The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of Timiş, Caraş-Severin, Arad south of the Mureş, and Mehedinţi), the western part in northeastern Serbia (the Serbian Banat, mostly included in Vojvodina, except for a small part included in Central Serbia), and a small northern part in southeastern Hungary (Csongrád county). It is populated by Romanians, Serbs, Hungarians, Roma, Germans, Krashovans, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Czechs, Croats and other ethnicities.

The Banat is a part of the Pannonian plain bordered by the River Danube to the south, the River Tisza to the west, the River Mureş to the north, and the Southern Carpathian Mountains to the east. Its historical capital was Timişoara, now in Timiş County in Romania.

Names

The term "banat" or "banate" designated a frontier province led by a military governor or ban.

The word "ban" is probably of Slavic origin, meaning lord or governor. Others state "Ban" as translated from the Old Hungarian "King's Warden". Thus, Banat may be translated loosely as "province" or "Royal Lands", respectively.

There were several banats in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, such as the banats of Dalmatia, Slavonia, Bosnia and Croatia; these disappeared during the course of the Ottoman wars in Europe. In the 1920s and 30's the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was divided, also, into several 'banovinas': Zeta, Drinska, Savska, Moravska, etc.

When the word is used without any other qualification, it indicates the territory of historical Banat of Temeswar, which acquired this title after the 1718 Treaty of Passarowitz, though it was never governed by a ban.

The name of the Banat is similar in different languages of the region; , Serbian: ''Banat'' or Банат (), or ''Bánság'', , Ukrainian: ''Банат'', , , , , Greek: ''Vànaton'', ''Βάνατον''.

History

Ancient times

The first known inhabitants of present-day Banat were the various Thracian tribes - Agathyrsi, Getae, Dacians and Singi. In the 3rd century BC, Celtic tribes settled in this area. The region was part of Dacian kingdom under Burebista in the first century BC, but the balance of power in the area partially changed during the campaigns of Augustus. At the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. Trajan led two wars against the Dacians: the campaigns of 101-102, and 105-106. Eventually, the territory of Banat fell under Roman rule. It became an important link between Dacia province and the other parts of the Empire. Roman rule had a significant impact: castra and guard stations were established and roads and public buildings built. The public bath establishments of Ad Aquas Herculis, modern-day Băile Herculane were also established. Some of the important Roman settlements in Banat were: Arcidava (today Vărădia), Centum Putea (today Surducu Mare), Berzobis (today Berzovia), Tibiscum (today Jupa), Agnaviae (today Zăvoi), Ad Pannonios (today Teregova), Praetorium (today Mehadia), and Dierna (today Orșova).

In 273 A.D. Emperor Aurelian withdrew the Roman Army from Dacia. The area fell into the hands of foederatii such as the Sarmatians (Iazyges, Roxolani, Limigani) and later the Goths, who also took control of other parts of Dacia.

Migration Period and Early Middle Ages

The Goths were forced out by the Huns, who organized their ruling center in the Pannonian Basin (the Pannonian Plain), in area that included the northwestern part of today's Banat. After the death of Attila, the Hunnic empire disintegrated in days, and the previously subjected Gepids formed a new kingdom in the area, only to be defeated 100 years later by the Avars. One governing center of the Avars was formed in the region, which played an important role in the Avar-Byzantine wars. Inscription on one of the vessels from the Treasure of Sânnicolau Mare (which is presumably of Avar origin) recorded names of two local rulers, Butaul and Buyla, who bore Slavic ruling titles of župan. The Avar rule over the area lasted until the 9th century, until Charlemagne's campaigns. The Banat region became part of the First Bulgarian Empire a few decades later.

Archaeological evidence shows the Avars and Gepids lived here until the middle of the century. The Avar rule also triggered considerable Slavic migration to the southern Pannonian plain and to the Balkans. In 895, the Hungarians living in Etelköz entered the Byzantine-Bulgarian war as allies of Byzantium, and defeated the Bulgars. Because of this, the Bulgarians allied with the Pechenegs, who attacked the Hungarian settlements. This led to the process of what we know as the Hungarian conquest of the Pannonian basin called "hometaking" (''honfoglalás'') in Hungarian. This also resulted in the loss of part of the territories north of the Danube for the Bulgarian empire.

Hungarian administration (early 10th century - 16th century)

Banat was administered by the Kingdom of Hungary from the 10th century up until 1552, when the region of Temesvár was taken by the Ottoman Empire. Before the Hungarian conquest, according to Gesta Hungarorum chronicle, a local Bulgarian ruler known as Glad ruled over Banat.

