated by 9,660 inhabitants, while in 1754, the number of inhabitants was 3,989.

Because of the large number of Moldavian settlers, the largest ethnic group in the province in 1757 was not Serbs, but Moldavians.Olga M. Posunjko, Istorija Nove Srbije i Slavenosrbije, Novi Sad, 2002, page 36. In 1757, the population of New Serbia numbered 5,482 inhabitants, including:Olga M. Posunjko, Istorija Nove Srbije i Slavenosrbije, Novi Sad, 2002, page 36. 75.33% Moldavians 11.56% Serbs 13.11% others

Settlements

Settlements of New Serbia In their new home, Serbs established new settlements, naming them after places in their old home in the Pannonian Plain (in modern-day Serbia, Croatia, Romania and Hungary). Serbs also changed the names of some older settlements, giving them Serbian names. Of the 41 settlements that existed in New Serbia, 26 were founded before arrival of the Serbs.

Older Ukrainian/Russian name (1.) Serbian name from the middle of the 18th century Ukrainian/Russian name from the middle of the 18th century (1.) Newer or modern Ukrainian/Russian name (1.) Skaleva Semlac (2.) Semlik Skaleva - Novoarhangelsk / Arhangelsk Novoarkhanhelsk / Novoarkhangelysk Novoarkhanhelsk / Novoarkhangelsk Hanivka Kalniblat / Kalnibolot Kalnybolot / Kalynibolot Kalnybolota - Nadlac (2.) Nadlak Nadlak Davydivka / Davidovka Petrovo Ostrovo / Petro-Ostrov (2.) Petroostriv Petroostriv Korobchyne / Korobchino Pečka (2.) Bechka Tresiahy / Trisyaga Novomirgorod / Novi Mirgorod Novomyrhorod / Novomirgorod Novomyrhorod / Novomirgorod Yaremyn Bairak / Yermina Balka Martonoš (2.) Martonosh Martonosha Vilkhuvatka / Olykhovatka Pančevo (2.) Pancheve / Panchevo Pancheve Try Bairaky / Tri Bayraki Kanjiža (2.) Kanizh Kanizh Mohyliv / Mogilovo Senta (2.) Senta Mohyliv / Rodnykivka - Vukovar (2.) Vukovar Bukvarka - Feldvar / Fedvar (2.) Fedvar Pidlisne Mala Adzhamka Subotica (2.) Subotets / Subotitsa Subottsi Nekrasivska Mošorin (2.) Moshoryn / Moshorin Moshoryne - Cibuljev / Cibulev Tsybuliv / Tsibuliv Tsybuleve - Dmitrovka Dmytrivka / Dmitrivka Dykivka Sombor (2.) Sombor Dykivka Protopopivka Varaždin (2.) Vorozhdyn / Varazhdin Protopopivka Usivka Bečej (2.) Becha Usivka (now Oleksandriia) - Glinsk Hlynsk / Glinsk Hlynsk / Glinsk Pantaziivka Jenova Yaniv Ivanivka - Mandorlak (2.) Mandorlak - Kosivka Glogovac (2.) Hlohovats / Glogovats Kosivka Butivka Pavliš (2.) Plavysh / Pavlish Pavlysh - Piljužnica Pilazhnytsia / Pilazhnitsa - Onufriivka Blagovat Blahovat / Blagovat Onufriivka - Sentomaš/Srbobran(2.) Sentomash - - Kovin (2.) Kovin - - Csanád (2.) Chonad - - Slankamen (2.) Slankamin - Nesterivka Vršac (2.) Vershats Vershatsi Stetsivka Šoljmoš / Šolmoš (2.) Sholmosh Stetsivka Andrusivka Čongrad (2.) Chonhrad / Chongrad Velyka Andrusivka - Krilov Kryliv / Krilov Kryliv - Taburište / Taburino Taburyshche / Taburische Svitlovodsk - Krjukov Kryukiv Kriukiv (now part of Kremenchuk) - Kamjanka / Kamenka Kamianka Kamiani Potoky Plakhtiivka Zemun (2.) Zemun Uspenka Deriivka Vilagoš (2.) Vilahosh / Vilagosh Deriivka - Turija (2.) (3.) Turiia / Turiya Turiia / Turiya

Notes: (1.) Ukrainian and Russian names are given in Latin script transliterations. (2.) These names were brought by Serbs from their old homeland in southern Pannonian Plain. Places with same names are also existing (or existed) in modern-day Serbia (Vojvodina), Croatia, Romania and Hungary. (3.) The Serbian settlement of Turiya (Turija) was located in what sources are describing as a nominal Polish territory. The border between New Serbia and Poland was, however, often disputed and unstable.

Origin of settlement names Places in New Serbia whose names can be also found in the territory of the Pannonian Plain (mostly in Vojvodina and Pomorišje) include: Sombor, named after Sombor in Vojvodina, Serbia Sentomash (Sentomaš), named after Sentomaš, modern Srbobran in Vojvodina, Serbia Slankamin (Slankamen), named after Slankamen in Vojvodina, Serbia Vershats (Vršac), named after Vršac in Vojvodina, Serbia Subotitsa (Subotica), named after Subotica in Vojvodina, Serbia Moshorin (Mošorin), named after Mošorin in Vojvodina, Serbia Senta, named after Senta in Vojvodina, Serbia Kanizh (Kanjiža), named after Kanjiža in Vojvodina, Serbia Martonosh (Martonoš), named after Martonoš in Vojvodina, Serbia Panchevo (Pančevo), named after Pančevo in Vojvodina, Serbia Nadlak, named after Nădlac in Romania Turiya (Turija), named after Turija in Vojvodina, Serbia Vukovar, named after Vukovar in Croatia Fedvar (Feldvar), named after Feldvar/Feldvarac, modern Bačko Gradište in Vojvodina, Serbia Chongrad (Čongrad), named after Csongrád in Hungary Zemun, named after Zemun, today part of Belgrade, in Serbia Varazhdin (Varaždin), named after Varaždin in Croatia Kovin, named after Kovin in Vojvodina, Serbia Vilagosh (Vilagoš), named after Vilagoš, former Serbian name of modern Șiria in Romania Becha (Bečej), named after Bečej in Vojvodina, Serbia Semlik (Semlak), named after Semlac in Romania Petroostriv (Petrovo Ostrovo), named after a place in Romania Bechka (Pečka), named after Pecica in Romania Mandorlak, named after a place in Romania Glogovats (Glogovac), named after Glogovac in Serbia Pavlish (Pavliš), named after Pavliš in Vojvodina, Serbia Chonad (Čanad), named after Cenad in Romania Sholmosh (Šoljmoš), named after Șoimoș in Romania

Gallery

See also Slavo-Serbia Jovan Šević Jovan Albanez Rajko Depreradović

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography Mita Kostić, Nova Srbija i Slavenosrbija, Novi Sad, 2001. Pavel Rudjakov, Seoba Srba u Rusiju u 18. veku, Beograd, 1995. Olga M. Posunjko, Istorija Nove Srbije i Slavenosrbije, Novi Sad, 2002.

External links Nova Srbija i Slavenosrbija