It is important for us
to remember these historic dates. According to the poet
Jean Paul, “Memory is the only paradise from which we
cannot be banned.” We should not only celebrate the
feasts as they occur, but embellish our day-to-day life
by occasionally bringing to mind the events in the
history of our homeland.
As
Germans from southeastern Europe, we have every reason
not to forget Prince Eugene of Savoy. He liberated our
homeland from the Turks through the victories near Zenta
(1697), Peterwardein (1716), Temeschburg (1716) and
Belgrade (1717). Through his heroic deeds, this great
field marshal freed the land for new settlement.
Invited by the emperors, our settlers arrived, bringing
Western culture to the Southeast and fulfilling their
historic mandate in the Banat, the Batschka, Baranya,
Syrmia and Slavonia. We have to remember this when we
read about Prince Eugene.
Eugene was not just a “noble knight” in the truest sense
of the word, but also a victorious army commander, a
superb statesman, counsellor to three emperors, as well
as patron of artists and scientists. During his
lifetime, he was celebrated as a national hero; his
contemporaries praised and idolized him; historians and
poets glorified his heroic feats. Literature about
Prince Eugene is vast—Kausler, Hemnes, Hermayes, Arneth,
Braubach, Bibi and many others wrote extensive
biographies. The Vienna Military Archives published
“The Campaigns of The Prince of Savoy” in 21 volumes
(1876-1892), which also contain his military
correspondence.
However, even the
magnificence of the greatest figures of history is
eroded by the ravages of time, and their fame fades
gradually. Many a monument or commemorative plaque with
inscriptions reminding us of Eugene has gone missing.
Gone is the obelisk that stood on Prince Eugene Island
near Zenta; it was destroyed after World War I.
Hopefully the bright memorial column, commemorating the
victory of Peterwardein, still gleams on Wezirac
Mountain in the Fruška-Gora. The Pilgrims’ Chapel
Maria-Schnee (Mary of the Snow) near Peterwardein with
its commemorative plaque also recalls this heroic era.
As
president of the Imperial Military Council, Eugene
commissioned the renovation of the important fortresses
on the route from Belgrade to Ofen-Pest (Budapest),
which included the strengthening of defense
installations, such as in Arad on the Marosch,
Temeschburg in the heart of the Banat, Peterwardein on
the Danube, the water castle Essegg on the Drau, and
Belgrade at the confluence of the Danube and Sawe.
These defense installations in the Danube-Theiß plain
played a significant role in the struggle between
Christendom and Islam. The inscribed marble
commemorative plaques on the walls of these fortresses
evoked feelings of home and history, for they bore the
name of “the invincible commander of the Imperial Army,
Eugenius Prince of Savoy.” I wonder whether the Peace
Chapel with its vaulted ceiling still stands on the
Schwabenberg (Swabian Mountain) in the former German
district of Karlowitz (Sremski Karlovci)? On January
26, 1699, this little church was the scene of the
conclusion of the peace treaty between Emperor Leopold
I, Sultan Mustafa II, Venice and Poland. It is also
worth noting that the Turkish bathhouse in Temeschburg,
which was rebuilt as the German city hall in 1731, bore
a commemorative plaque with an eight-line Latin
inscription.
All
of this occurred 240-260 years ago—a long period of time
separates us from that era—unfortunately many of these
events have been forgotten. The fortress walls are in
ruins, and the gateways through which Prince Eugene and
his army entered victoriously into the conquered cities,
are long gone; the Latin and German inscriptions on the
plaques are weathered, illegible, or have totally
disappeared. There is a Latin saying, “Sic transit
gloria mundi”—Thus fades the magnificence of the world.
The bible cautions, “It is all very vain” (Salomon
1,2). Transience is the mightiest law of nature.
I
mentioned the Peace of Karlowitz. According to this
treaty, the Ottoman government relinquished Hungary and
Transylvania, while they retained the Banat, with Syrmia
as security zone for the fortress city of Belgrade.
Undoubtedly the Turks had no intention of keeping a
lasting peace; they merely wanted time to rearm in order
to again attack Christendom from the rear. The peace
lasted 17 years and came at a favorable time for Eugene
and his Imperial Army, for when the Spanish Succession
War (1701-1714) broke out, they were able to effectively
intervene and gain decisive victories in Italy and
France.
