Slavonski Brod through centuries

Trough centuries   Turkish authority   Habzburg Monarchy   Brod na Savi   I World War   II World War  

Turkish authority (1536-1691)

Turks began to conquer Slavonia gradually after the Mohač battle in 1526. and Brod was defeated on the 31st July, 1536. The native Catholic population left town and a part of them accepted Islam. Part of population kept back Christian religion and belonging to Roman Catholic church.

Information of Brod during the Turkish authority (1536-1691) were few and far between, but we know that here was the headquarter of "kadiluk" as a part of Požega sanjak. The travel writer Atanas Jurjević visited Brod in 1623. and said that there were about 5000 Muslim and about 40 Catholic houses. Out of this information some authors came to conclusion that about 4000 Muslims and about 200 Catholics could live in the colony at that time. The Turkish travel writer Evlija Čelebija came in Brod in 1660. and noted down that here was the headquarter of captain with garrison of 300 soldiers, houses had wooden roofs and barns, and more important buildings were the ammunition warehouse and the mosque. Ignjat Alojzije Brlić said, the mosque was on toady's Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić Square, withTurkish cemetery. He also said the Turkish Brod had only one street from today˘s Ivana Brlić Mažuranić Square on the west to Mrsunja and on. The Christians in Brod did their public worship in wooden chapel, consecrated to the Holy Trinity, which was behind the Franciscan monastery.

The great war for liberation of Croatian - Hungarian countries started with the defeat of Turkish army under Vienna in 1683. In long-lasting war (1683-1699), the troops of count Adam Zrinski, count Hochkirchen and the district-prefect from Požega Franjo Ivanović set Brod free in July 1688. However, Turks conquered almost the whole Slavonia in an offensive in 1690. again and they occupied Brod in 1691. Only for a while, because after their defeat at Slankamen that same year, the last battle for liberation of Slavonia took place. The Governor Nikola Erdödy and the general Hercog de Croy set Brod free from the Turks once again and finally on 12th October 1691. The Muslim population went together with the Muslim army in Bosnia. Only strong military garrison and few Catholics remained in town. Half-empty town would be fulfilled with Croats from Bosnia guided by the Austrian general prince Eugen Savojski after his campaign to Sarajevo in 1697.

Sava became permanent border between Turkey and Austria (except 1719-1739) by folding peace in Srijemski karlovci in 1699. The Posavina part of Slavonia was included in defence system of Vojna krajna. After that in 1702. Brod region was included too. So the inhabitants of Brod became borderers with numerous and hard military and working obligations. The reorganisation of military system in 1735. determined Brod as the headquarter of one of three Slavonian-Srijem`s captaincy, till the 1747. when Gradiška, Brod and Petrovaradin regiments were founded. The headquarter of Brod infantry's regiment was removed to Vinkovci. The name stayed the same till demilitarisation of Vojna Krajna, because regiments got name after the place of fortress and not the name of its` headquarter.Vojna krajna was not only military, but sanitary cordon towards Turkey where often broke out infectious diseases, plague and cholera, which immediately jeopardise neighbouring countries. Therefore on every more important border crossing "kontumaks" were built, places for goods, cattle and people from Turkish countries to pass the quarantine, to 42 days, in order to establish for sure they were not infected. One of these "kontumak" was in Brod, in the old fortress at the mouth of Sava at first, and then on Vijuš where a new "kontumak" complex was built in the first half of the18th century. The custom-house and "raštel" for commercial business between borderers and Turkish citizen were also there.