Military Circumstances in the Split-Zadar Hinterland in the 16th Century

The Ottoman Serhat 1530-1573

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to offer new information about military circumstances in the Split-Zadar hinterland in the early decades of the Ottoman rule. On the basis thereof we can establish that the Ottoman border belt – serhat in that region had been mainly established by the 1530s, and gradually shaped over the next half-a-century with minor corrections after 1539 and 1573. The sources available earlier did not mirror the real situation on the border, and movements in the most advanced border belt were defined on the basis thereof. From the available historical sources, however, despite some deficiency, it is possible to obtain some information contributing to a better understanding of the circumstances in the 16th century. The chain of forts in the Ottoman serhat in 1573-74 quite certainly encompassed: Nečven, Sinj, Vrh Rika (Vrlika), Drniš, Knin, Zvonigrad and Boričevac with timar garrisons, then Udbina, Velin, Bilaj Bunić, Ostrovica, Bilaj Barlet, Vrčevo, Zemunik, Polešnik, Obrovac, Nadin, Karin, Vrana, Rakitnica, Kašić, Daslina, Drniš, Klis, Lončarić and Kamengrad with garrisons of members salaried per day.

Like in other border regions, the defence system in that area was based on various military structures, among which garrison members salaried per day were especially important, more important than timar garrisons. Other military ranks, especially spahis as an important component of the Ottoman military system, played only a symbolic part in military structures in the Split-Zadar hinterland in the 16th century. Besides these, it is possible to occasionally come across some auxiliary ranks, such as martolosi, which appear sporadically. Other auxiliary military ranks we often meet in Bosnia, such as vojnuci and akindžije, were not present in the region in the respective time period.