Šajkaška

Šajkaška (Шајкашка) is a historical region in northern Serbia. It is southeastern part of Bačka, located in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Territory of Šajkaška is divided among four municipalities: Titel, Žabalj, Novi Sad, and Srbobran. Historical center of Šajkaška is Titel.

Name

Name Šajkaška means "land of šajkaši". Šajkaši were a specific kind of Austrian army, which moved in narrow, long boats, known as "šajka". These military units have operated on the Danube, Tisa, Sava and Moriš rivers. In Hungarian, the region is known as Sajkásvidék and in German as Schajkaschka.

History

After the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, the region was part of the Habsburg Monarchy. Most of Šajkaška was included into Habsburg Military Frontier (its Danube and Tisa sections), while one part of the region was included into Bodrog County. When these parts of Military Frontier were abolished (in 1750), Šajkaška was included into Theiss District, which was part of the Batsch-Bodrog County within the Habsburg Kingdom of Hungary. In 1763, Šajkaška was excluded from Theiss District and was again placed under military administration. Šajkaš Battalion, as part of Military Frontier, was founded in this area. In the beginning of the Habsburg administration, the population of the region was composed entirely of Serbs, which were brave and skillful warriors. Serb Šajkaši have participated in many battles against Ottoman Empire.