Bošnjani
Bošnjani (sing. Bošnjanin; Latin: Bosniensis), meaning Bosnians, is the archaic name for inhabitants of Bosnia during the Middle Ages.
History
This name appears in almost all Bosnian state documents (povelje) since the 12th century, as used for the people of medieval Bosnia until the last Bosnian king Stjepan Tomašević prior to the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia.
Appearing in a number of documents from the period, it was in most cases coupled with the word Good ("Dobri"). For example, a 1417 document by Stjepan Ostoja mentions i nostri boni Bosnensi, and the same term is used in a 1419 document by Stjepan Ostojić.[1] Ćošković dates the term to Stjepan II Kotromanić (1322–53).[2]
Assessment
Bosnian historian Pejo Ćošković, citing Ferdo Šišić and Dominik Mandić, describes the use of the term in royal documents as membership in Bosnian nobility, with no indication of the subject's religion,[1] and as a political term to distinguish people from Bosnia proper from people from other lands of the Kingdom of Bosnia.[2]
Debate on the exact nature of the term is inconclusive. Some historians believe that it indicates a unique ethnicity while others argue a geopolitical identity, rather than an ethnic.
Revival
During the Ottoman era the preferred term for an inhabitant of Bosnia came to be Bošnjak, with the suffix "-iak" replacing the traditional "-anin". The English term Bosniak is in turn a translation of that term. During the Austro-Hungarian era the term Bošnjak was also preferred until the beginning of the 20th century. The situation changed again in the 20th century, as Bosanac (see also Bosnian and Bosnians) came to be the preferred term. Following their national awakening and rebirth in the early 1990s, Bosniaks re-established the (by then) archaic term Bošnjaci - Bosniaks - for their nation based on the word's historical ethno-geographic connotations.
See also
References
- 1 2 Pejo Ćošković (June 1996). "Veliki knez bosanski Tvrtko Borovinić". Croatica Christiana Periodica (in Croatian) 20 (37): 63–64. ISSN 0350-7823. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
[...] svjedoci [...] označeni izrazima "naši dobri Bošnjani (i nostri boni Bosnensi), što sasvim jasno određuje njihovu stalešku pripadnost bosanskom plemstvu.25 - Navedeni izrazi ne predstavljaju nikakvu konfesionalnu odrednicu onih na koje se odnosi, kako se to može napose u historiografskoj literaturi o »Crkvi bosanskoj«, pa s tim u vezi navodimo tek djela nekih istaknutijih autora. Usp. F. ŠIŠIĆ, Vojvoda Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić i njegovo doba (1350–1414), Zagreb, 1902, 236 (dalje: ŠIŠIĆ, Vojvoda Hrvoje); D. MANDIĆ, Bogomilska crkva bosanskih krstjana, Chicago, Ill. 1962, 200, 385 (dalje: MANDIĆ, Bogomilska crkva).
- 1 2 Pejo Ćošković (July 2000). "Pogledi o povijesti Bosne i crkvi bosanskoj". Journal - Institute of Croatian History (in Croatian) (Faculty of Philosophy, Zagreb, FF press). 32-33 (1). ISSN 0353-295X. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
Razlikovanje Bosne od ostalih kasnije stečenih dijelova ostalo je prisutno u titulaturi bosanskih vladara tijekom čitavog srednjeg vijeka. Uvažavanje te složenosti bosanskog državnog prostora može pružiti podlogu i pomoći pri razmišljanju o etničkoj i narodnosnoj pripadnosti srednjovjekovnog bosanskog stanovništva. U tijesnoj vezi s tim je postanak i funkcioniranje naziva Bošnjani kojim su u domaćoj izvornoj građi nazivani politički podanici bosanskih vladara od vremena Stjepana II. Kotromanića. Rjeđe su taj naziv Dubrovčani talijanizirali i pisali kao Bosignani.