Vlachs in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina

History

Vlachs in Bosnia and Herzegovina are progeny of Romanized Illyrians and Thraco-Romans, other pre-Slavic Romance-speaking people, and after arrival in the 6-8th century also of Slavic people, being Slavicized.^[1][2] Marko Vego argued Vlach autochthony with Vlach settlements named after Vlach tribes, Vojnići and Hardomilje, near which are found Roman forts and monuments. Bogumil Hrabak supported Vego's consideration the Vlachs preceded both Turks and Bosnians (Slavs) in Zachlumia.^[3] Dominik Mandić argued that some Vlachs from Herzegovina migrated there from Thessaly, Epirus and Macedonia before the Ottoman invasion into Southern Europe.^[4] It is argued that some also arrived from the East during the Ottoman wars.^[5]

Vlachs in Bosnian documents are first mentioned 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.^[3] The relationship of Vlachian katuns and feudal holdings can be traced from 14th century.^[6] By the data, from 1382 is confirmed they were under jurisdiction of the Bosnian ruler, to be later assigned to large landowners.^[7] The Vlachs and lords relationships indicate that the medieval Bosnia wasn't compact - some Vlach vassals (Gleđević) of the rulers were far from the royal lands, some Vlach vassals (Nenko Krajsalić, Radoslav Borojević) became vassals fairly late although Kosača ruled fifteen years certain lands near Eastern banks of Neretva river, some Vlach vassals (Maleš) were partially Pavlović partially Kosača vassals although being on Kosača holdings.^[8]

In 1382, Vukoslav Piščić was named as knez of all Vlachs by king Tvrtko I of Bosnia. The earliest noble landowners they were assigned to in Herzegovina was the Sanković noble family, with katun Tomić.^[9]

In the 1376 and 1454 documents by Republic of Dubrovnik about trade with Bosnian lands are distinguished Vlachi et Bosgnani.^[10] In the 14th century documents are treated as shepherds from mountains which separate Croatia and Bosnia.^[11] It is argued that some group of Vlachs in the 14th century migrated to Dalmatia Zagora and Cetina county in Croatia, followed by sudden appearance of stećaks in the territory they lived.^[12][13]

In the area around Stolac and Zabljak were so many Vlachs that in the end of the 15th century the territory was called by the Turks as Donji Vlasi (Lower Vlachs).^[5]

Ottomans in Bosnia and Herzegovina on example of katuns organized filurîci eflakan (Vlachian filurîci) according to "Vlach model" in Smederevo, Vidin and Braničevo.^[5] From them was collected tax baduhava eflakan,^[14] or rusum eflak,^[15] mostly in the type of certain yearly number of sheep or goat, as well gold currency.^[16] In the defters of the 1470s and 1480s in Central and North-Central Bosnia, around Visoko and Maglaj, arrived roughly 800 Vlachs accompanied by two Orthodox priests. With war and plagues, and as Catholics fled, the repopulation of Bosnia from Herzegovina and Serbia which allowed military activity was of high interest for the Ottomans. Benedikt Kuripečič in the 16th century noted that Bosnia is inhabited by three peoples; (Muslim) Turks, (Catholic) Bosnians, and (Orthodox) Serbs "who call themselves Vlachs... They came from Smederevo and Belgrade".^[15] Since Vlachs weren't paid for the military activity by the Ottomans they were permitted to plunder enemy territory, being known as martolos or voynuk. In return for their military activity were given special tax privileges. They were taxed differently, which shows that in the late 15th century there were at least 35,000 Vlachs in Herzegovina, while in the 16th century 82,692 Vlach households in the Smederevo region in Serbia.^[15]

Being in border of Habsburg Empire they, if the social situation was better on the other part of the border, also extensively fled. There they received also special social-militar system; first in 1527 by Ferdinand I were free from feudal obligations, share of booty, their own captains (vojvodas) and magistrates (knezes), and free to practice Orthodox Christianity. It eventually led to the organisation of the Military Frontier, and the decree Statuta Valachorum by Ferdinand II. It resulted with the situation almost looking like Vlachs fighting against the Vlachs.^[15]

