The term Banat designated a frontier province governed by a ban.
There were several banats in the Kingdom of Hungary, such as the banats of Dalmatia, of Slavonia, of Bosnia and of Croatia; these disappeared during the course of the Turkish Wars. But when the word is used without any other qualification, it indicates the Timişoara Banat, which strangely acquired this title after the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), though it was never governed by a ban.
On 29 July 1929, the existing counties formed the Timiş Province: Timiş-Torontal, Caraş- Severin, Arad, and Hunedoara.
On 6 September 1950, instead of the province, was enforced the Timişoara Region (formed by today's counties Timiş and Caraş-Severin).
In 1956, the southern half of the existing Arad Region was incorporated to Timişoara Region. In December 1960, Timişoara Region was named Banat Region.
Starting 17 February 1968, a new territorial division was made in Romania and today's Timiş, Caraş-Severin and Arad counties were formed.
Recently, Romania has been split into 8 financial regions, which act as a sort of territorial autonomy divisions. The eight regions are: North-East, South-East, South, South-West, West, North-West, Center, and Bucharest. The West region is composed of counties: Arad, Timiş, Hunedoara, and Caraş-Severin, thus it had almost same borders as the Timiş Province from 1929. The West financial region is also a part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa euroregion.
The Romanian Banat is mountainous in the south and southeast, while in the north, west and south-west it is flat and in some places marshy. The climate, except in the marshy parts, is generally healthy. Wheat, Barley, oats, Rye, Maize, Flax, Hemp and Tobacco are grown in large quantities, and the products of the vineyards are of a good quality. Game is plentiful and the rivers swarm with fish. The mineral wealth is great, including Copper, tin, Lead, Zinc, Iron and especially Coal. Amongst its numerous mineral springs, the most important are those of Mehadia, with sulphurous waters, which were already known in the Roman period as the Termae Herculis (Băile Herculane). Note that part of the "Banat Region" of Romania includes some areas that are mountainous and were not part of the historical Banat or of the Pannonian plain.
The Serbian Banat (Western Banat) was part of Serbian Vojvodina (in 1848/1849) and part of the Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat (between 1849 and 1860). After 1860, the Serbian Banat was part of Torontál and Temes counties of Habsburg Hungary. The center of Torontál county was Veliki Bečkerek (Hungarian: Nagybecskerek, Romanian: Becicherecul Mare), the current Zrenjanin.
The region was a County of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between 1918 and 1922, and in 1929 it was incorporated into the Dunavska banovina (Danubian Banat), a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Between 1941 and 1944 the Serbian Banat was occupied by the Axis Powers. Formally it was part of Serbia, but it actually was a separate autonomous region ruled by its German minority. Since 1945 the Serbian Banat (together with Bačka and Srem), is part of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina.
In Serbia, the banat is mostly plains. Wheat, Barley, oats, Rye, Maize, Hemp and Sunflower are grown, and mineral wealth consists of Oil and Natural gas. A popular tourist destination in Banat is Deliblatska Peščara. According to 2002 census, the population of the Serbian Banat was composed of: Serbs (65%), Hungarians (18%), Romanians, Slovaks, etc.
[image] The Districts of Serbia in Banat are:
See also: Geographical regions in Serbia and Montenegro
[image] [image] During the early medieval migrations, Slavs settled today's Banat in the 6th century. In the 9th century the territory of present-day Banat was part of the First Bulgarian Empire. The Hungarian historical chronicle Gesta Hungarorum speaks of a duke called Glad, a ruler in the territory of Banat who came from Vidin and was a vassal of Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria. His descendant was Ahtum, the last ruler, who was opposed to the establishment of the Hungarian Kingdom. Ahtum was an Orthodox Christian.
The region was conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century and was divided into the counties Torontál, Temes, Krassó and Szörény.
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The Banat was conquered by the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1552, and became a Turkish elayet (province) named the Elayet of Temesvar. Since the 16th century, Banat is mainly populated with Serbs and Romanians. In 1594 Serbs in Banat started a large uprising opposing the Turkish rule. The Romanians also participated in this uprising.
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In the 17th century, parts of the Banat were captured by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria. In 1716, Prince Eugene of Savoy conquered the last parts of Banat from the Ottomans. It received the title of the Banat of Temesvar after the Treaty of Passarowitz (1718), and remained a separate province of Habsburg Monarchy under military administration until 1751, when Maria Theresa introduced a civil administration. The Banat province was abolished in 1778. The southern part of the Banat remained part of the Military Frontier (Banat Krajina) until it was abolished in 1871.
During the Turkish rule, parts of Banat had low population density after years of warfare, and some were allowed to lie almost desolate in marsh, heath, and forest. Count Claudius Mercy (1666-1734), who was appointed governor of Timiş Banat in 1720, took numerous measures for the regeneration of the Banat. The marshes near the Danube and Tisza rivers were cleared, roads and canals were built at great expense of labour, German artisans and other settlers were attracted to colonize the district, and agriculture and trade encouraged.
Maria Theresa also took a great interest in the Banat; she colonized the region with German peasants, founded many villages, encouraged the exploitation of the mineral wealth of the country, and generally developed the measures introduced by Mercy. Germans arrived from Swabia, Alsace and Bavaria, as well as people from Austria. Many settlements in the eastern Banat were mostly German-inhabited. The Germans in the Banat region became known as the Danube Swabians, or Donauschwaben.
According to 1774 data, the population of the Banat of Temesvar was composed of:
In 1779 the Banat was incorporated into Habsburg Hungary, and the three counties Torontál, Temes and Krassó were recreated. In 1848, Western Banat has become a part of Serbian Vojvodina. During the 1848/1849 revolution, Banat was respectively held by Serbian and Hungarian troops.
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After the Revolution of 1848-1849, the Banat (together with Srem and Bačka) was made into a separate Austrian crownland known as the Vojvodina of Serbia and Tamiš Banat (German: Woiwodschaft Serbien und Temescher Banat), but in 1860 this province was abolished and incorporated again into Habsburg Hungary.
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After 1871, the former Military Frontier was reincorporated into the Banat. Krassó and Szörény were united into Krassó-Szörény in 1881.
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In 1918, Banat Republic was proclaimed in Timişoara, and government of Hungary has recognized its independence, but it was short-lived. After several days, Serbian troops entered Banat, and that was the end of the Banat Republic.
In 1918 (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon of 1920), most of the Banat became part of Romania: (Krassó-Szörény completely, 2/3 of Temes, and a small part of Torontál). The southwestern part (most of Torontál, 1/3 of Temes) became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (which became Yugoslavia). A small area near Szeged became part of newly independent Hungary. The territory of Banat is presently in the Romanian counties Timiş, Arad and Caraş-Severin, the Serbian autonomous province of Vojvodina and Belgrade City District, and the Hungarian county Csongrád.
Note: Senta is geographically located in Bačka, but it is part of the North Banat District.
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