Б(иј)ељин(a) – земља, кнештво, архиђаконат, дистрикт, нахијa
B(ij)eljin(a) – Land, Keneziatus, Archdeaconry, District, Nahiye

Summary/Abstract: Belin, Belјin or B(ij)eljina (Bellen, Belyn, Beligna, Bielina, Bellina) is mentioned in historical sources from the 13th until late 15th century as a land, territory, keneziatus, district or province, often together with Mačva, but also as an archdeaconry of the Bishopric of Srem. Mihailo Dinić’s opinion – that the medieval castle Beljin was situated on the river Sava, near the village of the same name in the municipality of Vladimirci, and that the župa Beljin encompassed the castle and its immediate environs – has been widely accepted in Serbian historiography. However, one Hungarian document from 1464, which was never used before, states that the fortress of Zvornik was in “the land of Beljin” (castrum Zwonnyk in terra Belyn). Since another document from 1273 points out that Ernye Ákos, Hungarian ban of Usora and Soli was, at the same time, knez of Beljin, we are led to conclude that the notion of Beljin (Belin) from the medieval, mostly Hungarian documents is, in fact, preserved in the region which would be largely encompassed by the Ottoman nahiye Beljina (Belina). This nahiye was situated in present-day Semberija in northeastern Bosnia. Its main settlement – Četvrtkovište, which used to be a marketplace at least since the end of the 14th century, received the status of kasaba in the late 16th century and ultimately changed its name to Bijeljina, according to the name of nahiye, which it still carries.

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