Herzegovinian Vlachs

In Southeastern Herzegovina between 1393–1437 emerged many Vlachian katuns.^[5] The primary lords of the Herzegovinian Vlachs were the Kosača, Pavlović, and Nikolić noble family.^[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 mines of Bosnia.^[15]

The Vlachs surnamed Pliščić, Gleđević, Ugarac, Boban, Mirilović, Vragović, Kresojević, Nenković, Bančić, Pilatovac, Pocrnja, Drobnjak, and Riđani, as well as a some of the Banjani and 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]

From the documents is seen that they often don't bear "tribe-katun" name as surname yet patronymics, for example katunar Dragić Dobrilović from Boban katun or katunars Klapac Stanković and Radosav Milićević from Maleševac katun.^[17]

With Ottoman occupation were also conquered Vlachian territories which caused migrations; Ragusan documents in 1386 recorded some Vlachian population with their animals found shelter in Ston and Pelješac (...quod recipiantur in Stagno familie, pastores, animalia et carnesia Vlacorum et circum vicinorum propter eorum saluamentum terrore Teucrurum partes discurrentium),^[18] in 1466 fell Korita, Banjani and Riđani east of Trebinje,^[19] in 1448 Ragusa again accepted in Ston and Pelješac "peasants and Vlachs of duke Stjepan, Radoje Nikolić and Vukašin Grgurević with families and herds, with leaders and shepherds",^[20] as well in 1463 (Vlachs and people from Popovo).^[21] During the 15th century they continuously found shelter in the territory of Ragusan Republic, as well Venetian Dalmatia and Bay of Kotor.^[21] In 1475–1477 in the nahija Počitelj were recorded eleven deserted villages (Gojanovići, Ričica, Kukrica, Opličiča, Plešivac, Svitava, Šanica, Kozica, Gornja Ljubinica, Skočim, Dretelj) which were held by the Vlachs.^[22] At the time many Vlachs (generally, and from Banjani, Maleševci, Bobani, Zubci) collaborated with Ottomans as slave agents.^[23]

Culture

They lived in hamlets called katun which had chieftain titled katunar. Around them they placed guards, which locations were called as varde/vardišta.^[24] They were nomadic or semi-nomadic herdsmen and shepherds, and when settled permanently became agricultural. The exported livestock products; animal skin, wool, Vlach cheese, butter and dried meat. With their caravans they carried out a large part of the traffic between land and sea.^[5][15] Their military tradition as well mobile lifestyle was often used by the Bosnian lords and later by the Ottomans.^[15] These traits changed very little over the centuries.^[15]

Vlachs probably have been bilingual (speaking Romance and Slavic language).^[15] Many personal names in the records, of which many were preserved until today, indicate their bilingualism.^[15] It is considered that initially Vlachs talked Ikavian accent, and later I/jekavian accent (speading it further), of 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.^[25][15] 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.^[26] Previously Ćiro Truhelka also 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.^[24]

Their religion depended upon social and political events.^[27] During Ottoman occupation politically Orthodox Church was more favored than Roman Catholic.^[27] First Orthodox churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina are built in mid-16th century.^[28] With time the Slavicized Vlachs which were of Orthodox faith were Serbianized, while those of Roman Catholic faith were Croatized.^[29]

The emergence of the stećaks and their symbolism in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the scholars is often related to the Vlachian communities.^[15][30]

Truhelka noted many preserved non-Slavic family surnames in Bosnia and Herzegovina of Vlachian 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.^[31]

Notable Vlachs

• Hasan Pasha Predojević^[32] (c. 1530 – 22 June 1593) - the Predojević Vlachs are first mentioned 1372, while since 1468 were included in the Ottoman hierarchy.^[33]

See also

• Vlachs
• Morlachs
• Vlach law
• Vlachs of Croatia
• Tribes of Montenegro
• Vlachs in medieval Serbia
• Vlach (Ottoman social class)

References

Sources