Medieval Bosnia Research Articles

Uncovering the Past: DNA Analysis of Skeletal Remains from the Medieval Bosnian City of Bobovac

Numerous archaeological sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina represent a historical heritage and testify to the rich cultural, social, and political life of medieval Bosnia. Bobovac, the capital of the Bosnian Kingdom after King Tvrtko I's coronation in 1377, featured a royal complex with a palace, church, and fortification. Recent molecular-genetic research on skeletal remains from Bobovac aims to uncover medieval ancestors' customs and genetic origins. Fifteen well-preserved teeth samples from Bobovac were processed. STR amplification employed PowerPlex® Fusion and Investigator® 24plex QS Kits, with Y-STR profiles generated using the PowerPlex® Y23 System. Fourteen partial autosomal STR profiles were obtained, enabling sex determination and kinship analysis. STR amplification success varied due to ancient DNA degradation, with larger loci showing lower amplification rates. Kinship analysis confirmed appropriate marker selection, demonstrating high reliability for determining close relationships. Integrating aDNA analysis with archaeological research enhances our understanding of historical populations, connecting archaeology and forensic genetics to contribute to the broader narrative of human history.

TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN BOSNIA AND RAGUSA IN THE LATE 13TH CENTURY

Based on a rather modest number of original data records, this paper outlines the economic position of Bosnia in the second half of the 13th century. Assuming that the Bosnian population was predominantly oriented towards agriculture and livestock breeding, as was the case with its neighbours, the paper focuses on the trade related to agriculture and livestock breeding relying therein on the trade records as the most preserved archival documents at our disposal. Notwithstanding the fact that the slave trade was the most developed and therefore mostly recorded intercourse between Bosnia and Ragusa (Dubrovnik), this paper draws attention to other items related to Bosnian export. Hence, the paper discusses data on departure of Bosnian boys to study crafts in Ragusa and other Dalmatian coastal cities, which is a segment not to be neglected in an overview of economic relations in Medieval Bosnia.

The First Insight into Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup Prediction for a Population Originating from Medieval Bosnia

The First Insight into Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroup Prediction for a Population Originating from Medieval Bosnia

From ban to Herzeg: Foreign lexical layers in cyrillic business and legal acts of medieval Bosnia and hum

This paper deals with foreign lexemes attested in business and legal acts created in the area of Bosnia and Hum in the period ranging from the late 12th to the late 15th century, with the aim of shedding light on their origin, the domain of use and degree of adaptation within the Old Serbian language. In addition to the younger lexical layer, the focus was also on the old loanwords from the Proto-Slavic language. The excerpted corpus proves a strong influence of the Greek language, which, in addition to the field of ecclesiastical terminology, also left its mark in the naming of occupations, money and measures, and to a lesser extent in the legal sphere and secular titles, while it also mediated in the adoption of certain names of the months of the year. In addition to the calendrical lexicon, Latin and Italian covered the field of commerce, law, public services and organization of cities and fortifications. To a certain extent, the sources also provided insight into the ecclesiastical terms of Latin origin, as well as the Oriental titles adopted from Turkish. The Oriental influence appears sporadically even in the domain of politics and trade, whereas the words from the German and Hungarian languages are found only in individual examples. The incomplete adaptation observed within several thematic groups testifies to the ongoing and still current processes of establishing different terminological subsystems. Representing different chronological layers in the structure of the lexicon of the Old Serbian language, the lexicon of foreign origin thus largely reflected the specific political, economic and cultural context and influences that shaped the history of these areas in the Middle Ages.

