River Sava as Demarcation Line between Hapsburg Monarchy and Ottoman Empire in 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz

Abstract

This short treatise intends to show the position and importance of the river Sava in the Peace Congress held in Karlowitz (Srijemski Karlovci) in 1699 which concluded the Austro-Ottoman war, known in literature as the Vienna war. The river Sava is even today the lifeblood of the Posavina region, both on Slavonian and Bosnian sides, but also of other regions along its flow. The focus is on the details of demarcation and on economic and environmental predispositions that derived out of the Treaty.

According to sources that deal with this subject, it is clear that the question of demarcation on the river Sava was one of the main issues during the discussions in the Congress, being of importance both to the Ottomans and to the Hapsburgs. We have used original translation of the Treaty between warring parties as related to demarcation on the river Sava, as well as other written documents concerning all subsequent changes that had occurred as a result of the treaty that had shaped future political and economic situation of the region.