[3] After Belgrade had been liberated from the Ottomans in 1688, Serbs from the territories in the south of Sava and Danube rivers began to join Serbian Militia units.

[3] The Ottoman Empire had suffered partial military collapse against the Austrians in the 1680s, most notably at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, and the loss of Belgrade to Maximilian II of Bavaria in 1688 and Bosnia in 1689.

[11] Jovan Monasterlija, who was appointed as captain of Serbian Militia in 1690, recruited Serbs into his units in the summer of 1690 on the southern border of the Austrian Empire.

[12] During the Battle of Slankamen on August 19, 1691, Serbian Militia with 10,000 Serbs under the command of Jovan Monasterlija participated in the important victory over Ottoman forces.

Since they were subjected to continuous attempts of authorities to Catholicize them or to remove their privileges including their rights to own arable land, members of Serbian Militia began to consider migration to Russian Empire.

Austrian government supported privileged position of the Serbian Militia which they perceived as counterweight to separatist aspirations of Hungarian officials and well trained and cheap military force which could be used to fight against Ottomans or other enemy.