Bosnian History
People of Bosnia and Herzegovina belong to South Slavonic group of nations. They moved from the area north of the Carpathians and they settled in Balkans in VI and VII century. Bosnia is for the first time mentioned by the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus and his work “On the Governance of the Empire”. Bosnia was a territory populated by Serbians and other South Slavonic people and it was Christianised by X century. From X century Bosnia consisted of a number of provinces which were controlled by Byzantine Empire and later by Kingdom of Hungary. The first known ruler appointed by the Kingdom of Hungary was Ban Borić in the second part of XII century. The first important ruler was Ban Kulin and then from the middle of XII, Bosnia was ruled by dynasty of Kotromanić. Ban Tvrtko united country and it grew in size and power. Tvrtko was declared a king in 1377 in monastery Mileševa in Serbia and was given name Stefan Tvrtko. After his death 1391 the country fell into feudal crises with a few aristocratic rulers that loosely respected the king. Finally, Bosnia fell under rule of Ottoman Empire in 1462 and Herzegovina in 1482.
Bosnian religion was developing in the area that was formally under Roman Catholic Church, but the reality was different. The service and language were taken from the Eastern Orthodox Church but it was not an Orthodox Christian Church either. It was a heretic church in the eyes of both nominal churches: Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church. Bosnian Church had a specific hierarchy and it belonged more to ordinary people than to the rulers as it was the case in Serbia. Bosnian church did not have monasteries and it was not rich in any sense. They called themselves “krstjani” (Christians). Bosnian Church lasted as long as the Bosnian kingdom. After its end, the majority of the followers joined to Serbian Orthodox Church. Some accepted the Roman Catholic Church promoted by Franciscans who came to Bosnia in XIII century and established their monasteries. The others accepted the Islam brought by Turks.
Under the Ottoman rules Bosnia saw an improvement in towns. Towns of Sarajevo and Mostar became important regional centres for trade. Towns were mostly inhabited by Muslims while Christians lived in villages. As Ottoman Empire was weakening the oppression of people in occupied countries became greater. That caused uprisings in surrounding countries on Balkans and it also affected Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian Muslims also rebelled against Turkish reforms that were going to take away some of their privileges. But only the peasant uprising that spread out in 1875 and involved liberated Serbia and Austro- Hungarian Empire ended up the Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The “Treaty of Berlin” gave Austro -Hungarian Empire a right to administrate Bosnia after Ottomans left. At the same treaty, Serbia was acknowledged as an independent kingdom with a condition not to show any political and territorial pretensions over Bosnia and to stay out of it.
In 1908 Bosnia was annexed and declared a part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire by Franz Joseph, the Austrian monarch. The annexation created a series of protests, creation of patriotic secret organisations and demonstrations against the Austro- Hungarian Empire in Bosnia. Serbians in Bosnia formed political organization “Mlada Bosna” that was fighting against foreign rule in Bosnia and for rights of people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to join already independent Serbia and other Slavonic countries in the region that were still under the Austrian-Hungarian Empire such as Croatia and Slovenia. On the other hand, in Europe, the colonial disputes and inequalities and therefore the imbalance among the Great powers were deepening. On 28th of June, 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was visiting Sarajevo and was assassinated by a member of “Mlada Bosna” -young Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip. That event was enough to trigger the WW I, as the tensions between big European powers exploded. After the war ended in 1918, Bosnia and Herzegovina became a part of The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, known as well as the First Yugoslavia.
During the WW II, Bosnian territory was once again annexed and became a part of the Independent State of Croatia for the short time. During the WW II, people of Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered a lot and lost many lives. All of the nations suffered. Some of the most difficult battles were fought on the Bosnian territory in the WW II. Perhaps, because of its ethnic and religious diversity the Partisan movement had the greatest success in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Consequently, new, second Yugoslavia and its new borders were drawn into maps of the Balkans and Europe on 29. November 1943. in a Bosnian town – Jajce.
Under parole of the “brotherhood and unity” (bratstvo i jedinstvo) years of second Yugoslavia passed in prosperity, happiness and peace. However, when the communist ideology was not enough to hold the nations and republics of Yugoslavia together, the raise of nationalism had started.
Mix of different religions, loss of ideology, growth of nationalism, negative historical memories, foreign encouragement and separation of other Yugoslav republics made another war possible.
All people of Bosnia suffered badly in a war that lasted from 1992-1995. UN forces were observing the territory of Bosnia, but they did not stop the war. That was the worst bloodshed on the European territory after the II WW. The war was finished by the NATO involvement which eventually forced all the sides to agree a ceasefire and start political talks. Dayton Peace Accordance sealed the war and marked the new start for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is now an independent country with two entities: Bosanska Federacija and Republika Srpska . Bosnia is a home to Serbians, Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) and Croatians.
