Kingdom of Serbia (1718–1739)

The Kingdom of Serbia (Serbian: Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija; German: Königreich Serbien), was a province of the Habsburg Monarchy from 1718 to 1739. It was formed from the territories in the south of the rivers Sava and Danube that Habsburg Monarchy conquered from Ottoman Empire in 1718, but it was abolished and returned to Ottoman Empire in 1739.

The Habsburg Serbian crownland was oppressive and exploited local Serbs, however the Serbs benefited from self-government, an autonomous Serbian militia and integrated economic ties with the Habsburg monarchy. Serbia's population had increased rapidly from 270,000 to 400,000.

History
In the 17th century, entire territory of present-day Serbia was under Ottoman administration. In 1688-1689, during the Great Turkish War, the Habsburg troops temporarily took control over most of present-day Serbia, but were subsequently forced into retreat. The Treaty of Karlowitz from 1699 recognized Ottoman authority over most of present-day Serbia, while region of Bačka and western part of the region of Syrmia were assigned to the Habsburg Monarchy.

In 1718, the Habsburg Monarchy conquered from the Ottoman Empire some additional parts of present-day Serbia, including Banat, south-eastern Syrmia, and northern parts of present-day Central Serbia. In part of this territory, in the south of the rivers Sava and Danube, the Habsburgs formed a province named Kingdom of Serbia. Habsburg emperor used a title of a king of Serbia, while administrator of the province was appointed governor. Territory of present-day eastern Serbia, also conquered by the Habsburgs in 1718, was not included into Kingdom of Serbia, but was administratively a part of the Banat of Temeswar.

After a new Habsburg-Ottoman war in 1739, the Habsburg Monarchy lost all territories south of the rivers Sava and Danube, including whole territory of the Kingdom of Serbia. Banat and Syrmia, in today's northern Serbia, remained under Habsburg administration up to 1918.

Governors of Serbia

 * Johann Joseph Anton O'Dwyer, (1718–1720) (also known as "General Odijer")
 * Charles Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, (1720–1733)
 * Karl Christoph von Schmettau, (1733–1738)
 * George Oliver de Wallis, (1738–1739)

Aftermath
Although the Habsburg administration over this part of present-day Serbia was short-lived, the consciousness about separate political entity was left behind by the Habsburgs, thus local inhabitants never again fully accepted Ottoman administration, which lead to the Koča's frontier rebellion (in 1788) and to the First Serbian Uprising in 1804, which ended the direct Ottoman rule over this part of present-day Serbia.

Parts of present-day Serbia in the south of the Sava and Danube were temporarily controlled by the Habsburg Monarchy once again between 1789 and 1791, after the Kočina Krajina Serb rebellion (1788).