SREDNJOVJEKOVNA BOSNA KAO TEMELJ BOŠNJAČKOG ETNIČKOG I JEZIČKOG IDENTITETA
MEDIEVAL BOSNIA AS THE FOUNDATION OF BOSNIAK ETHNIC AND LINGUISTIC IDENTITY

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the multilayered and historically deeply rooted role of the medieval Bosnian state in the process of shaping Bosniak ethnic and linguistic identity. Special emphasis is placed on the institutional, religious, and cultural-linguistic distinctiveness of Bosnia, which developed through authentic political structures, specific religious practices of the Bosnian Church, and a unique literacy expressed in the Bosnian Cyrillic script (bosančica). These elements constitute the fundamental pillars of Bosniak identity. The Charter of Ban Kulin from 1189, written in the vernacular and in bosančica, represents one of the oldest attestations of linguistic awareness, while the coronation of King Tvrtko I Kotromanić in Mileševa in 1377 symbolically and factually confirms the territorial expansion of the Bosnian state, including areas of present-day Sandžak. A decisive point in the process of territorial consolidation of the Bosniak space is marked by the year 1592, when Hasan Pasha Predojević annexed the wider Bihać region to the Bosnian Eyalet. This act not only defined the borders of the eyalet but also of the Bosniak ethnic space, which extended from the Una River in the west to Mitrovica in the east. In this context, the territory of medieval Bosnia and the Bosniak identity was significantly broader than present-day administrative borders. Stećci, monumental medieval tombstones spread across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Montenegro, eastern Serbia, and Sandžak, play a special role in mapping this identity horizon. They testify to the long historical continuity and cultural-spiritual presence of Bosniaks over the centuries. The bosančica script, also present in the Sandžak region, remains a strong symbol of cultural distinctiveness, particularly through administrative and religious manuscripts. The identity of Sandžak, deeply intertwined with Bosnian civilizational heritage, confirms the continuity and internal cohesion of the Bosniak cultural space. Finally, in the spirit of scholarly objectivity, it should be emphasized that the presence of certain shared identity elements, such as language, script, territory, and culture is not in contradiction with the fact that these were historically shared with other peoples, particularly Serbs and Croats, with whom a common ethnic name “Bosniak” was used until the mid-19th century.

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