Hajduk
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Hajduk or haiduk or haiduc is a term most commonly referring to a bandit in the Balkans. Forms of the word in various languages include haiduc (Romanian), хајдук/hajduk (Serbian), hajduk (Croatian), haidut (Bulgarian), aiducco (Italian), haďdouk (French), haydut (Turkish).
In Balkan folkloric tradition, the hajduk (hajduci or haiduci in plural) is a romanticised hero figure who steals from and leads his fighters into battle against the Ottoman oppressors. In reality, the hajduci of the 18th and 19th centuries were guerilla fighters cum bandits who preyed not only on Ottomans but also on local merchants and travellers. However, the hajduci did follow a moral code which forbade robbing of the poor and motiveless murder.
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 footbal 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 name.
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.
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Famous Serbian hajduks
Famous Croatian hajduks
Famous Romanian haiducs
- Toma Alimoş (legend)
- Gruia lui Novac (legend)
- Pintea Viteazul (1670-1703)
- Iancu Jianu (d. 1817)
See also
- Haidamakas
- Hajduk (Hungarian soldiers)
- Bandolero, a similar later figure in Andalusia.
- Uskoks, somewhat similar bands
External links
- The Role of Banditry in the Creation of National States in the Central Balkans During the 19th Century (http://www.rastko.org.yu/istorija/xix/apetrovic-banditry_eng.html)de:Haiduken