New Serbia (historical province)


New Serbia, or Novoserbia, was a military frontier of Imperial Russia from 1752 to 1764 subordinated directly to the Senat and Military Collegium. The founder of New Serbia was Jovan Horvat.
It was mostly located in the territory of present-day Kirovohrad Oblast of Ukraine, although some of its parts were located in the territory of present-day Cherkasy Oblast, Poltava Oblast and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The administrative centre of New Serbia was Novomirgorod, which is now Novomyrhorod, Ukraine.

History

The region was named after Serbs, who migrated in 1752 to the Russian Empire from the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy. Russian authorities gave these Serbian settlers a land, which thus acquired its name, New Serbia soon after the War of the Austrian Succession. As the Pannonian Frontier, New Serbia was also organized into military province located on the Russian-Polish border and on the land of Buhogard palanka, Zaporizhian Sich. The purpose of the polity was protection of southern borders of the Russian empire as well as participation in Russian military operations near that region. Commandant of New Serbia was Jovan Horvat who vouched for his subordinates the Austrian Grenz infantry.

Demographics

Before the formation of New Serbia, its territory was mostly populated by Ukrainians and included 3,710 houses of settlers from the Hetmanate, Slobozhanshchina and Zaporizhia, 643 houses of native inhabitants and 195 houses of Ukrainian settlers from Poland and Moldavia. When New Serbia was formed, the Russian senate ordered that all these settlers, except native inhabitants, must return to the places where they had previously lived.
After the formation of New Serbia, its initial new settlers were Serbs, but also many Moldavians and other Romanians, Ukrainians, Bulgarians and others settled in the area.
Some of the original Ukrainian settlers who left the territory of New Serbia settled in the southern regions of modern-day Ukraine. In 1745, before the formation of New Serbia, its territory was populated by 9,660 inhabitants, while in 1754, the number of inhabitants was 3,989.
Because of the large number of Moldavian settlers, the largest ethnic group in the province in 1757 were not Serbs, but Moldavians. In 1757, the population of New Serbia numbered 5,482 inhabitants, including:

Settlements of New Serbia

In their new home, Serbs established new places, and consequently gave them same names such as the names of the places in their old home in the Pannonian Plain. Serbs also changed names of some older settlements, giving them Serb names. Of the 41 settlements that existed in New Serbia, 26 were founded before arrival of the Serbs.
Older Ukrainian/Russian name Serbian name from the middle of the 18th centuryUkrainian/Russian name from the middle of the 18th century Newer or modern Ukrainian/Russian name
SkalevaSemlac SemlikSkaleva
-Novoarhangelsk / ArhangelskNovoarkhangelsk / NovoarkhangelyskNovoarkhangel'sk / Novoarkhanhel's'k
GanivkaKalniblat / KalnibolotKalnibolot / KalynibolotKal'nibolota
-Nadlac NadlakNadlak
DavidivkaPetrovo Ostrovo / Petro-Ostrov PetroostrivPetroostriv
KorobchinoPečka Bechka
TrisyagaNovomirgorod / Novi MirgorodNovomirgorodNovomyrhorod / Novomirgorod
Yermina BalkaMartonoš MartonoshMartonosha
OlykhovatkaPančevo PanchevoPancheve
Tri BayrakiKanjiža KanizhKanizh
MogilovoSenta SentaMohyliv / Rodnykivka
-Vukovar VukovarBukvarka
-Feldvar / Fedvar FedvarPidlisne
Mala AdzhamkaSubotica SubotitsaSubottsi
NekrasivskaMošorin MoshorinMoshorine
-Cibuljev / CibulevTsibulivTsybuleve
-DmitrovkaDmitrivka
DikivkaSombor SomborDikivka
ProtopopivkaVaraždin VarazhdinProtopopivka
UsivkaBečej BechaUsivka / Oleksandriya
-GlinskGlinskGlinsk
PantaziyivkaJenovaYanivIvanivka
-Mandorlak Mandorlak-
KosivkaGlogovac GlogovatsKosivka
ButivkaPavliš PavlishPavlysh
-PiljužnicaPilazhnitsa-
OnufriyivkaBlagovatBlagovatOnufriyivka
-Sentomaš/SrbobranSentomash-
-Kovin Kovin-
-Csanád Chonad-
-Slankamen Slankamin-
NesterivkaVršac VershatsVershatsi
StetsivkaŠoljmoš / Šolmoš SholmoshStetsivka
AndrusivkaČongrad ChongradVelyka Andrusivka
-KrilovKrilovKryliv
-Taburište / TaburinoTaburishcheSvitlovodsk
-KrjukovKryukivKryukiv
-Kamjanka / KamenkaKamyankaKamyani Potoky
PlakhtiyivkaZemun ZemunUspenka
DeriyivkaVilagoš VilagoshDeriyivka
-Turija TuriyaTuriya

Notes:
Places in New Serbia whose names can be also found in the territory of the Pannonian Plain include: