# Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar

The Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar or Serbian Voivodeship and the Banate of Temes (German: Woiwodschaft Serbien und Temeser Banat, Serbian: Војводство Србија и Тамишки Банат, Romanian: Voivodina sârbească și Banatul timișan, Hungarian: Szerb Vajdaság és Temesi Bánság), known simply as the Serbian Voivodeship (Serbische Woiwodschaft), was a crownland of the Austrian Empire that existed between 1849 and 1861.
It was a separate crownland named after two former provinces: Serbian Vojvodina and Banat of Temeswar. Its former area is now divided between Serbia, Romania and Hungary. The Voivodeship gave its name to the present Serbian Vojvodina.

## Names

In contemporary German, the crown land was officially known as Woiwodschaft Serbien und Temeser Banat ('Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat'; die Woiwodschaft Serbien und das Temeser Banat when definite). The forms die serbische Wojwodschaft und das Temeser Banat ('the Serbian Voivodeship and the Temes Banat') and die serbische Wojwodschaft mit dem Temeser Banate ('the Serbian Voivodeship with the Temes Banat'; the -e on Banat is a now mostly obsolete dative ending) also appeared frequently in official documents. Other variations also appear as a result of grammatical inflection (see German grammar), such as der serbischen Wojwodschaft und des Temeser Banates (genitive case), but these should not be considered distinct. The spellings Woiwodschaft and Wojwodschaft are typographic variations; Woiwodschaft was used officially until 1852, Wojwodschaft from 1853.
In contemporary Serbian it was known as Vojvodina Srbska i Tamiški Banat (Войводина Србска и Тамишки Банат) and Vojvodstvo Srbija i Tamiški Banat (Војводство Србија и Тамишки Банат). In Hungarian it was known as Szerb Vajdaság és Temesi Bánság, and in Romanian as Voivodina Sârbească și Banatul Timișan.
As in German, in Serbian sources there are two somewhat different variants of the name of the voivodeship; one could be translated into English as Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat and another as Serbian Voivodeship and Temes Banat.
Also in modern English use, the term Temes Banat or Banat of Temes is sometimes incorrectly replaced with term Banat of Temeschwar or Temeschwar Banat. In the original name in all native languages, there is no mention of the city of Temeschwar (Timișoara) in the title of Voivodeship. As shown above, the reference to the Temes region is always used, and should be translated into English as Temes Banat or Banat of Temes.

## History

The Voivodeship was formed by a decision of the Austrian emperor in November 1849, after the Revolutions of 1848/1849. It was formed in accordance with privilege given to Serbs by the Habsburg emperor in 1691, recognizing the right of Serbs to territorial autonomy within the Habsburg monarchy.
It consisted of the regions of Banat, Bačka and northern Syrmian municipalities of Ilok and Ruma. An Austrian governor seated in Temeschwar ruled the area, and the title of Voivode belonged to the emperor himself. The full title of the emperor was "Grand Voivod of the Voivodeship of Serbia" (German: Großwoiwode der Woiwodschaft Serbien). Even after the Voivodeship was abolished, the emperor kept this title until the end of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918.
In 1860, the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat was abolished and most of its territory (Banat and Bačka) was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary, although direct Hungarian rule began only in 1867, after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. Unlike Banat and Bačka, in 1860 Syrmia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Slavonia, another separate Habsburg crown land. The Kingdom of Slavonia subsequently merged with the Kingdom of Croatia, forming the new kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, which concluded an agreement with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1868, becoming an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Hungary within Austria-Hungary.

## Languages

The two official languages of the Voivodeship were German and "Illyrian" (what would come to be known as Serbian).

## Demographics

The Voivodeship was ethnically very mixed, since the southern parts of Syrmia, Banat and Bačka with compact Serbian settlements were not included in it, while eastern Banat, with a Romanian majority was added to it.

### 1846

According to the 1846 census, the territory that in 1849 formed the voivodeship included:
* Vlachs (Romanians) = 417,000
* Serbs = 402,000
* Germans = 352,000
* Hungarians = 233,000
* Slovaks = 27,000
* Bulgarians = 24,000
* Jews = 16,000
* Romani = 12,000
* Rusyns = 7,000
* Croats = 3,000
* Greeks = 3,000

### 1857

In 1857, population of the voivodeship numbered 1,526,105 inhabitants, including:
* Latin Catholics = 698,189 (45.75%)
* Eastern Orthodox Christians = 691,828 (45.33%)
* Evangelic-Lutherans = 56,871 (3.73%)
* Evangelic-Reformists = 29,281 (1.92%)
* Greek Catholics and Armenian Catholics = 26,244 (1.72%)
* Jews = 23,203 (1.52%)
* others = 489 (0.03%)

### 1850/51

According to the 1850/51 census, ethnic composition of the voivodeship was as follows:
* Romanians = 347,459
* Germans = 335,080
* Serbs = 321,110 (*)
* Hungarians = 221,845
* Bunjevci and Šokci = 62,936 (*)
* Rusins = 39,914
* Slovaks = 25,607
* Bulgarians = 22,780
* Jews = 15,507
* Gypsies = 11,440
* Czechs = 7,530
* Croats = 2,860 (*)
* Greeks and Cincars = 2,820
(*) Total number of "Illyrian Slavs" (Serbs, Bunjevci, Šokci, and Croats) was 386,906.
According to another source, in 1850/1851, the population of the voivodeship numbered 1,426,221 inhabitants, including:
* 397,459 (27.87%) Romanians
* 335,080 (23.49%) Germans
* 321,110 (22.52%) Serbs
* 221,845 (15.56%) Hungarians
* others.
By religious makeup:
In 1851, population of the voivodeship numbered 1,426,221 inhabitants, including:
* Eastern Orthodox Christians = 694,029 (48.66%)
* Roman Catholics = 624,839 (43.81%)
* Evangelic-Lutherans = 51,724 (3.63%)
* Evangelic-Reformists = 26,621 (1.87%)
* Jews = 16,252 (1.14%)
* Greek Catholics and Armenian Catholics = 12,756 (0.89%)

