Vlachs in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Part of a series on the
History of
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sclavonia Croatia Bosnia cum Dalmatiæ parte
Early history
Middle Ages
  • Bosnia in the Early Middle Ages
    (before 10th c.)
  • Zachumlia
    (~9th–14th c.)
  • Podrinje
    )
  • Bosansko Krajište (1451-1463)
  • Duchy of Herzegovina
    (1463–1482)
Ottoman era
  • Ottoman conquest
  • (Bosansko Krajište (1451-1463))
  • Herzegovina Uprising
    (1875–1877))
Habsburg era
  • Bosnian crisis
    )
Yugoslavia
Contemporary
Republika Srpska)
flag Bosnia and Herzegovina portal
Main article: Vlachs

Vlachs in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina were a

Romance-speaking peoples and the South Slavs. From the 14th century the ethnic meaning of term "Vlach" was replaced with societal meaning and often meant the Slavic population with similar lifestyle.[1] They practiced transhumance as herdsmen, shepherds, farmers, and in time developed peculiar socio-political organizational units known as katuns. With their caravans, Vlach carried out much of the traffic between inland and coastal cities such as Dubrovnik
. They also had close contacts and militarily served various Bosnian noble families and kings.

History

In older scholarship, Marko Vego argued that Vlach autochthony because some Vlach settlements named after Vlach tribes, like of Vojnići and Hardomilje, are found near Roman forts and monuments, while Bogumil Hrabak supported Vego's assertion that the Vlachs preceded both Turks and Bosnian Slavs in Zachlumia,[2] but by now it is certain that they emerged only as a medieval symbiosis of both autochthonous and Slavic peoples.[1] Hrabak and Dominik Mandić argued that some Vlachs from Herzegovina migrated there from Thessaly, Epirus and Macedonia before the Ottoman invasion into Southern Europe,[3] but although probably happened some waves of small migrations from there and Albania to Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina,[1][4] for such theorization there is a lack of evidence and loose onomastic correlations cannot be used as generalized evidence of a certain linguistic and geographic origin of an individual.[4]

Vlachs are first mentioned in Bosnian documents in c. 1234 by ban Matej Ninoslav. Sources from 1361, 1385, 1399, 1406, 1407, 1408 and 1417 among others mention them in relation to Bosnian bans and kings[2] Vlachs in the Bosnian state of Tvrtko I were considered as military element.[5] The relationship of Vlach katuns and feudal holdings can be traced from the 14th century.[6] By 1382 they were under the jurisdiction of the Bosnian ruler, to later be assigned to large landowners.[7] The Vlachs and lords relationships indicate that medieval Bosnia was not compact – some Vlach vassals (Gleđević) of the rulers were far from royal lands. Some Vlach vassals (Nenko Krajsalić, Radoslav Borojević) became vassals fairly late although Kosača ruled certain lands near Eastern banks of Neretva river for fifteen years. Some Vlach vassals (Maleš) were partly Pavlović and partly Kosača vassals although working on Kosača holdings.[8]

In 1382, Vukoslav Piščić was named as knez of all Vlachs by King

Zabljak were so many Vlachs that at the end of the 15th century the territory was as Donji Vlasi (Lower Vlachs).[11] The Gornji Vlasi (Upper Vlachs) were only mentioned by Mavro Orbini.[10]

The 1376 and 1454 documents by

Zagora and Cetina county in Croatia, followed by the sudden appearance of stećaks in the territory they lived.[15][16] In 1436, on the Cetina are mentioned Vlachs, Croats and Serbs which were part of Count Ivan Frankopan’s estate.[17] At a time of social unrest, the Vlachs often fled to the area of Ragusa or Kotor, served in the military of Ragusa during the Ottoman threat, and when most of Herzegovina was occupied by the Ottomans by 1472, once again fled to Ragusan territory.[18]
Some data of historic documents show that a part of Vlachs were Bogomils and they largely contributed to the spread of this sect. [19] According to Sima Ćirković, ethnicity's which appear in the medieval texts from Bosnia include names such as "Bošnjanin", "Vlach", "Latinin" and "Serb".[20]

Ottoman rule

Ottomans in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the example of katuns, organized filurîci eflakan (Vlach filurîci) according to "Vlach model" in

voynuk. Their military activity earned them special tax privileges. In the late 15th century at least 35,000 Vlachs lived in Herzegovina, while in the 16th century 82,692 Vlach households lived in the Smederevo region in Serbia.[25]

Within the territories ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Vlach groups moved from southeastern Bosnia (Pavlović area) to central regions of Tešanj and Žepče, also they spread northwest and north of the Sava towards the future

nahia Vrbanja, Prusac, Glamoč and Kupres.[27] In 1527 Ferdinand I freed them from feudal obligations, shared booty with them, gave them their own captains (vojvodas) and magistrates (knezes), and freed them to practice Orthodox Christianity. It eventually led to the organisation of the Military Frontier, and the decree Statuta Valachorum by Ferdinand II. It resulted in a situation almost looking like Vlachs fighting against Vlachs.[28]

