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The Eyalet of Bosnia[2] (Ottoman Turkish: Eyalet-i Bosna)[1] or Bosnia Beylerbeylik (Turkish: Bosna Beylerbeyliğ) was a eyalet and beylerbeylik of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as most of Slavonia, Lika, and Dalmatia in present-day Croatia. Its reported area in the 19th century was 20,281 square miles (52,530 km2).[3]
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After the execution of King Tomašević in 1463, the central part of the Kingdom of Bosnia was transformed into the sanjak of Bosnia. The Duchy of Herzegovina was added in 1483. The eyalet of Bosnia was formed in 1520.[1] However, the Ottoman wars in Europe continued and the province significantly decreased in territory during the same century. After the Treaty of Karlowitz, the province was down to four sanjaks (three of them diminished in size as well) and twelve captaincies. Before the Treaty of Passarowitz, another 28 military captaincies were formed, more than half of them along the frontier. This kind of intensive military administration corresponded to the Austrian Military Frontier on the other side of the same border. In 1703 the seat of the pasha was moved from Sarajevo to Travnik because Sarajevo had been destroyed by fire in the war; it wouldn't be moved back until 1850.[4]
At the beginning of the 19th century, Bosnia was one of the least developed and more autonomous provinces of the Empire.[5] In 1831, Bosnian kapudan Husein Gradaščević occupied Travnik, demanding autonomy and the end of military reforms in Bosnia.[1] Ultimately, exploiting the rivalries between beys and kapudans, the grand vizier succeeded in detaching the Herzegovinian forces, led by Ali Agha Rizvanbegović, from Gradaščević’s.[1] The revolt was crushed, and in 1833, a new eyalet of Herzegovina was created from the southern part of the eyalet of Bosnia and given to Ali Agha Rizvanbegović as a reward for his contribution in crushing the uprising.[1] This new entity lasted only for a few years: after Rizvanbegović's death, it was reintegrated into the Bosnia eyalet.
After an administrative reform in 1864, it was reformed into the Bosnia Vilayet.
Organisation of the eyalet in the 17th century, from the accounts of Evliya Çelebi: "The officers are, the Defterdar of the treasury, the Kehiya and Emin of the rolls; the Kehiya and Emin of the Chavushes; the Alai-beg and the Cheri-bashi".[6]
Bosnia Eyalet's capital city moved several times:
Administrative division of the eyalet of Bosnia between 1700-1730 were as follows[12]:
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At the beginning of the 19th century, Bosnia was composed of 7 sanjaks:[5]
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