### 1860

In 1860, population of the voivodeship numbered 1,525,523 inhabitants, including:
* 432,523 Serbs
* 414,490 Romanians
* 396,156 Germans
* 256,164 Hungarians

## Administrative divisions

At first, the crown land was divided into two districts:
* Batschka-Torontal (Bačka-Torontal)
* Temeschwar-Karasch (Timișoara-Caraș)
Later, it was divided into five districts (contemporary German: Districte, modern spelling Distrikte), which were largely based on the pre-1849 Hungarian counties which made the majority of the crown land. From 1851 they were subdivided into political districts ((politische) Bezirke). In the reforms of 1853, implemented in the crown land in 1854, the Districte became Kreise, which were subdivided into Amtsbezirke (formally Bezirke but of a different type than in 1851). These reforms also separated the capital, the city of Temesvár, from district-administration, placing it under the direct authority of the Statthalterei.
| Official name | Official name | Other native names (district capital) | extent | Bezirke | Bezirke | population (1850) |
| 1851 | 1854 | Other native names (district capital) | extent | 1851 (political districts) | 1854 (office districts) | population (1850) |
| Temesvárer District | Kreis Temesvár | German: Temeswar/Temeschwar Romanian: Timișoara Serbian: Temišvar | pre-1849 Temes County | Neu-Arad (Aradul Nou, Újarad; now part of Arad) Lippa (Lipova) Temesvár Csakova (Ciacova, Csák, Čakovo; modern German: Tschakowa) Werschetz (Vršac, Versec, Vârșeț) | Temesvár (environs) Neu-Arad Lippa Csakova Werschetz Buziasch (Buziaș, Buziásfürdő; modern German: Busiasch) | 316,565, including: 159,292 Romanians 101,339 Germans 34,263 Serbs 12,412 Hungarians 3,664 Bulgarians 2,307 Šokci 1,650 Slovaks |
| Lugoser District | Kreis Lugos | German: Lugosch Romanian: Lugoj Serbian: Lugoš | pre-1849 Krassó County | Lugos Facset (Făget, Facsád, Fatschet) Oravitza (Oravița, Oravicabánya, Oravica; modern German Orawitz) Boksan (Bocșa, Boksánbánya; modern German: Deutsch-Bokschan) | Lugos Facset Oraviza Bogsan | 229,363, including: 197,363 Romanians 21,179 Germans 8,305 Bulgarians 1,505 Hungarians 612 Serbs |
| Groß-Becskereker District | Kreis Gross-Becskerek | modern German: Großbetschkerek Hungarian: Nagybecskerek Serbian: Veliki Bečkerek, modern Zrenjanin | pre-1849 Torontál County | St. Miklos (Sânnicolau Mare, Veliki Semikluš; modern Hungarian: Nagyszentmiklós; modern German: Groß Sankt Nikolaus) Hatzfeld (Jimbolia, Zsombolya, Žombolj) Türkisch-Kanisá (Novi Kneževac, Noul Cnezat, Neu-Kanischa, Törökkanizsa) Gross-Kikinda (Kikinda, Nagykikinda, Chichinda Mare; modern German: Großkikinda) Moros [sic] (Modosch, Modoš, Módos, Modoș; modern Jaša Tomić) Becskerek | Gross-Becskerek Türkisch-(Neu-)Becse (Novi Bečej, Neu-Betsche) Modos (Modosch) Gross-Kikinda Türkisch-(Neu-)Kanischa Gross-St.-Miklos Hatzfeld Billet (Biled, Billéd; modern German: Billed) | 388,704, including: 126,730 Germans 124,111 Serbs 60,781 Hungarians 58,292 Romanians 11,045 Bulgarians 3,752 Croats 2,562 Slovaks 1,421 Jews |
| Zombórer District | Kreis Zombor | Serbian: Sombor | the northern part of the pre-1849 Bács-Bodrog County | Zombór Baja Theresiopel (Subotica) Kula | Zombor Apathin (Apatin) Kula Baja Maria-Theresiopel Zenta (Senta) | 376,366, including: 160,016 Hungarians 103,886 Germans 53,908 Bunjevci 40,054 Serbs 7,830 Jews |
| Neusatzer District | Kreis Neusatz | Hungarian: Újvidék Serbian: Novi Sad | the southern part of the pre-1849 Bács-Bodrog County and the formerly Syrmian districts of Ruma and Illok | Neusatz Palanka (Plankenburg) Becse (Alt Betsche, Bečej) Illok (Ilok) Ruma | Neusatz Alt-Becse Palanka Ruma Illok | 236,943, including: 100,382 Serbs 45,936 Germans 30,450 Hungarians 20,683 Slovaks 13,665 Šokci 2,098 Jews |
* Districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat (1849-1850).
* Districts of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat (1850-1860).

## Administration
### Great Voivodes

* Francis Joseph I, (1849–1916)
* Charles I, (1916–1918)
    Note: the voivodeship was abolished in 1860, but Francis Joseph kept the title of "Great Voivode" until his death in 1916, and the title was also inherited by the last Emperor of Austria, Charles I.

### Governors

* Ferdinand Mayerhofer, (1849–1851)
* Johann Coronini-Cronberg, (1851–1859)
* Josip Šokčević, (1859–1860)
* Karl Bigot de Saint-Quentin, (1860)