Morlachs (Venetian irregulars)

Morlachs
Participant in the Cretan War (1645–69) and the Great Turkish War (1683–99)
Active 1645–1699
Ideology Christianity
Leaders See list
Area of operations Dalmatian hinterland
Strength 1,500 (Cretan War)
Part of Venetian army
Allies Republic of Venice
Opponents Ottoman Empire

The Morlach troops was an irregular military group in the Dalmatian hinterland, composed of "Morlachs", that was hired by the Republic of Venice to fight the Ottoman Empire during the Cretan War (1645–69) and the Great Turkish War (1683–99).[1]

Leaders

The leaders, called harambaša (tr. "bandit leader") and serdar ("commander-in-chief"), held several titles in Venetian service.

Cretan War
Great Turkish War

History

With the Cretan War (1645–69), a solid organization was needed, with an officer commanding over several harambaše.[2] At first this position was undetermined.[2] Priest Stjepan Sorić is mentioned as "governator delli Morlachi", Petar Smiljanić as "capo", Vuk Mandušić as "capo direttore", and Janko Mitrović as "capo principale de Morlachi", Jovan Dračevac as "governator" etc.[3][2] This "Uskok" or "Morlach" army had less than 1,500 fighters.[4]

Legacy

The rebel fighters are enumerated in Croatian, and Serbian epic poetry, of which there is a cyclus.

See also

References

  1. Tea Mayhew 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 Univerzitet u Beogradu. Filološki fakultet (1958). Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor, Volume 24, Parts 1-2 (in Serbo-Croatian). Државна штампарија Краљевине Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца. p. 11.
  3. Boško Desnica (1950–1951). Istorija Kotarski Uskoka 1646–1749 (PDF) (in Serbian) I–II. Venice: SANU. pp. 140, 141, 142.
  4. Radovan Samardžić (1981). Istorija srpskog naroda, Volume 3, Part 1 (in Serbian). Srpska knjiiževna zadruga.
    Ускочку војску, у којој укупно није било ни 1.500 људи, предводили су, поред осталих, харамбаше Петар Смиља- нић, поп Стеван Суботић (Сорић) и калуђер Петроније Селаковић.

Sources

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