Issues of Identity in Trilogija o Bosni by Valerija Skrinjar-Tvrz

The paper questions the construction of identity in the novels of Slovenian-Bosnian authoress Valerija Skrinjar-Tvrz: Na svojoj, na plemenitoj, Jutro u Bosni and Bosna i Soča, which were combined and published as a trilogy this year. Integrating the period of medieval Bosnia, the First World War, and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995 into one whole, the trilogy achieves multiple coding. Although distant in time, driven by different motivations, and intersected by different ideologies, wars shape the lives of the heroes of this trilogy. In this unique poetic entity, the authoress managed to show the complexity of common life through individual destinies and “small stories” and to deconstruct the conception that history is made up of “big stories”. The identities of individuals in the novels represent the identities of communities whose borders are porous and threaten to destroy the established systems, while individual unfortunate destinies are a mirror of collective traumas from the Middle Ages to modern times. The Trilogy covers almost the entire Bosnian history, trying to include identity constructions and their associated identification features, which the authoress considers representative of contemporary identity re/configurations.

St. Gregory, the Patron Saint of Bosnia

This paper attempts to shed light on the fluctuating identity of the patron saint of medieval Bosnia. Using available written sources and surviving contemporary numismatic material from the fourteenth and fifteenth century, it presents a curious situation whereby in the late Middle Ages at least three different saints of the same name were revered as patrons of the realm. The author argues that the choice of the specific saints and the changes in their identity were motivated by the peculiar religious conditions in Bosnia where, in light of the Ottoman expansion in the Balkans, the existence of the schismatic Bosnian Church increased external pressure on the ruling structures within the Kingdom of Bosnia to finally accept Latin Christianity as the official state religion.

Nulla spes sit …

The main goal of this paper is to examine the relations between the Bosnian Banate and the papacy during the thirteenth century, one of the most turbulent periods in the history of this interaction. The focus will be set on the development of the situation regarding the Bosnian bishopric, its position in the political turmoil, and its fate after the collapse of every chance for agreement. First, we will give a short overview of the periods that precede this time when this bishopric was the centre of two waves of the Christianization of these areas and the carrier of religious life during the late Antiquity and early Middle Ages. The main part of the paper is dedicated to the events from the first half of the thirteenth century, crucial period that shaped the future political and religious picture of medieval Bosnia. The final part of the paper will cover the longest lasting consequences of the aforementioned events: the cessation of official contacts between Bosnia and the Roman Curia, relocation of the Bosnian bishopric outside its territory, and the formation of the Bosnian church – an autocephalous organization that emerged on the foundations of the previous Catholic diocese.

The Early Medieval relief from Malo Čajno nearby Visoko with great Nespina kaznac’s added inscription

The Early Medieval relief from Malo Čajno nearby Visoko with great Nespina kaznac’s added inscription

Visualizations Supporting Knowledge-Based Decision Making in Cultural Heritage Management

Abstract This paper explores the role of knowledge visualization in facilitating decision-making in cultural heritage management. The paper addresses the issue in the specific context of stećci - the tombstones from medieval Bosnia inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list. Grounded in the distant reading paradigm, the paper introduces a series of visualizations of spatial, temporal, architectural, iconographical, epigraphical, and impact analyses of stećci data. Together, these visualizations should enable decision-makers to gain an enhanced understanding and knowledge of this important cultural heritage. In turn, this should help them make better decisions regarding their protection and promotion.

The Medieval Bosnian State as an Elective Monarchy

The paper will include an analysis of the organization of state power in the medieval Bosnian state with special reference to the specifics of the position of rulers, as well as the position of the Bosnian nobility gathered in the State Diet, and their relationship. The Bosnian Church will also be considered as a special feature of medieval Bosnia, and its influence on the weakening of the central state of power, but also the limitation of the Bosnian nobility in terms of particularization of the Bosnian state. Finally, the powers of the Bosnian State Diet to elect and overthrow the Bosnian ruler will be considered with a view to drawing a conclusion about this feature of the medieval Bosnian state.

Dženan Dautović, Emir O. Filipović, and Neven Isailović, eds., Medieval Bosnia and South-East European Relations: Political, Religious, and Cultural Life at the Adriatic Crossroads. (Beyond Medieval Europe.) Leeds: Arc Humanities Press, 2019. Pp. 159. $120. ISBN: 978-1-6418-9022-9. Table of contents available online at https://arc-humanities.org/products/m-77101-100115-117-6849/.

