A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and parts of

Southeast Europe Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...

from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from

bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

s to

freedom fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

s depending on time, place, and their enemies. In the European lands of the Ottoman Empire, the term ''hajduk'' was used to describe bandits and

brigands Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded usa ...

of the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, while in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

for the

West Slavs The West Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak the West Slavic languages. They separated from the common Slavic group around the 7th century, and established independent polities in Central Europe by the 8th to 9th centuries. The West Slavic langu ...

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...

, and

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

, it was used to refer to

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

s who protected Christians against provocative actions by the Ottomans. By the 17th century they were firmly established in the Ottoman Balkans, owing to increased taxes, Christian victories against the Ottomans, and a general decline in security. Hajduk bands predominantly numbered one hundred men each, with a firm hierarchy under one leader. They targeted Ottoman representatives and rich people, mainly rich Turks, for plunder or punishment to oppressive Ottomans, or revenge or a combination of all. 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 authorities. They are comparable to the English legendary

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

and his merry men, who stole from the rich (who as in the case of the haiduci happened to also be foreign occupants) and gave to the poor, while defying seemingly unjust laws and authority. People that helped hajduks were called jataks. Jataks lived in villages and towns and provided food and shelter for hajduks. In return, hajduks would give them part of the loot. The haiduci of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries commonly were as much guerrilla fighters against the Ottoman rule as they were bandits and

highwaymen A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to fo ...

who preyed not only on Ottomans and their local representatives, but also on local merchants and travellers. As such, the term could also refer to any robber and carry a negative connotation.Найден Геров. 1895-1904. Речник на блъгарский язик.ХайдукъЛ.Андрейчин и др. 2006. Български тълковен речник. Четвърто издание

Etymology

The etymology of the word ''hajduk'' is unclear. One theory is that ''hajduk'' was derived from the Turkish word ''haidut'' or ''haydut'' 'bandit', which was originally used by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

to refer to Hungarian and

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

infantry soldiers. Another theory suggests that the word comes from Hungarian ''hajtó'' or ''hajdó'' (plural ''hajtók'' or ''hajdók'') '(cattle) drover'. These two theories do not necessarily contradict each other because the Balkan word is said to be derived from the Turkish word ''haiduk'' or ''hayduk'' 'bandit'. Other spellings in English include ''ajduk'', ''haydut'', ''haiduk'', ''haiduc'', ''hayduck'', and ''hayduk''. Forms of the word in various languages, in singular form, include: *''hajdut'', in

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

; in the ordinary sense of "thief" *''hayduk'' (հայդուկ), in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

; used as a male given name, and it means "Armenian freedom fighter". *''haydut'' (хайдут), ''haydutin'' (хайдутин) or ''hayduk'' (хайдук), in

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

*''haidouk'', ''haiduque'', in French *''aiducco'', in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

*''hajdú'', in Hungarian *''ajduk'' (ајдук), ''ajdutin'' (ајдутин), in Macedonian *''hajduk'', in

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

*''Hajduk'', in

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

*''haiduc'', in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

*''hajduk'' (хајдук), in

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...

*''hajdúch'' in Slovak *''hejduk'', in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

*''haydut'', in Turkish; in the ordinary sense of "bandit" *''hejduk'', in

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

*''gajduk'' (гайдук), in

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

*''

haidamaka The haidamakas, also haidamaky or haidamaks (singular ''haidamaka'', ua, Гайдамаки, ''Haidamaky'') were Ukrainian paramilitary outfits composed of commoners (peasants, craftsmen), and impoverished noblemen in the eastern part of the ...

'' (гайдамака), in

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

*''haydamak'' (הײַדאַמאַק), in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

Irregular military

Kingdom of Hungary

In 1604–1606,

István Bocskay Stephen Bocskai or Bocskay ( hu, Bocskai István; 1 January 155729 December 1606) was Prince of Transylvania and Hungary from 1605 to 1606. He was born to a Hungarian noble family. His father's estates were located in the eastern regions of th ...

