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Tijekom pedesetih godina 19. stoljeća Austrijsko Carstvo u nekoliko je navrata mobiliziralo svoje vojne snage zbog prijetnji od izbijanja ratnih sukoba s Kraljevinom Pruskom, Osmanskim Carstvom i Ruskim Carstvom. Iako u tim slučajevima neželjeni rat nije izbio, u posljednjoj godini toga desetljeća sukob s Kraljevinom Sardinijom-Pijemont i njezinim saveznikom, Francuskim Carstvom, bio je neizbježan. Već ranije, 1848. i 1849. godine, austrijske su snage uspješno suzbile sardinijske pokušaje osvajanja lombardijskoga teritorija, ali ovoga puta bile su suočene s raznim problemima. Jedan od njih ticao se slaboga borbenog morala pojedinih skupina vojnika kao posljedice jačanja nacionalnih osjećaja. Te slabosti nastojali su iskoristiti politički emigranti Lajos Kossuth i Eugen Kvaternik, koji su se nadali da će ratni uspjesi saveznika potaknuti revolucije na mađarskim i hrvatskim područjima, što bi potencijalno moglo dovesti do stvaranja neovisnih država. U realizaciji tih planova važna je uloga bila namijenjena i krajišnicima, koji su prema idejama spomenutih revolucionara trebali pružiti vojnu potporu u slučaju iskrcavanja francuske vojske u Dalmaciji, a osim toga i popunjavati redove Kossuthove mađarske legije. S druge strane, austrijski vojni zapovjednici računali su na odanost i požrtvovnost krajišnika, koji su se iskazali desetljeće prije u borbama protiv revolucionarnih snaga. U središtu pozornosti ovoga rada upravo je uloga krajišnika u Austrijsko-sardinijskom ratu ili Drugom ratu za talijansko ujedinjenje. Iako je bio relativno kratkotrajan sukob, njegove posljedice bile su dalekosežne za budući položaj Austrijskoga Carstva među vodećim europskim silama i opstanak te multinacionalne državne tvorevine. Iskustvo rata dovelo je u pitanje i pouzdanost i neophodnost krajišnika kao vojnika u službi habsburških vladara, što se odrazilo i na razvoj događaja u povijesti Vojne krajine, poput razvojačenja i ukidanja te višestoljetne institucije, kao i ustanka u Rakovici 1871., During the 1850s, the Austrian Empire mobilized its military forces multiple times due to the threat of armed conflicts with the Kingdom of Prussia, the Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire. While war was ultimately averted in these instances, in the last year of the decade, the Empire found itself engaged in an inevitable conflict with the Kingdom of Sardinia and its ally, the French Empire. Prior to this, in 1848 and 1849, Austrian forces had successfully suppressed Sardinian attempts to conquer the territory of Lombardy, but this time they encountered various challenges. One such challenge was the weakened combat morale of certain groups of soldiers, a consequence of heightened national sentiments. Political emigrants like Lajos Kossuth and Eugen Kvaternik sought to exploit these weaknesses, hoping that the Allies’ military successes would inspire revolutions in the Hungarian and Croatian lands, potentially leading to the creation of independent states. In the realization of those plans, an important role was assigned to the frontiersmen. They were expected to provide military support in the event of a French army landing in Dalmatia and to join Kossuth’s Hungarian Legion. However, Austrian military commanders relied on the loyalty and self-sacrifice of the frontiersmen, who had demonstrated their worth in battles against the revolutionary forces a decade earlier. This paper focuses on the role of the frontiersmen in the Austro-Sardinian War, also known as the Second War for Italian Unification. Although the conflict was relatively short-lived, its consequences were significant for the future position of the Austrian Empire among leading European powers and the survival of the multinational state. In addition, the experience of war raised questions about the reliability and necessity of frontiersmen as soldiers in the service of the Habsburg rulers. These questions had an impact on subsequent events in the history of the Military Frontier, including its demilit

