Austro-Hungarian condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |||||
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Capital | Sarajevo | ||||
Language(s) | Bosnian,[1] Serbo-Croatian[2] |
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Government | Monarchy | ||||
Legislature | Diet of Bosnia | ||||
History | |||||
- Occupied | July 13, 1878 | ||||
- Annexed | October 7, 1908 | ||||
- Abolished | December 1, 1918 | ||||
Area | |||||
- 1879 | 51,082 km2 (19,723 sq mi) | ||||
Population | |||||
- 1879 est. | 1,584,164 | ||||
Density | 31 /km2 (80.3 /sq mi) | ||||
- 1885 est. | 1,336,091 | ||||
- 1895 est. | 1,568,092 | ||||
- 1910 est. | 1,898,044 | ||||
Currency | Krone |
History of Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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This article is part of a series |
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Early History | |
Prehistory and Roman era | |
Slavic peoples | |
Monarchy | |
Bosnian Kingdom | |
Ottoman era | |
Austro-Hungarian condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Yugoslavia | |
Kingdom of Yugoslavia | |
World War II | |
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
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Contemporary | |
War in Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina Portal |
The Austro-Hungarian condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a condominium established after the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary in 1908, following its occupation in 1878 under the terms of the Treaty of Berlin.
Contents |
When troops under the command of Josip Filipović and Stjepan Jovanović entered the provinces expecting little or no resistance, they were met with ferocious opposition from elements of both Muslim and Orthodox populations there. Despite setbacks at Maglaj and Tuzla, Sarajevo was occupied in October, 1878. Austro-Hungarian casualties amounted to over 5,000 and the unexpected violence of the campaign led to recriminations between commanders and political leaders.[3]
Tensions remained in certain parts of the country (particularly Herzegovina) and a mass emigration of predominantly Muslim dissidents occurred. However, a state of relative stability was reached soon enough and Austro-Hungarian authorities were able to embark on a number of social and administrative reforms which intended to make Bosnia and Herzegovina into a "model colony". With the aim of establishing the province as a stable political model that would help dissipate rising South Slav nationalism, Habsburg rule did much to codify laws, to introduce new political practices, and generally to provide for modernization.
The Austro-Hungarian policy advocated the ideal of a pluralist and multi-confessional Bosnian nation. Joint Imperial Minister of Finance and Vienna-based administrator of Bosnia Benjamin Kallay promoted Bošnjaštvo, a policy that aimed to inspire in Bosnia's people 'a feeling that they belong to a great and powerful nation'[4] and viewed Bosnians as "speaking the Bosnian language and divided into three religions with equal rights."[5][6] The policy attempted to isolate Bosnia and Herzegovina from its irredentist neighbors (the Orthodox in Serbia, Catholics in Croatia, and the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire) and to negate the concept of Croat and Serb nationhood that had already spread to Bosnia and Herzegovina's Catholic and Orthodox communities from neighboring Croatia and Serbia in the mid 19th century.[6] Croats and Serbs who opposed the policy, ignored Bosnian nationhood and instead sought to claim Bosnian Muslims as their own, a move that was rejected by most Bosnian Muslims.[7][8] Following the death of Kallay, the policy was abandoned and by the latter half of the 1910's nationalism was an integral factor of Bosnian politics, with national political parties corresponding to the three groups dominating elections.[6]
The idea of a unified South Slavic state (typically expected to be spear-headed by independent Kingdom of Serbia) became a popular political ideology in the region at this time, including Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Austro-Hungarian government's decision to formally annex Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1908 added to a sense of urgency among these nationalists. The political tensions caused by all this culminated on June 28, 1914, when Serb nationalist youth Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo; an event that proved to be the spark that set off World War I. Although some Bosnians died serving in the armies of the various warring states, Bosnia and Herzegovina itself managed to escape the conflict relatively unscathed.
Year | Muslim | % | Orthodox | % | Catholic | % | Jewish | % | Total |
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1879 | 448,613 | 38.7% | 496,485 | 42.9% | 209,391 | 18.1% | 3,675 | 0.3% | 1,584,164 |
1885 | 492,710 | 36.9% | 571,250 | 42.8% | 265,788 | 19.9% | 5,805 | 0.4% | 1,336,091 |
1895 | 548,632 | 35% | 673,246 | 42.9% | 334,142 | 21.3% | 8,213 | 0.5% | 1,568,092 |
1910 | 612,137 | 32.2% | 825,418 | 43.5% | 434,061 | 22.9% | 11,868 | 0.6% | 1,898,044 |
During the Austro-Hungarian administration, the internal divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina were kept, but their institutions modernized. Six districts formed the regional government and were maintained until 1922. The number of counties was 54.[9][10]
Term | Incumbent | |
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July 13, 1878 |
(nominally remained under sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire) |
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July 13, 1878 - November 18, 1878 | Josef, Freiherr Philippovich von Philippsberg, Commander | |
November 18, 1878 - April 6, 1881 | Duke William of Württemberg, Head of Provincial Government | |
April 6, 1881 - August 9, 1882 | Hermann, Freiherr Dahlen von Orlaburg, Governor | |
August 9, 1882 - December 8, 1903 | Johann, Freiherr von Appel, Governor | |
December 8, 1903 - June 25, 1907 | Eugen, Freiherr von Albori, Governor | |
June 30, 1907 - October 7, 1908 | Anton von Winzor, Governor | |
October 7, 1908 |
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October 7, 1908 - March 7, 1909 | Anton von Winzor,[11] Governor | |
March 7, 1909 - May 10, 1911 | Marijan Varešanin, Governor | |
May 10, 1911 - December 22, 1914 | Oskar Potiorek,[12] Governor | |
December 22, 1914 - November 3, 1918 | Stjepan, Freiherr von Sarkotić-Lovćen, Governor | |
December 1, 1918 |
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The emperor of Austria-Hungary had the ability to appoint and dismiss religious leaders and to control religious establishments financially through agreements created with the papacy, the patriarchate, and the Sheikh ul-Islam.[13]
The occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina led to great reforms of the Catholic Church in that country, after centuries in the Ottoman Empire. In 1881, Vrhbosna was elevated to an archdiocese, and the dioceses of Banja Luka and Mostar-Duvno were formed. Work began on the Cathedral of Jesus' Heart in Sarajevo in 1884 and was completed by 1889.
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