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. In 1757, the population of New Serbia numbered 5,482 inhabitants, including:

  • 75.33% Moldavians
  • 11.56% Serbs
  • 13.11% others

Settlements

Settlements of New Serbia

In their new home, Serbs established new places, and consequently gave them same names such as the names of the places in their old home in the Pannonian Plain (in modern-day Serbia, Croatia, Romania and Hungary). Serbs also changed 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.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|-

! 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>

Image:New serbia slavo serbia.png|New Serbia location map

Image:New serbia location map.png|New Serbia location map

Image:Serbische Colonien.png|This map from 1862 mentions the Serb colonists in New Serbia

Image:Main ethnic groups in Europe (1899).JPG|This ethnic map of 1899 shows a Romanian-speaking population in the region

</gallery>

In 2008 Babylon A.D. movie the main character Toorop (Vin Diesel) starts his way in the near future, in the post-apocalyptic 2027 in New Serbia, a territory of Russia.

See also

  • Jovan Horvat
  • Slavo-Serbia
  • Peter Tekeli
  • Jovan Šević
  • Jovan Albanez
  • Rajko Depreradović

Notes

References

  • 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.
  • Nova Srbija i Slavenosrbija