Baron Franjo Trenk is one of the most famous, but also the most controversial figures of the first half of the 18th century in Slavonia, as well as in the area of the then Austro-Hungarian monarchy. A soldier, a nobleman, a rebel, an unimaginably brave hero, an adventurer and the founder of a famous cop company in Slavonia, he entered the history of Europe. He is the first creator of the famous tie with which he adorned his cops and the founder of the first military music in Europe. He entered numerous stories and legends, literary works and folk songs.
By blood he was a Prussian, by birth an Italian, by citizenship an Austrian, and by estates a Slavonian nobleman and a Croat, Franjo Baron Trenk lived a turbulent 38 years of his life. Regardless of the place of birth and origin, he often repeated the sentence: "I am a Slavonian!".
He was sentenced to death twice and escaped punishment both times. Already in the fourth year, he fired a bullet from a holster, he fell into the embers, which left scars on his face. Traveling with his father, who was an Austrian colonel, he watched battles in various parts and opted for a military call-up after finishing school with the Jesuits of Požega. After graduating from military school, he married his wife and four children and decided to live on a property near Požega. However, in 1737, the plague took away his wife and children, so indignant and broken, he went to fight in the Russian army against the Turks as a mercenary.
He fought as an officer in Vienna and tsarist Russia, met emperors and empresses, especially Maria Theresa, with whom, according to legend, he enjoyed the cellar of the Kutjevo manor, warming himself with the wines of the Kutjevo vineyards. What his life was like, all because of his strange nature, is shown by this fact: 14 times wounded in the war, he had 102 duels, and with his cops he wounded or killed 7,000 French and Bavarians and more than 3,000 Prussians. Numerous Trenk's opponents have filed charges against him. He was mostly sued by fired officers, accusing him of: excessive cruelty, embezzlement, rape of women in almost every place they passed, disobedience, and even rebellion against the Empress and Queen to whom they made themselves available.
All the accusations were repeatedly rejected as unfounded, but Trenk's prosecutors did not give up until the baron ended up as a prisoner of the Moravian dungeon in the Spielberg fortress above Brno in Moravia, where he died on October 4, 1749.
The mummified body of Baron Franjo Trenk still lies in the crypt of the Capuchin monastery in Brno. Anthropological research was also carried out on his mummified remains, after an unknown person returned the thumb that had been missing from Trenk's mummy for many years. The body of this adventurer, gambler, conflicted but excellent soldier is photographically and photogrammetrically processed. A virtual reconstruction of his appearance was made at the time he came to Spielberg Fortress as a life prisoner in 1748. At the same time, his entire body, including his clothes, was reconstructed along with his face.
The village of Trenkovo between Velika and Požega is associated with the legendary warrior and Slavonian nobleman Baron Franjo Trenko, who is still remembered by people as a brave hero but also a rebel who owned several large manors in Slavonia in the 18th century. One of his estates is located in this peaceful Slavonian village, and the people called it Trenk's Castle. Although in poor condition today, Požega-Slavonia County has launched a project to restore the castle and park.