Dženan Dautović, Emir O. Filipović, and Neven Isailović, eds., <i>Medieval Bosnia and South-East European Relations: Political, Religious, and Cultural Life at the Adriatic Crossroads</i>. (Beyond Medieval Europe.) Leeds: Arc Humanities Press, 2019. Pp. 159. $120. ISBN: 978-1-6418-9022-9. Table of contents available online at https://arc-humanities.org/products/m-77101-100115-117-6849/.

Geostrategic Position of Bosnian Banovina at the End of the 12th Century

This research includes the most important geographical maps preserved to date, which show a noticeable delay in mapping the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is not different situation even with the other countries in the near and far interior. From the presented and analyzed cartographic works, it is noticeable that Bosnia is represented only on the map of Cardinal Nikolaus von Kues. On this map Bosnia is highlighted as the Kingdom of Bosnia, with the note that what historiographical knowledge implies by that Kingdom is not fully shown. Essentially, all other maps represent only the Banovina of Bosnia of the great Ban Kulin. It is not difficult to see that Francesco Rosselli's map from the end of the 16th century had an impressive number of mapped diverse geographical materials, including textual markings of the borders of "his" Bosnia. On Martin Waldseemüller's map from 1513, the name of Bosnia stands out in the title for the first time. Taken as a whole, the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, even at such an early time, proved to be geostrategically extremely important, as a dividing line between the West, to which it has always belonged, and the East, which began on the right bank of the river Drina. The basis of this statement is the year 1054 and the schism within the church. Bosnia was and remains with the Roman church and the pope. Therefore, the great Kingdom of Hungary had the last geostrategic defensive bastion in medieval Bosnia against the Byzantine Empire and their subject states. In the end, it can be concluded that Bosnia of the great Ban Kulin was really very spacious, respectable in terms of military strength and economically quite advanced. It will be the basis for future Bosnian rulers, especially Tvrtko the 1st.

O aragonskom viteškom redu Stole i vaze u srednjovjekovnoj Bosni

The admittance of individuals into a chivalric order was an important tool of late medieval diplomacy which contributed significantly to the reinforcement of political and cultural ties between the order’s leader and admitted member and between their respective social circles. Therefore, this paper analyses the presence of such chivalric orders in medieval Bosnia, with special emphasis placed on the Aragonese Order of the Stole and Jar through the prism of an alliance concluded between King Alfonso V of Aragon (r. 1416-1458) and Stjepan Vukčić (r. 1435- 1466), the Grand Duke of Bosnia who later became the Duke of St. Sava. The most of the individuals admitted to this Order were diplomats who visited Alfonso’s court in Naples. However, the privileges granted to Duke Stjepan Vukčić in 1444 constitute an exceptional case. According to a preserved document, he was granted the right to accept fifty new members and provide them with the insignia of the Order. The paper further contains an analysis and transcription of the text as well as a photographic reproduction of an authorized copy of this charter.

Vlachs and Stećak Tombstones

On the basis of data from preserved archival sources and epigraphic&#x0D; inscriptions that provide information on the deceased individuals who were buried under&#x0D; the stećak tombstones, the author confirms the presumptions and insufficiently elaborated&#x0D; positions that Vlachs were, among others, also buried under the stećak tombstones in&#x0D; medieval Bosnia. The text emphasises the Vlahovići, Pliščići, Predojevići, Bobani and&#x0D; Drobnjaci groups that confirm the thesis entirely.