When our homeland was
threatened anew by a powerful Turkish army in 1716, the
situation caused grave concern. However, Field Marshal
Eugene boldly demonstrated his genius and masterful
military prowess in the victorious battles near
Peterwardein, Temeschburg and Belgrade. During this
heroic era, after the capture of Belgrade, the military
encampment of Semlin resounded with the Prince Eugene
song. It became a popular folk song; its melody dates
back to an old Bavarian sword dance. The name of Eugene
of Savoy entered into folklore. On July 21, 1718, the
Peace Treaty of Passarowitz (Požarevac) was signed.
Emperor Karl VI gained all of the Banat and Syrmia, as
well as Belgrade, North Serbia and parts of Wallachia
(Old Romania) between the Danube and southeast
Carpathian Mountains. Thus the Danube Monarchy attained
its greatest territorial expansion.
However, the wars were not the only significant events
in the life of Prince Eugene. After the expulsion of
the Turks, our liberated homeland lay in a primitive,
fallow, marshy and deserted state. During the prolonged
campaigns, many people had been killed, expelled or
taken into Turkish captivity, to be sold in the slave
markets of the Orient.
A
vast, devastated and unclaimed territory became the
property of the state. Upon Prince Eugene’s advice—he
feared a new Turkish attack—the Banat became an Imperial
Domain subject to the Court in Vienna. The Batschka
became “Kameral” property administered by the feudal
authority in Ofen. The emperor rewarded many
bishoprics, monasteries and deserving officers with
estates and land.
Pursuant to a resolution
at the session of the Imperial Council Chamber on July
19, 1698, Prince Eugene was presented with the estate of
Bellye in the South Baranya, valued at 80,000 Gulden.
His holdings included twelve sparsely populated villages
inhabited by Magyars and Slavs, as well as twenty-two
extensive Puszta ranges. The villages were: Baranyavár,
Bellye, Daroz, Lasko, Kisfalud, Bán, Monostor, Löcs,
Maizs, Lippa and Marok. He expanded the existing
villages with new settlers and established several new
villages, such as Eugendorf an der Drau, which was
renamed Jenöfalva (later Podravlye). Besides the German
colonists from Svabia, Franconia, Hessia, Bavaria and
Austria, he also called upon Magyars and Slavs. Not far
from Bellye, he had a square-shaped hunting lodge built
in the woods, with an arched gateway, a watchtower, and
surrounded by a wide moat. His coat of arms was
attached to the outside of the gateway; the inner side
displayed the large crest of the House of Savoy. When I
visited the hunting lodge in 1936, I found it in
deplorable condition.
Prince Eugene was the president of the Imperial Military
Council and chairman of the New Acquisitions
Commission. In this leading dual position he was
instrumental in the resettlement and redevelopment of
our homeland. All this presented for him a monumental
sphere of action. He appointed Count Mercy as Governor
of the Banat and Count Wallis as Commander of
Temeschburg. An administration team made up of sixteen
officials was dispatched from Vienna to Temeschburg.
The function of this administrative body was to expedite
the repopulation of the land and to attract settlers.
Temeschburg became the capital city of the Banat; a city
council, a mayor and four councilors were elected. The
first settlers were veteran soldiers and sutlers1
(suppliers of food and provisions to the army). In the
spring of 1718 many builders and tradesmen arrived,
setting in motion a lively, thriving reconstruction of
the city. The Temeschburg citizens’ registry, which the
city archivist permitted me to access during my visit in
1935, lists 55 names of the original German colonists
who had obtained citizenship from 1717 to 1718. The
settlement of German Catholics began and intensified.
As
Hugo von Hoffmannsthal says in his speech about Prince
Eugene, “He conquers, and wherever he conquers, he not
only recaptures provinces with the sword, but truly wins
them. Unexpectedly, out of his creative hands and
military feats, the fruits of peace blossom forth. His
army is followed by the plough, and the axe of the
colonists sounds in the forest.”
Footnotes:
1:
fiefdom (plural fiefdoms). The estate controlled by a
feudal lord; a fief.
2: A sutler or
victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to
an army in the field, in camp or in quarters.
[Published at DVHH.org
17 Jan 2013 by Jody McKim Pharr]