, Lord of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

, led an insurrection against the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

, whose army had recently occupied

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

and begun a reign of terror. The bulk of Bocskay's army was composed of

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

s who had either fled from the war and the Habsburg drive toward

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

conversion, or been discharged from the Imperial Army. These

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

s, freelance soldiers, were known as the ''hajduk''. As a reward for their service, Bocskay emancipated the hajduk from the jurisdiction of their lords, granted them land, and guaranteed them rights to own property and to personal freedom. The emancipated hajduk constituted a new "warrior estate" within Hungarian

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

society. Many of the settlements created at this time still bear the prefix ''Hajdú'' such as Hajdúbagos,

Hajdúböszörmény Hajdúböszörmény is a town in northeastern Hungary with a population of approximately 30,000 people. History It is also known as a famous college town with an excellent academic atmosphere, as it is home to one of the faculties of the world's ...

, Hajdúdorog, Hajdúhadház, Hajdúnánás, Hajdúsámson,

Hajdúszoboszló Hajdúszoboszló () is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, Hungary, southwest of county seat Debrecen. It is the third largest town in Hajdú-Bihar county. Etymology The name comes from a Slavic personal name Soběslav (see e.g. Soběslav, Soběsl ...

, Hajdúszovát, Hajdúvid etc., and the whole area is called ''Hajdúság'' (Land of the Hajduk) (see

Hajdú County Hajdú, formerly known as Hajdúság, was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The capital of the county was Debrecen. The territory of the county is now part of the Hungarian county Hajdú-Bihar. Geography Hajdú coun ...

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

The word ''hajduk'' was initially a colloquial term for a style of footsoldier, Hungarian or Turco-

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

in inspiration, that formed the backbone of the Polish infantry arm from the 1570s until about the 1630s. Unusually for this period, Polish-Lithuanian hajduks wore

uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

s, typically of grey-blue woolen cloth, with red collar and cuffs. Their principal weapon was a small calibre

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Before ...

firearm, known as an

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

. For close combat they also carried a heavy variety of

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

, capable of hacking off the heads of enemy

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

s and

polearm A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly ...

s. Contrary to popular opinion, the small axe they often wore tucked in their belt (not to be confused with the huge half-moon shaped berdysz axe, which was seldom carried by hajduks) was not a combat weapon, but rather was intended for cutting wood. In the mid-17th century hajduk-style infantry largely fell out of fashion in Poland-Lithuania, and were replaced by

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

-armed infantry of Western style. However, commanders or

hetman ( uk, гетьман, translit=het'man) is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders. Used by the Czechs in Bohemia since the 15th century. It was the title of the second-highest military co ...

s of the

continued to maintain their own liveried bodyguards of hajduks, well into the 18th century as something of a throwback to the past, even though they were now rarely used as field troops. In imitation of these bodyguards, in the 18th century wealthy members of the

szlachta The ''szlachta'' (Polish: endonym, Lithuanian: šlėkta) were the noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth who, as a class, had the dominating position in the ...

hired liveried domestic servants whom they called hajduks, thereby creating the meaning of the term 'hajduk' as it is generally understood in modern Polish.

Serbian Militia (1718–39)

The Serbs established a Hajduk army that supported the Austrians. The army was divided into 18 companies, in four groups. In this period, the most notable obor-kapetans were Vuk Isaković from Crna Bara,

Mlatišuma Staniša Marković ( sr-cyr, Станиша Марковић; 1664–1740), known as Mlatišuma (Млатишума), was a Habsburg Serbian '' obor-kapetan'' of Kragujevac. He had joined the Austrians in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18, and ...

from

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Serbia, and is situated on ...

and Kosta Dimitrijević from

Paraćin Paraćin ( sr-Cyrl, Параћин, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. It is located in the valley of the Velika Morava river, north of Kruševac and southeast of Kragujevac. In 2011 the town had a p ...

Cultural influence

The Croatian football team

HNK Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, t ...

; Serbian football teams

Hajduk Kula FK Hajduk Kula (Serbian Cyrillic: ФК Хајдук Кула) was a Serbian football club based in Kula. The club was named after a Hajduk, a much celebrated hero figure in the Serbian epic poetry. On 30 July 2013, just eleven days before start ...

FK Hajduk Beograd FK Hajduk Beograd () is a football club based in Lion, Belgrade, Serbia. They compete in the Belgrade Zone League, the fourth tier of the national league system. History After triumphing in the 1992–93 Belgrade Zone League, the club subsequentl ...

FK Hajduk Veljko FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video game character. Place: ...

and

Hajduk Lion FK Hajduk Beograd () is a Association football, football club based in Lion, Belgrade, Lion, Belgrade, Serbia. They compete in the Belgrade Zone League, the fourth tier of the Serbian football league system, national league system. History After ...