The area of the Temes river was not the land of the Hungarian royal tribe, and from the middle of the 10th century - the weakening of the royal rule - the local Slavic-Bulgarian tribes began to pursue a more and more independent foreign policy. As a consequence, in the eastern part of the Pannonian basin, the Byzantine rite started to gain ground. This was halted with the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary, and István I's country-unitive efforts, who made the last local leader, Ahtum (Ajtony in other sources) bow. Ahtum was a semi-independent ruler of Banat and an Orthodox Christian. In the 14th century, the region became a number one priority, as the southern border of the Banat was the most important defensive line against Ottoman expansion.

Ottoman administration (1552–1716)

The Banat was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1552, and became an Ottoman eyalet (province) named the Eyalet of Temeşvar. The Banat region was mainly populated by Rascians (Serbs) in the west and Vlachs (Romanians) in the east; thus, in some historical sources it was referred to as ''Rascia'' and in others ''Wallachia''. There was also large number of Muslims who lived mainly in the cities. In 1594, Serbs in Banat started a large uprising against Ottoman rule. The Romanians also participated in this uprising.

For a short time, in the 16th century, an administrative unit of vassal Ottoman principality of Transylvania known as the Banate of Lugos and Karansebes existed in this area.

Habsburg administration (1716–1918)

In the 17th century, northern parts of the Eyalet of Temeşvar were incorporated into the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria, but Banat itself remained under Ottoman administration. In 1716, Prince Eugene of Savoy took the Banat region from the Ottomans. It received the title of the Banat of Temeswar after the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), and remained a separate province in the Habsburg Monarchy under military administration until 1751, when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria introduced a civil administration. The Banat of Temeswar province was abolished in 1778. The southern part of the Banat region remained within the Military Frontier (Banat Krajina) until the Frontier was abolished in 1871.

During the Ottoman rule, parts of Banat had a low population density after years of warfare, and much of the area was nearly uninhabited marsh, heath and forest. Count Claudius Mercy (1666–1734), who was appointed governor of the Banat of Temeswar in 1720, took numerous measures for the regeneration of the Banat. The marshes near the Danube and Tisza rivers were cleared, roads and canals were built at great expense of labour, German artisans and farmers were attracted to colonize the district, and agriculture and trade encouraged.

Maria Theresa also took a great interest in the Banat; she colonized the region with large numbers of German peasants, encouraged the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the country, and generally developed the measures introduced by Count Mercy. German settlers arrived from Swabia, Alsace and Bavaria, as well as people from Austria. Many settlements in the eastern Banat thus were mostly German-inhabited. The ethnic Germans in the Banat region became known as the Danube Swabians, or ''Donauschwaben''. A minority coming from French-speaking or linguistically mixed communes in Lorraine, maintained the French language for several generations, and developed a specific ethnic identity, later labelled as Banat French, ''Français du Banat''.

In 1779, the Banat region was incorporated into the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary, and the three counties Torontal, Temes and Karasch were created. In 1848, after the May Assembly, the western Banat became part of the Serbian Vojvodina, a Serbian autonomous region within the Habsburg Monarchy. During the Revolutions of 1848–1849, the Banat was respectively held by Serbian and Hungarian troops.

After the Revolution of 1848–1849, the Banat (together with Syrmia and Bačka) was made into a separate Austrian crownland known as the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar, but, in 1860 this province was abolished and most of its territory was incorporated again into Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary.

After 1871, the former Military Frontier located in southern parts of the Banat came under civil administration and was incorporated into the Banat counties. Krassó and Szörény were united into Krassó-Szörény in 1881.

After 1918

In 1918, the Banat Republic was proclaimed in Timişoara in October, and the government of Hungary recognized its independence. However, it was short-lived. After just two weeks, Serbian troops invaded the region, and that was the end of the Banat Republic. From November 1918 to March 1919, western and central parts of Banat were governed by Serbian administration from Novi Sad, as part of the Banat, Bačka and Baranja province of the Kingdom of Serbia and newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which was later renamed to Yugoslavia).

In the wake of the Declaration of Union of Transylvania with Romania on December 1, 1918 and the Declaration of Unification of Banat, Bačka and Baranja with Serbia on November 25, 1918, most of the Banat was (in 1919) divided between Romania (Krassó-Szörény completely, two-thirds of Temes, and a small part of Torontál) and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (most of Torontál, and one-third of Temes). A small area near Szeged was assigned to newly independent Hungary. These borders were confirmed by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and the 1920 Treaty of Trianon. At the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the delegates of the Romanian and some German communities voted for union with Romania, the delegates of the Serbian, Bunjevac and other Slavic and non-Slavic communities (including some Germans) voted for union with Serbia, while the Hungarian minority remained loyal to the government in Budapest. Besides these declarations, no other plebiscite was held.