Bosnian Character
The mix of nations and religions made Bosnia and Herzegovina a very volatile and sensitive territory. This mirrored in the character of the people who live in Bosnia. Constant fight for freedom and independence from different foreign rulers and administrators and devastating destruction of the country and loss of lives in every war that hit Balkans in XX century influenced all Bosnian nations. Mountainous geography, powerful rivers and rich, wild forests fool of danger even in times of peace – influenced the character of the Bosnian nations, too. All these factors made them being extraordinarily resistant, temperamental and hard working but also exceptionally warm and emotional. They also are intelligent, sensitive, proud, hospitable, persistent and incredibly flexible and adaptable. People of Bosnia are known for their amazing spirit, and an excellent sense of humour throughout the whole region. The music they create tells a lot about their incredible spirit and emotional depths. Some of the most famous songs, singers and bands come from Bosnia like legendary band: “ Bijelo Dugme”. This Bosnian spirit was the only possible way to respond to the adversities of life they were subjected to and to be able to survive and preserve the humanity and hope.
Bosnian Attractions
Bosnia lies on the geographic territory where The Great Roman had been parted into Western and Eastern Roman Empire. It is a beautiful country in Southeast of Europe, situated on the Balkan Peninsula. Bosnia takes the central position amongst the South Slavic countries once called Yugoslavia. It has a narrow exit to the Adriatic Sea. The main attractions of Bosnia and Herzegovina are their untouched, wild nature. About half of Bosnian land mass is covered with forests. Unexplored forests are hiding some rare species of flora and fauna. Wolves, brown bears, wild boars and deer live in these forests. There are also a large number of mountainous rivers that make fantastic waterfalls on their way to the valleys. Traditional villages are scattered over the mountains and hills are preserving the forgotten style of life, but most of the population lives in towns.
Among many ski centres in Bosnia, Jahorina and Bjelasnica are the most famous.
Sarajevo, capital of Bosnian Federation is famous for its oriental character. Baščaršija has preserved traditional looks of Turkish bazaar and it is the cultural and historical centre of Sarajevo. Anather major tourist attraction in this city is Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque and Sahat -kula.
Medjugorje is a small town that attracts many Catholic pilgrims and turists as it is famous for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
There are Orthodox monasteries and churches are dating from XIV century and they had been built wherever the Serbian population lived. The oldest ones are: Dobričevo, Gomionica, Liplje, Lomnica, Moštanica, Ozren, Tvrdoš.
Modern Bosnian Language
Bosnian language belongs to the group of South Slavonic languages. It is spoken by Bosnian Muslims in Bosnia or Bosniaks. Historically and officially, it used both: Latin and Cyrillic script, but today only Latin script is in use. It uses Shtocavian (štokavski) dialect. Its sub dialect is ijekavski. As in most languages, there are local accentual variations from region to region. The alphabet is phonetic and rules for reading are rather simple and easy to grasp. The modern alphabets that are in use today were reformed by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić – famous linguist and philologist whose family migrated from Herzegovina to Western Serbia. The alphabets and the Shtocavian (štokavski) dialect were accepted as a norm in XIX century. The leading linguists and lexicographers of Croatia and Serbia signed The Vienna Literary Agreement in 1850. This agreement led to the standardisation of the both languages and creating Serbo-Croatian language bringing Serbians and Croatians closer linguistically, culturally and politically. By joining Yugoslavia Bosnians accepted these norms, too. After separation from Yugoslavia, Bosnian became the official language of Bosnian Federation, while in Republika Srpska – Serbian is spoken and official language. Croatian is spoken by Croatians in Bosnia. Bosnian is used in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Slovenia but also amongst Bosnian Muslims and people of their descent throughout the whole Europe and the world. There are many Bosnians who live in Germany, Austria, France, UK, Switzerland and in Turkey. Sometimes people tend to refer to Bosnian language as “our” language or “mother” tongue.
The main characteristic of Bosnian language is a tendency for cherishing Turkish and Oriental words (avlija, amanet, ćošak); and also nourishing phonemes “h” and “f” in a certain number of words (kahfa, rahat).
Tips for visiting Bosnia
As in all countries of the Balkan region people are very hospitable and welcoming. When you are visiting a friend or a family in Bosnia, be prepared to learn to take your time sipping up the black, Turkish coffee and to eat a lot and everywhere you go.
People love to make jokes and laugh. Jokes are not always politically correct, but generally people do not take offence, unless the joke is rude. Singing and music are also very popular in Bosnia. There are very many restaurants and kafana with live bands.
Bosnian Muslim women traditionally wear scarves over their heads and special type of harem trousers. Younger Bosnian Muslim women sometimes only wear scarf over their heads but often they do not.
Favourite national specialities and dishes are: ćevapčići and pljeskavice made of beef or lamb, pita and burek (pastries filled with various fillings, the most usually with cheese) and also kajmak and sarma; and from deserts: baklava, and tufahije . Various meat and vegetable soups and stews are also popular and similarly prepared as elsewhere in the region.
Favourite sports are: Basketball, Football, Volleyball and Tennis.
National dance is kolo.
National instrument are gusle, frula, gajde (bagpipe), tambura and šargija.
National music: sevdalinka and Bosnian root music (izvorna muzika)
Passion of the whole region and a favourite past time is sipping a cup of homemade strong black coffee known as kahva or kava.