; the Macedonian football team

FK Hajduk - Vratnica FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video game character. Place ...

; the pop-music project Haiducii, and Romanian

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

musical troupe Taraful Haiducilor are all named after the hajduci. The surnames of the fictional character George Washington Hayduke, invented by

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include ''Desert Solit ...

, actress

Stacy Haiduk Stacy Haiduk (born April 24, 1968) is an American actress. Her best-known roles include Lana Lang on ''Superboy'', Katherine Hitchcock on ''seaQuest DSV'', Hannah Nichols on ''All My Children'', as Patty Williams and Emily Peterson on ''The You ...

, US national soccer team defender

Frankie Hejduk Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder. At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA G ...

, Czech Republic national ice hockey team forward

Milan Hejduk Milan Hejduk (; born February 14, 1976) is a Czech-American former professional ice hockey forward. Nicknamed "the Duke", he spent his entire 14-year National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Colorado Avalanche and retired holding the record ...

and Montenegrin theoretical physicist Dragan Hajduković, are likewise derived from this word. The term "haiduci" was used by the

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

Haiducii Muscelului Paula Mitrache (born 14 June 1977), known by the stage name Haiducii (), is a Romanian-Italian singer, model and actress. She released her debut single "Dragostea din tei" in 2004, a cover of O-Zone's homonymous single of the previous year. A co ...

, between 1947 and 1959, which opposed the Soviet occupation and the

Communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

In academics

In the early 1970s, after the publication of the now classic

sociological Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

studies ''Primitive Rebels'' and ''Bandits'' by historian

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. A life-long Marxist, his socio-political convictions influenced the character of his work. H ...

, hajduks started appearing in western social and

anthropological Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

literature. Hobsbawm invented the term "

social bandit Social banditry or social crime is a form of lower class social resistance involving behavior that by law is illegal but is supported by wider "oppressed" society as being moral and acceptable. The term ''social bandit'' was invented by the Marx ...

" to describe outlaws who operate on the edges of rural societies by fighting against authorities and sometimes helping the ordinary people. There has always been a degree of fluidity in their status, whereby, as described by John Koliopoulos in his study of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

klephts Klephts (; Greek κλέφτης, ''kléftis'', pl. κλέφτες, ''kléftes'', which means "thieves" and perhaps originally meant just "brigand": "Other Greeks, taking to the mountains, became unofficial, self-appointed armatoles and were know ...

, ''Brigands with a Cause'', brigands would sometimes change sides and start acting on behalf of the authorities to preserve peace and suppress banditry, and vice versa. From the early 1980s, sociological studies started narrating the stories of hajduks, klephts, bandits, brigands, outlaws, rebels, and pirates in all parts of the planet, from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to republican

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Hajduk is mentioned in the song "

Dragostea Din Tei "Dragostea Din Tei" (; official English title: "Words of Love", also informally known as "Maya Hi" and "Numa Numa") is a song by Moldovan pop group O-Zone, released as the second single from their third studio album, ''DiscO-Zone'' (2004). The s ...

", most notable for being the basis of the Numa Numa meme.

Notable hajduks

Armenian

Arabo Arabo ( hy, Արաբօ, 1863–1893), born Arakel Mkhitarian, was an Armenian fedayi of the late 19th century. Arabo was born in the village of Kurter or Korter ( or ) in the region of Sasun in the Bitlis vilayet. Arabo studied at the Arakel ...

(1863–1893) * Aghbiur Serob (1864–1899) *

Andranik Andranik Ozanian, commonly known as General Andranik or simply Andranik;. Also spelled Antranik or Antranig 25 February 186531 August 1927), was an Armenian military commander and statesman, the best known '' fedayi'' and a key figure of the ...

(1865–1927) *

Kevork Chavush Kevork Ghazarian ( hy, Գէորգ Ղազարեան; 1870 – 28 May 1907), commonly known as Kevork Chavush or Gevorg Chaush ( hy, Գէորգ Չաւուշ or Գևորգ Չաուշ), was an Armenian '' fedayee'' leader in the Ottoman Empire and a ...

(1870–1907)

Albanian

Çerçiz Topulli Çerçiz Topulli (20 September 1880 – 17 July 1915) was an Albanian revolutionary and guerrilla fighter involved in the national movement operating in the mountainous areas of southern Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topulli. He w ...

