Banat Land Militia
Military unit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Banat Land Militia (German: Banater Landmiliz) or Land Battalion (Landesbataillon,[1] Banater Land-Bataillon[2]) was a militia of the Habsburg Monarchy active in the Banat of Temeswar and Banat Military Frontier between 1746 and 1773.
| Banat Land Militia | |
|---|---|
| Banater Landmiliz | |
1796 illustration of 1767 uniform | |
| Active | 1746–73 |
| Disbanded | 1764–73 |
| Country | Habsburg Monarchy |
| Type | militia (infantry-cavalry) |
| Role | Defence of Military Frontier |
| Size | 1,841 (1752) |
| Engagements | Seven Years' War (1756–63) |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Simbschen (1746–53) |
The Militia (Banater Miliz) of the Banat of Temeswar was organized by graf de Mercy in 1724, led by Serbian veterans.[3] In 1744–47 Engelshofen organized the Land Militia of Banat (Banater Landmiliz).[4] Earlier, the ober-knezes (chief community headmans) of the Banat had, in sign of loyalty to Maria Theresa, raised a freikorps (volunteer unit) on their own expense that numbered 700 infantry and 106 Hussars, mostly ethnic Serbs.[5] This volunteer unit was transformed into the Banat Land Militia (also called Landesbataillon), put under the command of hauptmann and obristlieutenant Simbschen.[6] Simbschen was earlier the commandant, while ranked major, of the "Temesvárer Frei-Bataillon" volunteer unit (fl. 1744–45) established by the Banat knezes,[2] that participated in the Succession War and was dissolved after the Treaty of Dresden (December 1745).[2] A part of that unit joined to form the Banat Land Militia.[2] In 1746–47 the Banat Land Militia was planned to have four infantry companies and two Hussar companies (an estimated 2020 men).[5] The Banat Military Frontier was established in 1751,[7] and by 1752 the Landmiliz had 1841 men.[1]
The Land Militia was made up of the Upper Companies (left bank of Tisa) and Lower Companies (along the Nera river, Nova Palanka near the Danube).
- Upper Companies, officer ranks made up of Tisa-Mureş Frontier ex-officers from Bačka.[8]
- Lower Companies, after 1753 most officers were ex-members of the Nazionalmiliz and the Simbschen battalion.[8]
The Militia was eventually disestablished with the formation of regular regiments in 1764–73 – the Illyrian Regiment headquartered in Bela Crkva and the Ansiedlungs Regiment (later "German") headquartered in Pančevo.[9]