Bosanski patareni i zapadne hereze

In this paper the author problematized the question of the nature of heresy in medieval Bosnia, and analyzed possible mutual influences with the heretical movements formed in the area of Western Europe. A deep review of the previous similar attempts in historiography has been offered, as well its evaluation, with the specific focus on the discussion regarding the relation Dalmatia – Sclauonia – Bosnia. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the possible connections between Bosnian krstjani with Italian heretics, cathars, or hussites. The main conclusion is that the Bosnian Church, which by the author’s opinion follows dualistic doctrine, did not used its influence and teachings, but it settled with the ethical aspirations linked with its ideal in the original apostolic faith.

The Most Noble and Royal House of Kotromanić. Constructing Dynastic Identity in Medieval Bosnia

The Most Noble and Royal House of Kotromanić. Constructing Dynastic Identity in Medieval Bosnia

Credit transactions of people from Cernica in Dubrovnik in the 15th century

Cernica was one of the most important settlements in the medieval Bosnia, whose development was encouraged by the caravan trade. Located on one of the major roads 'Via Drine' that caravans from Dubrovnik to Bosnia and Serbia went down, Cernica gradually turned from the caravan station into a square. Caravans that set off from Dubrovnik and followed the said road, Cernica was the first lap of their journey, where tradesmen and their pack animals took a rest. It has earlier been established that all kinds of facilities for the accommodation of tradesmen, goods and animals were constructed in the caravan stations. Gradually service, craftsmanship and commercial activities developed in Cernica and they influenced its development. The Gacko and Cernica Fields favoured the livestock farming and bee-keeping. Accordingly, livestock and its products and wax were the main exporting articles from Cernica. Depending on their proprietary state, the business people from Cernica went to Dubrovnik and purchased goods, mainly fabric in delayed payment. After a certain period they sold the fabric and other goods, and settled their debts both with money and other goods necessary on the Dubrovnik market. More than a thousand documents mentioning the medieval Cernica and its population were saved in the Dubrovnik archive. Based on the published and unpublished Dubrovnik sources, this article presents only a segment from the medieval history of the Cernica population and credit transactions in Dubrovnik in the 15th century, that represent a basis for further and more extensive investigation of this area.

MJESTO ŠERIJATSKOG NASLJEDNOG PRAVA KOD BOSANSKOHERCEGOVAČKIH MUSLIMANA U PROŠLOSTI I SADAŠNJOSTI

The main objective of the present paper is to point to the distinctiveness of the tolerant Bosnian legal climate in which for centuries different legal solutions originating from different legal systems have been provided. Thus, in Bosnia and Herzegovina one might encounter equal private law institutes relying simultaneously on Roman-Germanic legal solutions as well as on the solutions inherent to the Sharia legal system. With respect to such a tolerant society from the legal point of view, the focus of our study is to analyze the legal status of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of succession from the Ottoman occupation of medieval Bosnia up to the present days. With regard to the fact that each religious community applies and promotes universal values, Muslims as members of the Islamic community have lived their lives for centuries in accordance with the religious worldviews and universal Islamic values. However, many legislators have shown completely different attitude toward this fact. While some have fully respected the principle of personal validity of norms, the others have totally suppressed every particularity and diversity in the regulation of not only legal relations in respect of succession but of all other social relations and phenomena.

Učestalost ženskih imena u srednjovjekovnoj Bosni / Frequency of Female Names in Medieval Bosnia

Based on available sources and literature, the author considers the frequency of female names in medieval Bosnia. With further analysis, he answers the question to what extent did the social rank of a person influence the giving of the name and he also compares the frequency of female names in different geographic regions of medieval Bosnia. The paper also reconstructs the question of giving names to women belonging to various religious groups.

Predstava žena na stećcima u srednjovjekovnoj Bosni / Representations of Women on the Stećci of Medieval Bosnia

The paper analyses the representation of women on the tombstones in medieval Bosnia. Using the results of historiography and the available picture material, the author considers the depictions of individual female figures and their role within larger compositions. Apart from the poor preservation of reliefs on the tombstones, the author also notes that artist devoted less attention to the depiction of female figures than to the male ones.