(1889–1915), important figure during the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

and Albanian national hero

Bulgarian

Delyo Delyo ( bg, Дельо, sometimes Делю, ''Delyu'') was a Bulgarian rebel leader ('' hajduk voivode'') who was active in the Rhodope Mountains in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Delyo was born in Belovidovo (today Zlatograd) in the Smo ...

(late 17th and early 18th centuries) * Chavdar Voyvoda (16th century) * Indzhe Voyvoda (c. 1755 - 1821) *

Ilyo Voyvoda Iliya Markov ( bg, Илия Марков, mk, Илија Марков, ; May 28, 1805 – April 17, 1898), known as Ilyo Voyvoda or Dedo Iljo Maleshevski, was a Bulgarian revolutionary from the region of Macedonia, who is considered a national h ...

(1805 (?) - 1898) *

Angel Voyvoda Angel Stoyanov Kariotov ( bg, Ангел Стоянов Кариотов; 1812 – ), also known as Angel Vojvoda (Ангел войвода), was one of the biggest voivods in Bulgarian history, who led the well-organized band in the region ...

(1812- c. 1864) *

Captain Petko Voyvoda Petko Kirkov Kaloyanov Петко Кирков (Каракирков, Киряков, Калоянов), better known as Captain Petko Voyvoda (Капитан Петко Войвода; 5 December 1844 – 7 February 1900) was a 19th-centur ...

(1844-1900) *

Panayot Hitov Panayot Ivanov Hitov ( bg, Панайот Иванов Хитов) (November 11, 1830 – February 22, 1918) was a Bulgarian ''hajduk'', national revolutionary and voivode. Born in 1830 in Sliven (known as İslimiye at the time), he became a haj ...

(1830-1918) *

Filip Totyu Todor Todorov Topalov (or Topalski) ( bg, Тодор Тодоров Топалов or Топалски; 1830-23 March 1907), better known under the pseudonym Filip Totyu (Филип Тотю), was a Bulgarian revolutionary of the Bulgarian National ...

(1830-1907) *

Hadzhi Dimitar Dimitar Nikolov Asenov ( bg, Димитър Николов Асенов ; 10 May 1840 – 10 August 1868), better known as Hadzhi Dimitar ( ), was one of the most prominent Bulgarian voivode and revolutionaries working for the Liberation of Bulg ...

(1840-1868) *

Stefan Karadzha Stefan Karadzha (pronounced aɾadʒˈa bg, Стефан Караджа; born Stefan Todorov Dimov, Стефан Тодоров Димов; 11 May 1840 – 31 July 1868), was a Bulgarian national hero, a revolutionary from the national lib ...

(1840-1868) * '' Rumena Voyvoda'' (1829 - 1862 or 1895)

Region of Macedonia

* Karposh (active also in Thrace and Moesia)

Romanian

Iancu Jianu Iancu Jianu (; 1787 – 14 December 1842), also Ioniță Jianu, was a Wallachian Romanian hajduk. Biography Born in Caracal, Oltenia, Wallachia, in 1787, to the Jianu boyar family, as the youngest of four brothers. His father, Costache Jianu, wa ...

(1787–1842), hajduk in Oltenia, participant of the Wallachian Uprising *

Radu Șapcă Radu may refer to: People * Radu (given name), Romanian masculine given name * Radu (surname), Romanian surname * Rulers of Wallachia, see * Prince Radu of Romania (born 1960), disputed pretender to the former Romanian throne Other uses * Ra ...

(''

Popa Șapcă Popa (''priest'' in Romanian language, Romanian) may refer to: People *Alina Popa (born 1978), Romanian-Swiss, IFBB professional bodybuilder *Anatolie Popa (1896–1920), Moldavian military commander *Celestina Popa (born 1970), Romanian, artistic ...

'', 1848–64), priest and hajduk in Oltenia, participant in the

1848 Revolutions The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

* Pintea the Brave (''

Pintea Viteazul Pintea is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Pintea (1954–2007), Romanian actor * Crina Pintea (née Ailincăi; born 1990), Romanian handballer * Gherman Pântea or Pîntea (1894–1968), Bessarabian-born soldier, civil ...

'', d. 1703), rebel in the area of

Maramureș Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpath ...

