ТУРСКА АРТИЉЕРИЈА У БАЊОЈ ЛУЦИ (1806–1878)
TURKISH ARTILLERY IN BANJA LUKA (1806-1878)

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the origins and usage of the Turkish artillery in Banja Luka, the most outlying fortification of the Bosnia Eyalet, which was the westernmost province of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. The importance of the Banja Luka artillery forces significantly decreased in the years following the 16th through 18th century Ottoman military expansion to the west. The attempts to gain more significance in the 19th century failed, in spite of its location abounding in iron ore. The last days of the 18th century were the days of decline. The revitalization of the fortification started sometime during the first Serbian uprising. The Banja Luka area, especially its north– western part, was one of the few areas in the Bosnia Eyalet being abound in ore necessary for the production of army supplies. Iron ore, the most important raw material for the manufacturing of artillery weapons, was abundant in the area. In 1841, when the Ottoman Empire introduced a regular army, the Banja Luka fortification was one of the most important fortifications in the Balkans, equal to the ones in Hellespont, the Dardanelles, Bosphorus and Constantinople. The gunpowder was supplied from the Vrbanja settlement and the nearby village of Čelinac. It is estimated that 60 artillerymen used 31 cannons at the time. Further activities on improving the Turkish artillery forces in Banja Luka were carried out in 1869, when the barracks had been built inside the walls of the fortification. However, the artillery in the fortifications of the Bosnia Eyalet, including the one in Banja Luka, has never made a particular impression on other countries, particularly the Russians and the neighbouring Austrians. The Ottoman forces in Banja Luka continued to import new artillery pieces manufactured in western countries (Krupp, Warendorf, Gatling, Whitworth) during the war year of 1876. However, this could not match the power of the stronger Austro-Hungarian army that finally ended the existence of the Ottoman artillery in Banja Luka.

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