The territory of the Banat is presently part of the Romanian counties Timiş, Caraş-Severin, Arad and Mehedinţi, the Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina and Belgrade City District, and the Hungarian Csongrád County.

Clickable map of the Banat region

Geography

Romanian Banat

In 1938, the counties of Timiş-Torontal, Caraş, Severin, Arad and Hunedoara were joined to form Ţinutul Timiş, which encompassed the Romanian Banat.

On 6 September 1950, the province was replaced by the Timişoara Region (formed by the present-day counties of Timiş and Caraş-Severin).

In 1956, the southern half of the existing Arad Region was incorporated to the Timişoara Region.

In December 1960, the Timişoara Region was named the Banat Region.

On 17 February 1968, a new territorial division was made and today's Timiş, Caraş-Severin and Arad counties were formed.

Since 1998, Romania has been split into eight development regions, which act as a form of territorial autonomy divisions. The Vest development region is composed of four counties: Arad, Timiş, Hunedoara and Caraş-Severin; thus it has almost same borders as the Timiş Province of 1929. The Vest development region is also a part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisza Euroregion. Ethnic minorities in the region are including Hungarians (5.6% of the population), Serbs, Croats (Krashovans), Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and others.

The Romanian Banat is mountainous in the south and southeast, while in the north, west and south-west it is flat and in some places marshy. The climate, except in the marshy parts, is generally healthy. Wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, flax, hemp and tobacco are grown in large quantities, and the products of the vineyards are of a good quality. Game is plentiful and the rivers swarm with fish. The mineral wealth is great, including copper, tin, lead, zinc, iron and especially coal. Amongst its numerous mineral springs, the most important are those of Mehadia, with sulphurous waters, which were already known in the Roman period as the Termae Herculis (''Băile Herculane''). The present "Banat Region" of Romania includes some areas that are mountainous and were not part of the historical Banat or of the Pannonian plain.

Serbian Banat

The Serbian Banat (Western Banat) was part of Serbian Vojvodina (1848–1849) and part of the Voivodeship of Serbia and Banat of Temeschwar (1849–1860). After 1860, the Serbian Banat was part of Torontal and Temes counties of Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. The center of Torontal county was ''Veliki Bečkerek'', the current Zrenjanin.

The region was county of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between 1918 and 1922 (in 1918–1919, county was part of the province of Banat, Bačka and Baranja) and from 1922 to 1929 it was divided between Belgrade oblast and Podunavlje oblast. In 1929, most of the region was incorporated into the Danube Banovina (Danubian Banat), a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, while the city of Pančevo was incorporated into self-governed Belgrade district.

Between 1941 and 1944, the Serbian Banat was occupied by the World War II Axis powers. Formally it was part of Serbia, but it actually was a virtually separate autonomous region ruled by its German minority. Since 1945, the Serbian Banat (together with Bačka and Syrmia), has been part of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, first as part of the Second and Third Yugoslavias, then as part of Serbia and Montenegro, and, since 2006, as part of an independent Serbia.

In Serbia, the Banat is mostly plains. Wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, hemp and sunflower are grown, and mineral wealth consists of oil and natural gas. A popular tourist destination in the Banat is Deliblatska Peščara. There are also several ethnic minorities in the region, including Hungarians (10.21% of the population), Romanians, Slovaks, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Roma people, and others.

The districts of Serbia in Banat are:

North Banat okrug (which also includes municipalities of ''Ada, Senta and Kanjiža'', which are situated in the region of Bačka)

Central Banat okrug

South Banat okrug

Serbian Banat also includes the area known as Pančevački Rit, which belongs to the Belgrade municipality of Palilula.

See also: Geographical regions in Serbia

Hungarian Banat

The Hungarian Banat consists of a small northern part of the region, which is part of the Csongrád County of Hungary. In addition to the Hungarian population, there's a small minority of Serbs (e.g. in Deszk, Szőreg).

Demographics

The Whole Banat

1660–1666:

In 1660–1666, Serbs lived in western (flat) part of the Banat, while Romanians lived in the eastern (mountainous) part.