. * Șaptecai ('' Anghel Panait'') *'' Andrii Popa'' (1790-1818)

Greek

Odysseas Androutsos Odysseas Androutsos ( el, Οδυσσέας Ανδρούτσος; 1788 – 1825; born Odysseas Verousis el, Οδυσσέας Βερούσης) was a Greek military and political commander in eastern mainland Greece and a prominent figure of the ...

(1788-1825) *

Markos Botsaris Markos Botsaris ( el, Μάρκος Μπότσαρης c. 1788 – 21 August 1823) was a chieftain of the Souliotes and hero of the Greek War of Independence, and general of the Greek army.Brigands with a Cause, Brigandage and Irredentism ...

(1788-1823) *

Athanasios Diakos Athanasios Nikolaos Massavetas ( el, Αθανάσιος Νικόλαος Μασσαβέτας; 1788 – 24 April 1821) also known as Athanasios Diakos ( el, Αθανάσιος Διάκος) was a Greek military commander during the Greek War of ...

(1788-1821) *

Geórgios Karaïskákis Georgios Karaiskakis ( el, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης), born Georgios Karaiskos ( el, Γεώργιος Καραΐσκος; 1782 – 1827), was a famous Greek military commander and a leader of the Greek War of Independence. Early ...

(1782-1827) * Antonis Katsantonis (c. 1775-1808) *

Theodoros Kolokotronis Theodoros Kolokotronis ( el, Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης; 3 April 1770 – 4 February 1843) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire. Kolokotronis's g ...

(1770-1843) * Dimitrios Makris (c. 1772 - 1841) *

Nikitas Stamatelopoulos Nikitaras ( el, Νικηταράς) was the nom de guerre of Nikitas Stamatelopoulos ( el, Νικήτας Σταματελόπουλος) (c. 17841849), a Greek revolutionary in the Greek War of Independence. Due to his fighting prowess, he was ...

(c. 1784-1849)

Hungarian

Juraj Jánošík Juraj Jánošík (first name also ''Juro'' or ''Jurko'', ; baptised 25 January 1688, died 17 March 1713) was a Slovak highwayman. Jánošík has been the main character of many Slovak novels, poems, and films. According to the legend, he robbed ...

(1688-1713) * Angyal Bandi *

Jóska Sobri Jóska Sobri or Jóska Zsubri (born József Pap;Magyar Filmtudományi Intézet és Filmarchivum, Magyar Filmintézet, Magyar Nemzeti FilmarchívumFilmévkönyv 2002, p. 54 1810 – 17 February 1837) was a Hungarian bandit. He became a legendary ...

(1810-1837) *

Sándor Rózsa Sándor Rózsa (born July 10, 1813, Röszke – died November 22, 1878, Szamosújvár) was a Hungarian outlaw (in Hungarian: ''betyár'') from the Great Hungarian Plain. He is the best-known Hungarian highwayman; his life inspired numerous w ...

(1813-1878)

Ukrainian

Ustym Karmaliuk Ustym Yakymovych Karmaliuk (also Karmelyuk, uk, Устим Якимович Кармалюк (Кармелюк)) (March 10, 1787 – October 22, 1835) was a Ukrainian outlaw who fought against the Russian administration and became a folk hero to ...

(1787-1835) *

Ivan Gonta Ivan Gonta (; died 1768) was one of the leaders of the Koliivshchyna, an armed rebellion of peasants and Ukrainian Cossacks against Bar confederation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Born in Rożyszki (modern Rozsishky) near Uman' in ...

(1721-1768) *

Maksym Zalizniak Maksym Zalizniak ( uk, Максим Залізняк, Maksym Zaliznyak) (born early 1740s in Medvedivka near Chyhyryn - date and place of death unknown, after 1768) was a Ukrainian Cossack and leader of the Koliivshchyna rebellion. History Z ...

(1740-1768)

Czech, Polish and Slovak

(1688-1713) * Ondráš * Matěj Ondra z Leskovce

Serbo-Croatian

* Starina Novak (1530s–1601), Wallachian-employed guerrilla commander, former peasant in Timok *

Deli-Marko Deli-Marko ( sr-cyr, Дели-Марко, "Wild Marko"; 1596–1619) or Marko Segedinac (, "Marko of Segedin"), was a Serb ''hajduk'' and military commander in Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg service, active during the Long Turkish War. He was mention ...

