The Banat of Temesvar - (Stanford Studies on Central and Eastern Europe) by Timothy Olin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"This book explores the establishment and development of a multi-ethnic frontier society on the Habsburg-Ottoman border, in the historic region of the Banat (today divided between Romania, Yugoslavia, and Hungary). After it passed from Ottoman to Habsburg control in the early eighteenth century, the Habsburgs sought to settle the region with Western and Central European migrants, mainly though not exclusively German-speakers from the Holy Roman Empire. Historian Timothy Olin argues that this policy led to destabilizing demographic changes and laid the foundations for the ethno-religious tensions that characterized the region through the twentieth century and beyond. Imperial authorities used colonists as a means to ensure the loyalty and stability of the province and to prevent Hungarian-Ottoman collusion. Their settlement, beginning in the 1710s and lasting until the 1820s, led to government-sponsored displacement and resettlement of many local villages. In the process of narrating the history of the region, Olin argues that the land empires of Europe engaged in forms of settlement that fit the larger patterns of colonial rule in other parts of Europe and the world, and demonstrates that the movement of settlers and the culture they brought with them began a process of Europeanization in the borderlands of the continent and helped solidify Europe's boundaries"--

Book Synopsis

This book explores the establishment and development of a multi-ethnic frontier society on the Habsburg-Ottoman border, in the historic region of the Banat (today divided between Romania, Serbia, and Hungary). After it passed from Ottoman to Habsburg control in the early eighteenth century, the Habsburgs sought to settle the region with Western and Central European migrants, mainly though not exclusively German-speakers from the Holy Roman Empire. Historian Timothy Olin argues that this policy led to destabilizing demographic changes and laid the foundations for the ethno-religious tensions that characterized the region through the twentieth century and beyond.

Imperial authorities used colonists as a means to ensure the loyalty and stability of the province and to prevent Hungarian-Ottoman collusion. Their settlement, beginning in the 1710s and lasting until the 1820s, led to government-sponsored displacement and resettlement of many local villages. In the process of narrating the history of the region, Olin argues that the land empires of Europe engaged in forms of settlement that fit the larger patterns of colonial rule in other parts of Europe and the world, and demonstrates that the movement of settlers and the culture they brought with them began a process of Europeanization in the borderlands of the continent and helped solidify Europe's boundaries.

Review Quotes

"With extraordinary variety of scale, centering human perspectives in the bald story of reconquest and expansion, Timothy Olin rewrites our understanding of migration, cultural identities, and layered multiethnic negotiation in the Habsburg borderlands. An invaluable portrait of the dynamics of continental empire-building." --Rita Krueger, Temple University

"A meticulously researched book that shines new light on an overshadowed corner of Habsburg Central Europe and clears up century-long misconceptions. The Banat of Temesvar will shape how we think about colonial policies in Europe for years to come." --John Deak, University of Notre Dame

"Timothy Olin masterfully recalls a forgotten Habsburg borderland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as waves of German settlers poured into the frontier region of the Banat. Drawing on archives of Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia, this book examines the nature, scope, and transformation of the monarchy's great colonial experiment." --Howard Louthan, University of Minnesota

"Timothy Olin's book brings to life the motivations, challenges, difficulties--and occasional successes--of individuals, religious and linguistic communities, and state authorities in the Banat region. It presents a sensitive, sophisticated narrative and makes for a fascinating, compelling read." --Jonathan Kwan, University of Nottingham

About the Author

Timothy Olin is Associate Professor of History at Central College, Iowa.