Hajduk
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAJ : Hajduk
- This article is about a social pattern in the Balkans. For the hockey player see Milan Hejduk. For football club see Hajduk Split.
In Balkan folkloric tradition, the hajduk (hajduci or haiduci in the plural) is a romanticised hero figure who steals from, and leads his fighters into battle against, the Ottoman oppressors. In short, they are seen as a local variety of Robin Hood and his merry men, who steal from the rich (which in the case of the hajduci happened to be also foreign occupants) and gives to the poor, while carrying a small guerilla war against an injust authority.
In reality, the hajduci of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were as much guerilla fighters against the Ottoman rule as they were bandits and highwaymen who preyed not only on Ottomans and their local representatives, but also on local merchants and travellers. However, most of the hajduci did follow a moral code which forbade robbing the poor and motiveless murder. Those who didn't, were no longer referred to as hajduci by the local population, but were called simply bandits.
The actual origin of the word hajduk is unclear. One theory is that hajduk was derived from the Turkish word haydut, which was originally used by the Ottomans to refer to Hungarian infantry soldiers. Another theory suggests that the word comes from the Hungarian hajtó (plural hajtók), meaning a (cattle) drover.
The Serbian leader Hajduk Veljko and the football teams Hajduk Kula, and Hajduk sa Liona, Croatian football team Hajduk Split, the Romanian band Taraful Haiducilor and the pop-music project Haiducii are all named after the haiduci. The surname of actress Stacy Haiduk is likewise derived from this word.
In modern times, the term haiduci was used by the Romanian resistance movement Haiducii Muscelului, between 1947 and 1959, which opposed the Soviet occupation and the Communist government.
The soccer team Hajduk Split from Croatia founded in 1911 has always been popular across the former Yugoslavia. As a result many new teams with this name were formed. In Serbia new clubs such as Hajduk Kula and Hajduk Beograd were formed by Croatain immigrants in Serbia and Serbian locals as they were fans of Hajduk Split. Today there are over 300 teams with the name Hajduk all over the world and all share a link to Hajduk Split who was the first to use that name.
The fictional character George Washington Hayduke, invented by Edward Abbey, was most likely named after these haiduks.
Notable Serbian hajduks
- Karađorđe
- Stari Vujadin
- Hajduk Veljko
- Hajduk Stanko
- Mali Radojica
- Starina Novak
Notable Croatian hajduks
- Mijat Tomić
- Andrijica Šimić
- Ivan Bušić Roša
- Veli Jože (legend)
Notable Bulgarian hajduks
- Chavdar Voyvoda
- Indzhe Voyvoda
- Captain Petko Voyvoda
- Angel Voyvoda
- Ilyo Voyvoda
- Kara Kolyo
Notable Romanian haiducs
- Toma Alimoş (legend)
- Gruia lui Novac (legend)
- Pintea Viteazul (1670-1703)
- Iancu Jianu (early 19th century) from Oltenia region, befriended and fought together with freedom fighter Tudor Vladimirescu in the emancipation Revolution of 1821
- Andrei Popa (or Andrii Popa)
See also
- Bandolero, a similar later figure in Andalusia.
- Haidamaka
- Hajduk (soldiers)
- Klepht
- Uskoks
External links
- [The Role of Banditry in the Creation of National States in the Central Balkans During the 19th Century]
- [metaweb entry on haiduks]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.