(fl. 1596–1619), hajduk and military commander in Habsburg service *

Ivo Senjanin Ivan Vlatković ( 1571 – 1612), known in folklore as Ivo Senjanin ("Ivo of Senj"), was a Habsburg Croatian uskok who led numerous military exploits against the Ottoman Empire. Due to few historical sources, much of what is known about him today ...

(d. 1612), Habsburg Croatian ''uskok'' *

Mijat Tomić Mijat Tomić (died 1656) was a hajduk who led brigands which fought against Ottoman Empire rule in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Biography He was born in the village of Brišnik near Tomislavgrad. Although his exact birth date is uncertain, ...

(1610–1656), brigand leader in Ottoman Bosnia *

Petar Mrkonjić Petar Mrkonjić (before 1645 – after 1669) was a legendary hajduk from the Imotski region in the Dalmatian Hinterland, in modern-day Croatia, active during the Cretan War (1645–69), Cretan War (1645–1669) between the Republic of Venice and ...

(fl. 1645–69), Venetian-employed Croatian guerrilla *

Bajo Pivljanin Bajo Pivljanin ( sr-cyr, Бајо Пивљанин – 7 May 1685), born Dragojlo Nikolić, was a Montenegrin and Serbian '' hajduk'' commander mostly active in the Ottoman territories of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia. Born in Piva, at the ...

(fl. 1669–85), Venetian-employed guerrilla leader *

Ilija Perajica Ilija Peraica ( it, Elia Peraizza, sr-cyr, Илија Пераица; d. 1685), was a Venetian Dalmatian '' harambaša'' (bandit leader), with the title of ''serdar'', one of the commanders of the Morlach troops that participated in the Great Tu ...

(fl. 1685), Venetian-employed guerrilla leader * Ivan Bušić Roša (1745–1783), Venetian-employed Croatian guerrilla leader * Stanislav Sočivica (1715–1776), brigand leader in Ottoman Bosnia *

Andrijica Šimić Andrija "Andrijica" Šimić (1833 – 5 February 1905) was a Herzegovinian hajduk. Biography Andrija Šimić (Andrijica is a diminutive form) was born in Grude, into an ethnic Croat family of seven children: he had a brother and five siste ...

(1833–1905), Croatian rebel in Herzegovina *

Pecija Petar Popović ( sr-cyr, Петар Поповић; 1826 – 29 August 1875), known as Pecija (Пеција), was a Serb ''hajduk'' (brigand) and rebel leader in two uprisings against the Ottoman Empire in the Bosanska Krajina region, Pecija' ...

(1826–1875), rebel leader in Bosnian Krajina * Stanoje Glavaš (1763-1815), commander in the First Serbian Uprising *

Stojan Čupić Stojan Čupić (, sr-cyr, Стојан Чупић; ca. 1765 – 1815) was a Serbian revolutionary general (''vojvoda''), one of the most important commanders of the First Serbian Uprising. He was active in the Mačva region. __NOTOC__ Early li ...

(c. 1765 - 1815), commander in the First Serbian Uprising *

Hajduk Veljko Veljko Petrović ( sr-cyr, Вељко Петровић, ; c. 1780 – 1813), known simply as Hajduk Veljko (Хајдук Вељко, ǎjduːk v̞ɛ̌ːʎkɔ, was one of the '' vojvodas'' (military commanders) of the Serbian Revolutionary force ...

(c. 1780-1813), commander in the First Serbian Uprising *

Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga Jovan "Jovo" Stanisavljević ( sr-cyr, Јовaн "Јово" Станисављевић; 1897–27 February 1925), known by his nickname ''Čaruga'' (Чаруга), was a Serbian outlaw (''hajduk'') in Slavonia in the early 20th century. Early l ...

(1897–1925), outlaw in Slavonia *

Ivan Musić Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

:hr:Ivan Musi%C4%87 (1848–1888), duke of Herzegovina, leader of the uprising against the Ottomans.

References

External links

{{Wikisource1911Enc, Haiduk
Metaweb entry on "''Haiduks''"
Guerrilla warfare Hungarian mercenaries Hungarian words and phrases Irregular units and formations Ottoman period in the Balkans Outlaws Polish mercenaries Robbers Serbian mercenaries Transylvania in the Kingdom of Hungary Turkish words and phrases