U sklopu austrijskih oružanih snaga krajišnici su uživali višestoljetnu reputaciju kao kvalitetni i odani vojnici. Taj ugled trebali su još jednom potvrditi 1859. godine kada je izbio Austrijsko-sardinijski rat ili Drugi rat za talijansko ujedinjenje. Pažnja ovoga rada usredotočena je upravo na ulogu jedne konkretne skupine krajišnika – pripadnika Otočke krajiške pukovnije br. 2 – u ovome sukobu. Na temelju raznovrsne izvorne građe rekonstruirao se ratni put otočkih krajišnika kako bi se dočaralo njihovo ratno iskustvo, kao i pobliže razmotrilo pitanje njihove pouzdanosti i učinkovitosti kao vojnika u službi habsburškog vladara., As part of the Austrian armed forces, the frontier soldiers enjoyed a centuries-old reputation as good quality and loyal soldiers. They were to confirm this reputation once again in 1859, when the Austro-Sardinian War or the Second Italian War of Independence broke out. The attention of this paper is focused precisely on the role of one specific group of Frontier soldiers – members of the Otočac 2nd Frontier Regiment – in this conflict. On the basis of a variety of source materials, the military path of the Otočac frontier soldiers was reconstructed in order to depict their wartime experience, as well as to examine more closely the question of their reliability and efficiency as soldiers in the service of the Habsburg ruler.

Gotovo neprestano ratovanje koje se na europskom tlu odvijalo tijekom 18. stoljeća pružalo je brojne mogućnosti mladim i ambicioznim časnicima koji su svoje vojne usluge stavljali na raspolaganje raznim europskim vladarima. Kao izvrstan primjer toga trenda može poslužiti slučaj Gideona Ernsta baruna Laudona (1717. – 1790.), časnika koji je vojnu karijeru započeo u Ruskom Carstvu, a potom prešao u službu habsburških vladara, gdje je ostvario nebrojene uspjehe na bojnom polju i dosegnuo sam vrh vojne hijerarhije. Laudon se pridružio habsburškim vojnim snagama u vrijeme Rata za austrijsku baštinu (1740. – 1748.) kao član Trenckova Pandurskoga dobrovoljačkog zbora, prilikom čega se bolje upoznao s vojnim umijećem „maloga rata”. Stečeno iskustvo proširio je nakon završetka toga sukoba kad mu je dodijeljen časnički položaj u Vojnoj krajini. Koristeći se vojnim umijećem i ratnim vještinama krajišnika, Laudon je ostvario znatne uspjehe u prvim godinama Sedmogodišnjega rata (1756. – 1763.), čime je započeo njegov nagli uspon unutar habsburške vojne hijerarhije. U ovome radu razmatra se uloga krajišnika u Laudonovim vojnim pothvatima u spomenutom ratnom sukobu s ciljem utvrđivanja značenja te specifične skupine vojnika za Laudonov uspjeh na bojnom polju, kao i njihove važnosti u sklopu oružanih snaga Habsburške Monarhije., Constant warfare throughout the eighteenth century offered plentiful opportunities for young and aspiring officers to advance their military and social positions by performing military services for powerful European rulers. An example of this trend can be provided by the case of Gideon Ernst, Baron von Laudon (1717 – 1790), who achieved remarkable success in Habsburg service during the Seven Years’ War (1756 – 1763). Laudon began his military career in the service of the Romanovs, but during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) he joined the Habsburg armed forces eager to achieve further military experience and glory. He acquired skill and knowledge of small war tactics during his service in Trenck’s Pandour Free Corps. After the war ended, he was awarded a position in the far south of the Habsburg Monarchy, in the Croatian Military Frontier, where he accustomed himself to the military skills of the Grenzer. Upon the outbreak of the Seven Year’s War Laudon led a Grenzer corps to Bohemia where the Habsburg forces were trying to prevent the advance of the Prussians. The events which followed marked the start of Laudon’s rapid ascension within the military hierarchy. Throughout the years he continued to achieve fame and renown by performing numerous military endeavours which inflicted serious damage on the Prussian supply lines making a significant impact on the course of the war in favour of the Habsburg side. Laudon and the Grenzer also participated in major battles, such as Hochkirch and Kunersdorf, as well as assaults on strongholds such as Landeshut and Schweidnitz. The utilization of the unique fighting skills of the Grenzer and small war tactics proved an important factor in Laudon’s rise within the military circles of the Habsburg Monarchy.

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