Poljičani u Morejskom ratu (1684.-1699.)
Inhabitants of Poljice in the War of Morean (1684.1699)

Summary/Abstract: The eastern coast of the Adriatic and its hinterland were the area of fierce battles between the Venetians and the Ottomans in the second half of the 17th century. A large number of the inhabitants of Dalmatia participated in these battles on the Venetian side. In two long-lasting wars - the War of Crete (1645-1669) and the War of Morea (1684-1699), the Venetians managed to reinforce their position in the area. The War of Morea was a part of a greater war (the Austro-Ottoman war) against the Ottomans, led by the Holy League (Austria and Poland, and Russia from 1686) with the Pope’s blessing. For the Croats, this war had the characteristics of liberation. The Peace Treaty of Srijemski Karlovci that officially ended the mentioned War has an important place in the Croatian history, since it had a major influence in defining today’s borders of the Republic of Croatia. The Croats also gave their contribution in the Austro-Ottoman war of the Holy League. This paper speaks of the participation of the inhabitants of Poljice in the War of Morea since the intention is to stress the role of even such a small place in the centuries-long fight of the Croats against the Ottomans. It also discusses how the participation of the inhabitants of Poljice could have influenced the results of the war operations in the Central Dalmatia (geostrategic importance of Poljice, probable number of the inhabitants of Poljice capable for military service, as well as the importance of young men of Poljice as warriors). The lack of precise data in the sources, as well as the lack of similar attempts in the historiography makes the discussion difficult, so that the results are only approximate and do not exceed the level of presumptions. However, the value of this paper isin its attempt to define the military importance (quality and quantity) of the inhabitants of a certain area, which has been a neglected issue in the historiography so far.

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