1743–1753: In 1743–1753, ethnic composition of Banat looked as follows:

Three eastern districts had a Romanian population: Lugoj, Caransebeş and Orşova.

Three western districts had a Serbian population: Veliki Bečkerek, Pančevo and Velika Kikinda.

Six central districts had a mixed Serb-Romanian population: Timişoara, Lipova, Vršac, Nova Palanka, Ciacova and Cenad.

According to some claims, some Hungarians who survived the Ottoman period were living in the floodplains of the rivers Timiş, Begej, Aranca and Mureş. According to other sources, Hungarians were almost totally absent from the region in the first half of the 18th century. Until 1789 no Hungarians from neighboring counties (Csongrád, Batsch, Kiskunság, Békés, etc.) were allowed to settle down in the Banat.

1774:

According to 1774 data, the population of the Banat of Temeswar numbered 375,740 people and was composed of:

220,000 (58.55%) Romanians

100,000 (26.61%) Serbs and Greeks

53,000 (14.11%) Germans

2,400 (0.64%) Hungarians and Bulgarians

340 (0.09%) Jews

1900:

In 1900, the population of Banat numbered 1,431,329 people, including:

578,789 (40.4%) Romanians

362,487 (25.3%) Germans

251,938 (17.6%) Serbs

170,124 (11.9%) Hungarians

1910:

According to the 1910 census, the population of the Banat region (counties of Torontál, Temes and Krassó-Szörény) numbered 1,582,133 people, including: (*)

592,049 (37.42%) Romanians

387,545 (24.50%) Germans

284,329 (17.97%) Serbs

242,152 (15.31%) Hungarians

a smaller numbers of other ethnic groups such as the Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Rusyns, Ukrainians, Bulgarians, etc.

(*) Note: according to the 1910 census, the population of Romanian Banat included 52.6% Romanians, 25.6% Germans, 12.2% Hungarians and 4.9% Serbs, while population of Serbian Banat included 40.53% Serbs, 22.14% Germans, 19.18% Hungarians, 12.94% Romanians and 2.86% Slovaks. In Serbia the German population mostly fled from the region after World War II. Their flight was mainly a consequence of war time events and Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, but partly also a consequence of economic situation in post-war years. In Romania they mostly migrated after 1989 from economic reasons.

Population table:

The historical population of the Banat region in different time periods:

!Year
1717	85,166
1743	125,000
1753	210,992
1774	375,740
1797	667,912
1900	1,431,329
1910	1,582,133

Romanian Banat

The historical population of the Romanian Banat (the Timiş, and Caraş-Severin, counties) was as following:

!Year align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" align="right" 1,082,461 1,076,380 1,011,145

|	Total	Romanians	Hungarian minority in Romania>Hungarians	Germans of Romania>Germans	Serbs of Romania>Serbs	Roma minority in Romania>Roma
1880	744,367||	426,368 (57.3%)	37,586 (5.0%)	202,698 (27.2%)	46,983 (6.3%)	n/a
1890	812,799||	446,816 (55.0%)	50,899 (6.3%)	233,006 (29.9%)	41,356 (5.1%)	n/a
1900	871,598||	468,508 (53.8%)	78,656 (9.0%)	243,582 (27.9%)	41,960 (4.8%)	n/a
1910	902,210||	474,787 (52.6%)	109,873 (12.2%)	231,391 (25.6%)	44,598 (4.9%)	n/a
1920	822,639||	450,817 (54.8%)	79,955 (9.7%)	208,774 (25.4%)	n/a	n/a
1930	878,877||	473,781 (53.9%)	91,421 (10.4%)	215,031 (24.5%)	37,113 (4.2%)	16,471 (1.9%)
1941	898,262||	505,448 (56.3%)	80,575 (9.0%)	213,840 (23.8%)	n/a	n/a
1956	896,668||	589,369 (65.7%)	85,790 (9.6%)	137,697 (15.4%)	40,018 (4.5%)	9,309 (1.0%)
1966	966,322||	674,062 (69.8%)	85,358 (8.8%)	133,197 (13.8%)	38,535 (4.0%)	6,769 (0.7%)
1977	|	796,007 (73.5%)	86,763 (8.0%)	119,972 (11.1%)	29,514 (2.7%)	15,755 (1.5%)
1992	|	886,958 (82.4%)	70,742 (6.6%)	38,658 (3.6%)	25,029 (2.3%)	22,612 (2.1%)
2002	|	859,690 (85.0%)	56,380 (5.6%)	20,323 (2.0%)	19,355 (1.9%)	23,998 (2.4%)