Herzegovinian Vlachs

Further information: Miloradović noble family

In Southeastern Herzegovina between 1393–1437 many Vlach katuns emerged.[11][29] The primary lords of the Herzegovinian Vlachs were the Kosača, Pavlović, and Nikolić noble families.[7] The Vlachs from Herzegovina sometime plundered lands of Republic of Ragusa in the 14th and 15th century and grew rich by trade of goods between Ragusa and the mines of Bosnia.[22]

Vlachs were surnamed Pliščić, Gleđević, Ugarac, Boban, Mirilović, Vragović, Kresojević, Nenković, Bančić, Pilatovac, Pocrnja,

Maleševci (Stanković) were Kosača vassals.[7]

Vlachs surnamed Vlahović, Žurović, and Predojević, those belonging to the Pribač Nikolić pasture encampment, and some of the Banjan and Maleševac Vlachs (surnamed Hrebeljanović, Milićiević and Milošević) were Pavlovlić vassals.[7]

The Kutlovići were vassals of the Nikolići. The Primilovići belonged to a larger group of Vlachs, for whom no data on lords were found.[7]

Other katun Vlachs were Boljuni, Bukvići, Burmazi, Goduni, Hardomilići, Horojevići, Hrabreni, Jurjevići, Kersojevići, Kićurići, Kujavići, Milobradačići, Perventinići, Pribinovići, Rudinjani, Veseličići, Vitkovići, Vojnovići, Vragovići, Zotovići.[30]

Vlachs often don't bear "tribe-katun" name as a surname, instead using patronymics, for example katunar Dragić Dobrilović from Boban katun or katunars Klapac Stanković and Radosav Milićević from Maleševac katun.[31]

The Ottoman occupation conquered Vlach territories which caused migrations;

nahija Počitelj eleven deserted villages (Gojanovići, Ričica, Kukrica, Opličiča, Plešivac, Svitava, Šanica, Kozica, Gornja Ljubinica, Skočim, Dretelj) were recorded, which were held by the Vlachs.[36] At the time many Vlachs (generally, and from Banjani, Maleševci, Bobani, Zubci) collaborated with Ottomans as slave agents.[37]

Culture

Vlach funerary monuments in Radimlja

They lived in small villages called katun whose chieftain were titled katunar. Around them they placed guards: guard stations were called varde or vardišta.[38] They practiced transhumance as herdsmen and shepherds, and became agricultural when settled permanently. They exported livestock products; animal skin, wool, cheese, butter and dried meat. Other exports included honey and wood. The Vlach cheese was reputable because of fat, and in 1325 sold one libra for 10 folars[clarification needed] compared to other cheese that sold for 8 folars. In 1420 Vlach cheese was sold for 15 folars.[18] With their caravans, led by kramar,[18] mostly composed of horses numbering between 10–100, they conducted a large part of the trade between inland and coastal cities.[10][11][22] Their military tradition and mobile lifestyle was used by the Bosnian lords and later by the Ottomans.[22] These traits changed very little over the centuries.[22]

The emergence of the stećaks and their symbolism in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the scholars is often related to Vlach communities.[22][39][40][41]

Language

Vlachs probably were bilingual (speaking a language close to Romanian and Slavic languages).

Neo-Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian. Those who migrated to the West during Ottoman invasion spoke what are now labeled Eastern Herzegovinian and Bosnian–Dalmatian subdialects.[42][22] LZMK linguist Nataša Bašić argued that the Vlachs were creators of New-Shtokavian dialect with reduced number of cases in declination, with New-Shtokavian accent, with the loss of the phoneme /H/, with diphthongization old jat and other modifications characteristic for foreigners, especially for Romans.[43] Ćiro Truhelka argued that the evasion of the writing and spelling letter /H/ in Serbian language until Karadžić's reform is due to Vlachs influence as it is a Romance language characteristic.[38]

Truhelka noted many preserved non-Slavic family surnames in Bosnia and Herzegovina of Vlach origin, which are often Slavicized by suffixes ić, ović and ević, with most notable being; Banjan, Balac, Bilbija, Boban, Bokan, Banduka, Bencun, Belen, Bender, Besara, Bovan, Čokorilo, Darda, Doman, Drečo, Đerman, Gac, Gala, Jarakula, Kalin, Kešelj, Keser, Kočo, Kalaba, Kokoruš, Kosor, Lopar, Macura, Mataruga, Pađen, Palavestra, Punja, Riđan, Šola, Šolaja, Šabat, Šurla, Šatra, Škipina, Špira, Tubin, Taor, Tintor, as well Kecman, Šikman, Toroman, Šuman, Karan, Šurlan, Servan.[44]

