Uskočki rat. Međunarodni aspekti
Uscocs War. International Aspects

Summary/Abstract: The so called ‘Uscocs’ or ‘Gradiška’ war between the Austrian Habsburg dynasty and the Venetian Republic (1615-1618) has, until the present day, been only interpreted from Croatian and Austrian historiography as an event with only a regional meaning and as an episode in the history of the Turkish Wars. The historiography of the 16th and 17th centuries provides us with a lot of information about the expansion of the Ottoman Empire towards Europe and Europe’s defence against this apocalyptic threat. From parts of the Austrian historiography the Uscocs were perceived as one of the frontline defences. The other aspect of the Uscocs’ history was the conflict between Austria and the Venetian Republic which they caused and led to the end. The fact that the military actions during that war were mostly concentrated around the towns of the Friuli region, predominately around the town of Gradište, was not included in historical researches until now. The author investigates all the approaches to the question of the Uscos war and finally concludes that this conflict was very important for the further territorial positioning and further leading of the war between the Austrian Habsburgs and the Venetians for the domination of Upper Italy, which was started by King Maximillian I. Spain and France were involved in this257A. M. Gruenfelder: Uskočki rat Senj. zb. 30, 211-258 (2003)258war. In the literature the Spanish intervention was described as being help for the Spanish Habsburgs who were connected with the Austrian Habsburgs through many family connections. The most plausible, and for Spain also a very important reason for the intervention, was territorial positioning in Upper Italy. There were very important merchant routes between the Adriatic Sea and the Holy Roman Empire which were important in connecting Spain with its possessions in the Netherlands. This was the reason for the special agreement between Spain and their Austrian relatives from which it asked important territorial gifts to establish its position within the European continent. France was also involved; not only in helping the Venetian Republic, but also in taking back the lost county of Milan.

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