From: U52148@uicvm.uic.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna
Subject: History of BiH Re: Who was in 'power'
Date: 13 Nov 92 16:15:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: uicvm.92318.101521U52148
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago

Hello all,

I decided to clear up some of the historical facts about BiH.
I will give my sources, something none of the other "historians" did.

Let's go into the political/historical first.

This is from Croatia: Land, People, Culture (Vol II) "The Etnic and Religious
History of BiH"

The Croatian chronical known as Methodos, written in a.d. 753, mentiones
that the provinces which composed the Croatian kingdom of that time were:
White (western) Croatia, Red (southern) Croatia, and Bosnia. (pg365)

Since earliest times, Bosnia, as an autonomous unit, had as its governoer
the Ban, and consequently was called Ban's Bosnia (Banovina Bosanska).
The title "Ban" was specifically Croatian and unknown to the Serbs, or for
that matter, to any othe European nation before the twelfth century.
It would seem obvious, then, that Bosnia had been colonized and inhabited
by Croatians from the its very beginnings. Who else would have used the
purely Croatian title of Ban for the governor, and called Bosnia
"Ban's Country", but Croatians themselves. (pg 365)

"Bosnians" were descended from the Bogomils. Wrong.

Just prior to the Turkish conquest, the population of Bosnia and Hercegovina
had the following religious and ethnic make up: about 750,000 Croatian
Catholics; 80,000-90,000 Croatians adhering to Bogumilism; 12,000-15,000
non-slavic Vlachs; and 25,000-28,000 Serbs. (pg 367)

In view of these facts, were the "Bosnians" aware of their TRUE ethnic
background? Yes.

The Franciscan Nikola Lasvanin (died 1750), one of the best known chroniclers
of Bosnia, wrote that the Croatians came from beyond the Carpathian Mountains
in 640 a.d. "into Dalmatia and into today's Croatian and slavic countryside.
The Dalmatia (Roman-Byzantium) which extended from the sea to the Danube
assumed the name Croatiaas it has been called up until today." In other places
he wrote of "the Highlands of Croatia which is now called Bosnia." (pg376)

The Grand Vizier Rustam-Pasa, who probably was born in Mostar, proudly called
himself "Croatian". (pg378)

Mehmed-Aga, born in Zvornik, commander of the janissaries at the sultan's
court, on the occasion of a visit by a delegation fro mthe republic of
Dubrovnik in 1631, told the members of the delegation: "I am proud of our
language and enjoy speaking it." (pg378)

The well-known Turkish historian Mustafa Ali, an official of the
governor of Bosnia in the city of Banja Luka (1569-77), wrote in his book
that "the Bosnians belong to the Croatian nation".

How about in the twntieth century?

"...the Muslim political party from Bosnia and Hercegovina sent twenty-four
elected representatives to the Congress. It is an intresting fact that twenty-
two members of the group were registered as Croatians. Only the president and
the secretary of the officicial Parliment Club indicated their nationality
as Yugoslav." (pg 380)


There you have it. I hope the Bosnians can appreciate their Croatian
heritage.

-Cro

P.S. the book "Croatia: Land, People, Culture" can be found in your University
     Library. Read it.