Religion

Muslims (modern-days Bosniaks).[50]

Legacy

Ilona Czamańska claim that "The majority of Serbs from the Republika Srpska of modern Bosnia is of Vlach origin, as well as the majority of the population from Bosnia and Herzegovina in general" (this also applies to the entire Western Balkans as a mixture of Slavic and indigenous population), but also states that "there are none direct sources to support Vlach colonization of these lands."[1] Serbian Orthodox Church have a decisive role in the process of national identification of Vlachs in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina who became Serbs while Catholic Vlachs became Croats. Today only a small part of former Vlachs declares with this name.[51] According to Noel Malcolm, today it makes no sense to claim that Bosnian Serbs are "actually" Vlachs because members of the Serbian Orthodox Church over time crossed the Drina and moved to Bosnia or moved north from Herzegovina, but not all people who settled northern Bosnia in the 15th and 16th century were Vlachs. There were too many arrivals and departures to determine what is the percentage of Vlach ancestors of Bosnian Serbs since the Vlachs did not only contribute to the growth of the Serbian population, Vlachs mostly in Croatia converted to the Catholic faith, and many of them in Bosnia converted to Islam.[52]

Notable Bosnian Vlachs

  • Hasan Pasha Predojević[53] (c. 1530 – 22 June 1593) – the Predojević Vlachs are first mentioned 1372, while since 1468 were included in the Ottoman hierarchy.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.17951/rh.2016.41.1.11 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link
    )
  2. ^ a b Mužić 2009, p. 319.
  3. ^ Mužić 2010, pp. 202, 204, (Bogumil Hrabak).
  4. ^ a b Pijović 2018, p. 278–279.
  5. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 203, (Bogumil Hrabak).
  6. ^ Kurtović 2011a, p. 648.
  7. ^ a b c d e Kurtović 2011a, p. 694.
  8. ^ Kurtović 2011a, pp. 694–695.
  9. ^ Kurtović 2011a, pp. 649–650.
  10. ^ a b c d Vego 1957, p. 128.
  11. ^ a b c d Mužić 2010, p. 122, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  12. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 230.
  13. ^ Vego 1957, p. 128–129.
  14. ^ Mužić 2009, p. 318.
  15. ^ Mužić 2009, p. 318–319.
  16. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 219, (Bogumil Hrabak).
  17. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 117.
  18. ^ a b c Vego 1957, p. 129.
  19. ^ Ciobanu 2021a, p. 11-32.
  20. ^ Ćirković, Sima (2020). Živeti sa istorijom. Belgrade: Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava u Srbiji. p. 330.
  21. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 125, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i Malcolm 1994.
  23. ^ Matkovki, Aleksandar (1990). "Stočarski danak filurija" [Stockmen tribute filurîci]. Arhivski vjesnik (in Serbo-Croatian) (34). Zagreb: Croatian State Archives: 71–77.
  24. ^ Malcolm 1995, pp. 96–97.
  25. ^ Malcolm 1995, p. 105.
  26. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 114.
  27. ISBN 9290630566
  28. ^ Malcolm 1995, p. 98.
  29. ^ Ciobanu 2018, p. 5-10.
  30. ^ Vego 1957, pp. 127–132.
  31. ^ Kurtović 2011a, pp. 655, 666.
  32. ^ Krešić 2010, p. 114.
  33. ^ Krešić 2010, p. 111.
  34. ^ Krešić 2010, p. 115.
  35. ^ a b Krešić 2010, p. 116.
  36. ^ Krešić 2010, p. 120.
  37. ^ Krešić 2010, pp. 117–118.
  38. ^ a b Mužić 2010, p. 121, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  39. ^ Kurtović, Esad (2013). "Vlasi i stećci" [Vlachs and stećaks]. Radovi (in Bosnian) (16). Sarajevo: Filozofski fakultet: 79–88.
  40. ^ Fine 1987, p. 19.
  41. ^ Ciobanu 2018.
  42. ^ Šarić 2009, pp. 346–350.
  43. ^ Mirdita 2004, p. 333.
  44. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 129, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  45. ^ Mužić 2010, p. 126, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  46. ^ Mužić 2010, p. [page needed], (Ćiro Truhelka).
  47. ^ Malcolm 1995, pp. 92–95.
  48. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 118.
  49. ^ Mužić 2010, pp. 121, 128, (Ćiro Truhelka).
  50. ISBN 9789533035468
    .
  51. ^ Ladislav Heka (2019). "The Vlach law and its comparison to the privileges of Hungarian brigands". Podravina: Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. 18 (35).
  52. ^ Malcolm 1995, pp. 107–109.
  53. ^ Kurtović 2011b, p. 243.
  54. ^ Kurtović 2011a, pp. 675–677.

Sources

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vlachs_in_medieval_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina&oldid=1213185029"