Serbian Region Šajkaška at the End of the Eighteenth Century

Abstract

Šajkaška is a region in central Bačka, which is still, for the most part, inhabited by Serbs. In 1763, the Šajkaš Battalion was created on its territory, serving as one of the administrative mil itary areas in the Habsburg Monarchy. Simultaneously, the places of the Šajkaš battalion, eccle siastically speaking, were part of the Bačka diocese, falling under the proto-presbytery of Žabalj. Thanks to this arrangement and the 1797 census data from the Diocese of Bačka, we can discuss the ethnic composition, population, average household size, churches, and clergy within the pro to-presbytery of Žabalj, that is, the Šajkaš battalion. The most populous places, with a higher num ber of priests, were Curug, Josifovo (Zabalj), and Kać. Titel, the headquarters of the Battalion, was of medium size, while Vilovo and Lok were the smallest. In most cases, the Šajkaš area had between 1,000 and 2,000 inhabitants and one to two priests. Despite being border guards and soldiers, the Šajkaši recognized the importance of education. The majority of them sent their children to school to acquire the necessary education.