Banija
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Banovina or Banija is a geographical
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in central
Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, between the
Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...
, Una,
Kupa The Kupa () or Kolpa ( or ; from in Roman Empire, Roman times; ) river, a right tributary of the Sava, forms a natural border between north-west Croatia and southeast Slovenia. It is long, with a length of serving as the border between Croati ...
and Glina rivers. The main towns in the region include
Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banija, Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was 2020 Petrinja earthquake, hit by a strong earthquake wit ...
, Glina, Kostajnica, and Dvor. There is no clear geographical border of the region towards the west and the neighboring region of
Kordun The Kordun () region is a part of central Croatia from the bottom of the Petrova Gora (Peter's mountain) mountain range, which extends along the rivers Korana and Slunjčica, and forms part of the border region to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within ...
. The area of Banovina is today administratively almost entirely located within the
Sisak-Moslavina County Sisak-Moslavina County () is a Croatian county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. According to the 2021 census, it is inhabited by 140, ...
.


Name

The region's principal names come from the word " ban", with other names in use having included ''Banska Zemlja'' ("Ban's Land") and ''Banska Krajina'' ("Ban's
Frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...
"), which is a reference to the medieval
Ban of Croatia Ban of Croatia () was the title of local rulers or office holders and after 1102, viceroys of Croatia. From the earliest periods of the Croatian state, some provinces were ruled by Ban (title), bans as a ruler's representative (viceroy) and sup ...
and the
Military Frontier The Military Frontier (; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна крајина, Vojna krajina, sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна граница, Vojna granica, label=none; ; ) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and later the Austrian and Austro-Hungari ...
, specifically
Croatian Military Frontier The Croatian Military Frontier ( or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary. History Founded in the late 16th century out of ...
.Dalibor Brozović, ''Hrvatska enciklopedija'' (LZMK), 1. sv. (A – Bd), Leksikografski zavod »Miroslav Krleža«, Zagreb, 1999, str. 600; In
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...
, the name is spelled or . The word is Croatian for ''banate''. The term Banovina was more frequent as the name of the region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The term Banija became more common in the first half of the 20th century, until the 1990s. Since then, both terms are equally in use.


History


Prehistory

During the era of
Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...
Vučedol culture centered in
Syrmia Syrmia (Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is div ...
and eastern
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
spread to the area of modern day Banovina with known archaeological sites being those in Osječenica near the village of Gorička, Budim near the village of Mali Gradac and the
Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
site next to the Una river in the village of Unčani. During the Iron Age region was inhabited by a
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
-
Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...
tribe of Segestani.


Classical antiquity

During the Roman time the region was important transitional area between the provinces of
Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...
and Illyricum with nearby Siscia already serving as a regional center. Until today archaeological excavation of Roman sites in the region remain limited.


Middle Ages and Ottoman Conquest

The area surrounding Petrinja and Hrastovica belonged to the Kaptol while the area west of the Glina River belonged to the Topusko Abbey. The Order of Cistercians received the abbey's possessions in 1205 from the
Andrew II of Hungary Andrew II (, , , ; 117721 September 1235), also known as Andrew of Jerusalem, was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1205 and 1235. He ruled the Principality of Halych from 1188 until 1189/1190, and again between 1208/1209 and ...
.


Habsburg Monarchy and Austro-Hungarian Empire

After the reconquest of Banija the region became a part of Glina Regiment of Zagreb General Command within the
Croatian Military Frontier The Croatian Military Frontier ( or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary. History Founded in the late 16th century out of ...
between 1553 and 1881. In November 1630, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II proclaimed the so-called Statuta Valachorum ("Vlach Statute"), which regulated the status of so-called Vlach settlers (in Banovina mostly ancestors of modern-day
Serbs of Croatia The Serbs of Croatia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Срби у Хрватској, Srbi u Hrvatskoj) or Croatian Serbs ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Хрватски Срби, Hrvatski Srbi) constitute the largest national minority in C ...
) with regard to their military obligations and rights to internal self-administration. Croatian Military Frontier existed until 15 July 1881, when it was abolished and incorporated into the
Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (; or ; ) was a nominally autonomous kingdom and constitutionally defined separate political nation within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was created in 1868 by merging the kingdoms of Kingdom of Croatia (Habs ...
.


Kingdom of Yugoslavia

During the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
Banovina was divided between
Vrbas Banovina The Vrbas Banovina or Vrbas Banate ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Vrbaska banovina, Врбаска бановина), was a province (Banovinas of Yugoslavia, banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was named after the ...
whose seat was in
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...
and Sava Banovina whose seat was in
Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. In 1939 Sava Banovina became a part of the autonomous Banovina of Croatia.


World War II

During the
World War II in Yugoslavia World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was Invasion of Yugoslavia, invaded and swiftly conquered by Axis powers, Axis forces and partitioned among Nazi Germany, Germany, Fascist Italy (1922–1943), It ...
, the region was one of the main targets of the Chetnik war crimes in World War II and the genocide of Serbs in the
Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...
. One of the most infamous mass killings was the Glina massacres of 2,000–2,400 people. Consequentially, the region also became one of the strongholds of the
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...
, Europe's most effective anti-Axis resistance movement.


Croatian War of Independence

During the
Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...
in the 1990s the entire region of Banovina became a part of internationally unrecognized self-proclaimed
Republic of Serbian Krajina The Republic of Serbian Krajina or Serb Republic of Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Република Српска Крајина, Republika Srpska Krajina, separator=" / ", ; abbr. РСК / RSK), known as the Serbian Krajina ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српск ...
and known for infamous mass killings of Croats.
Croatian government The Government of Croatia (), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia (), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (), is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the president of the Government (), infor ...
retook control over the region in 1995 via Croatian forces
Operation Storm Operation Storm ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Operacija Oluja, separator=" / ", Операција Олуја) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory f ...
leading to mass fleeing of nearly the entire Serb population of Banovina and resulting serious depopulation of the region. Subsequent return was only partial and slow. After the war, a number of towns and municipalities in the region were designated Areas of Special State Concern.


21st century

The
2020 Petrinja earthquake At 12:19 PM Central European Time, CET (11:19 UTC) on 29 December 2020, an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 (6.2 ) hit central Croatia, with an epicenter located roughly west-southwest of Petrinja. The maximum felt intensity was estimated at VIII ( ...
was a catastrophe that significantly affected this region. On 29 December 2020, the region was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, which killed seven people, including a seven-year-old girl. Most of the buildings in both towns and villages were significantly damaged or completely destroyed. The destruction combined with the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
presented challenges for emergency workers to distribute aid and healthcare to the affected population. Aftershocks continued to jolt the area in the subsequent days and weeks, including a magnitude 4.1 over two weeks later.


See also

*
Geography of Croatia The geography of Croatia is defined by its location at the crossroads of Central Europe and Southeast Europe, and the wider region of Southern Europe. Croatia's territory covers , making it the 127th largest country in the world. Bordered by S ...
*
Glina, Croatia Glina is a town in central Croatia, located southwest of Petrinja and Sisak in the Sisak-Moslavina County. It lies on the eponymous Glina (river), river Glina. History Early history Glina was first mentioned as a city on 1 June 1284. Later in Se ...
*
Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banija, Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was 2020 Petrinja earthquake, hit by a strong earthquake wit ...
*
Hrvatska Kostajnica Hrvatska Kostajnica (; ; ), also referred to as simply Kostajnica, is a town in central Croatia. It is located on the Una (Sava), Una river in the Sisak-Moslavina County, south of Petrinja and Sisak and across the river from Kostajnica, Bosnia and ...
* Dvor, Croatia *
Sunja, Sisak-Moslavina County Sunja is a village and a municipality in the Sisak-Moslavina County of Croatia. Climate Since records began in 1981, the highest temperature recorded at the local weather station was , on 18 July 2007. The coldest temperature was , on 12 Janu ...
*
Donji Kukuruzari Donji Kukuruzari ( sr-Cyrl, Доњи Кукурузари) is a village and a municipality in Croatia in the Sisak-Moslavina County. Donji Kukuruzari is underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the Areas of Special State Co ...


References


Sources

*


External links

* (Essay about names derived from the title ''Ban'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Banovina Geography of Sisak-Moslavina County Regions of Croatia Historical regions in Croatia Historical regions Banovina