Serbian Banat

!Year 566,400 559,096 585,579 601,626 617,163 655,868 666,559 672,884 648,390 665,397

|	Total	Serbs	Hungarians in Vojvodina>Hungarians	Banat Swabians>Germans	Romanians of Serbia>Romanians	Slovaks in Vojvodina>Slovaks
1910	|	229,568 (40.5%)	108,622 (19.2%)	125,374 (22.1%)	73,303 (12.9%)	16,223 (2,9%)
1921	|	235,148 (42.1%)	98,463 (17.6%)	126,519 (22.6%)	66,433 (11,9%)	17,595 (3,2%)
1931	|	261,123 (44,6%)	95,867 (16,4%)	120,541 (20,6%)	62,365 (10,7%)	17,900 (2,1%)
1948	|	358,067 (59,6%)	110,446 (18,4%)	17,522 (2,9%)	55,678 (9,3%)	20,685 (2,4%)
1953	|	374,258 (60,6%)	112,683 (18,4%)	n/a	55,094 (8,9%)	21,299 (3,4%)
1961	|	423,837 (64,6%)	111,944 (17,1%)	n/a	54,447 (8,3%)	22,306 (3,4%)
1971	|	434,810 (65,2%)	103,090 (15.5%)	n/a	49,455 (7,4%)	22,173 (3,3%)
1981	|	424,765 (65,7%)	90,445 (14,0%)	n/a	43,474 (6,7%)	21,392 (3,3%)
1991	|	423,475 (65,1%)	76,153 (11.7%)	n/a	35,935 (5,5%)	19,903 (3.1%)
2002	|	477,890 (71.8%)	63,047 (9.5%)	908 (0,1%)	27,661 (4,1%)	17,994 (2,7%)

Symbols

The traditional heraldic symbol of the Banat is a lion, which is nowadays present in both the Coat of arms of Romania and the Coat of arms of Vojvodina.

Cities

The largest cities in the Banat are:

Romania:

* Timişoara (317,651)

* Reşiţa (83,985)

* Lugoj (44,571)

* Caransebeş (28,294)

Serbia (Vojvodina):

* Zrenjanin (79,545)

* Pančevo (76,110)

* Kikinda (41,825)

* Vršac (36,001)

Serbia (Belgrade City District):

* Borča (35,150)

Gallery

See also

Vojvodina

Banat Krajina

Banat Bulgarians

Banat Swabians

Danube Swabians

Treaty of Karlowitz

Military Frontier

References

Dušan Belča, ''Mala istorija Vršca'', Vršac, 1997.

Milojko Brusin, ''Naša razgraničenja sa susedima 1919–1920'', Novi Sad, 1998.

Branislav Bukurov, ''Bačka, Banat i Srem'', Novi Sad, 1978.

Miodrag Milin, ''Vekovima zajedno (Iz istorije srpsko-rumunskih odnosa)'', Temišvar, 1995.

Jovan M. Pejin, ''Iz prošlosti Kikinde'', Kikinda, 2000.

Milan Tutorov, ''Mala Raška a u Banatu, istorika Zrenjanina i Banata'', Zrenjanin, 1991.

Milan Tutorov, ''Banatska rapsodija, istorika Zrenjanina i Banata'', Novi sad, 2001.

Josef Wolf, ''Entwicklung der ethnischen Struktur des Banats 1890–1992 (Atlas Ost- und Südosteuropa / Hrsg.: Österreichisches Ost- und Südosteuropa-Institut; 2: Bevölkerung; 8 = H/R/YU 1, Ungarn/Rumänien/Jugoslawien)'', Berlin – Stuttgart, 2004.

Notes

External links

Banat Social Networking Web Site

banatul.com / backabanat.com

Development of Ethnic Structure in the Banat 1890 - 1992

''regions Banat'' /// Návštěva Svaté Heleny, reportáž z expedice Roadtrip 2007 - návštěva Banátu (Svaté Heleny) Smaranda Vultur, De l’Ouest à l’Est et de l’Est à l’Ouest : les avatars identitaires des Français du Banat Remembering Molidorf /// Family Books of the Banat /// Danube Swabian Resources // Donauschwaben Villages Helping Hands Nonprofit Danube Swabians in Banat

* Category:Divided regions Category:Geography of Romania Category:Geography of Transylvania Category:Regions of Serbia Category:Geography of Vojvodina Category:Geography of Belgrade Category:Regions of Hungary Category:Historical regions in Romania Category:Historical regions in Serbia Category:Historical regions in Hungary

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