Bosnia/Bosnians: Development of a Nation
How Bosnia became Bosnia, and how the Bosnians became Bosnian.

How Bosnians as a people, and the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina as a nation-state, evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral bloodlines, the Bosnian language, borders, culture, and even how they received their name.

Ancestral Background
Development of Language
Formation of Borders
Etymology (How Name Received)
Culture
Bosnia in 2008

Bosniak Ancestral Background:
 

1. 3000 BC – People along the Baltic coast centered around modern Lithuania begin speaking the Proto-Balto-Slavic language, a branch off from Proto-Indo-European. This serves as the genesis of the Slavic and Baltic languages/peoples.
2. 1000 BC – A group splinters from the Proto-Balto-Slavic people, migrating southeast into modern Ukraine. This branch off group were the predecessors to Slavs, who would ultimately extend outward in all directions.
3. In the 6^th century, as Germanics migrated westward, a group of Slavs expanded southward to fill the void, inhabiting the northern border of the Byzantine Empire (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world).
4. 558 – Avars, a central Asian Turkic people, driven west into Europe (through modern Ukraine) by Persians and more powerful Turkic empires, came into contact with the Byzantines. They were paid off by the Byzantines to settle the area north of the Danube River, and to subdue barbarian Germanics remaining in the territory. The Avars succeeded in driving the Germans out of area, including the Lombards, who were driven into Italy, where they become the ruling class. At this time, large groups of Slavic peoples were settled north of the Danube as well. The Avar raids forced them south into the Balkan peninsula, where they settled lands abandoned by Germanic peoples, including modern Romania and Hungary. Slavic peoples would inhabit the entire Balkan region north of the Greek-inhabited lands at the very southern portion of the peninsula by 700. The Illyrians would be driven into a remote mountainous region in modern Albania, becoming forefathers to modern Albanians, which would also include a Slavic component from intermixing.
5. By end of 10^th century, Byzantine (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world) re-establishes control in the region of modern Bosnia, now inhabited by Slavic predecessors to the Bosniaks.
6. Around 1050, Bosnia falls under control of fellow South Slavs - the Kingdom of Croatia. Bosniaks and Croats each have their distinct sense of nationalistic identity by this point, so little intermixing is done. At this point, the Bosniak genetic composition is largely set.
7. 1102 – Due to a succession crisis, the Kingdom of Croatia (including Bosnia) came under the monarchy of Hungary.
8. 1166 - Byzantines conquer Bosnia from the Kingdom of Hungary.
9. 1189 – Serbs and Hungarians help Bosnia escape Byzantine rule, but Bosnia is now under Hungarian rule again. The first known written document in Bosnian Cryllic (old form of Bosnian language) comes from this time period, which referred to Bosnia as a nationality.
10. In the 14th century, Venice expanded along the eastern Adriatic coastline from its perch at the northern end of the sea, absorbing the thin strip of coastline of modern Croatia. Following France's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the European powers would award this coastal strip to Austria, opening the way for Croat consolidation of the area. Bosnia was still under Ottoman rule, so this strip of coast was closed off to the Bosniak populations directly inland, creating the enclave between Croatia and Bosnia still in place today.
11. By 1463, most of Bosnia & Herzegovina were conquered by the Muslim, Turkic Ottoman Empire. By 1482, the remaining westernmost parts were conquered. This would lead to nearly all Bosnians being converted to Islam. Bosnians did not have the strong Christian centralization of other Balkan peoples, who were either strongly tied to the Roman Catholic Church, or the Byzantine Orthodox Church. Bosnians had their own church, but with the weaker church organization, they succumbed to the perks of being Muslim in the Ottoman Empire, especially considering that they would endure under Ottoman rule for over 400 years. This was a key development in the Bosnian heritage that would forever distinguish them from other, “Christian” South Slavs.
12. 1878 – Austria-Hungary captures Bosnia & Herzegovina, much to the resentment of the Muslim Bosniaks, who preferred the Muslim rule of the Ottoman Empire. Their insurgent activities would help to cause WWI.
13. Upon the disbandment of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire at the conclusion of WWI in 1918, Bosnia & Herzegovina was added to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Like the other South Slav nations consolidated into this new nation-state, the Bosniaks maintained their distinct nationality (in large part due to sectarian rivalries that persisted throughout the existence of Yugoslavia), until the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992, resulting in an independent, sovereign Bosniak nation (Bosnia & Herzegovina).

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Development of Bosniak Language:
 

1. 3000 BC – People along the Baltic coast centered around modern Lithuania begin speaking the Proto-Balto-Slavic language, a branch off from Proto-Indo-European. This serves as the genesis of the Slavic and Baltic languages/peoples.
2. 1000 BC – A group splinters from the Proto-Balto-Slavic people, migrating southeast into modern Ukraine. This branch off group were the predecessors to Slavs, who would ultimately extend outward in all directions. Their language evolves into the original Slav language, a sub-branch of Proto-Balto-Slavic, and the ancestral language to all Slav sub-branches, including Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Croatian and others.
3. South Slav Language begins to separate from Western Slav Language in the 9^th to 10^th century, after Magyars settled into modern Hungary, separating the West Slavs (in modern Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia) from the South Slavs (territory roughly approximating the former Yugoslavia).
4. By 10^th century, Bosnian begins to become a distinct language, having sufficiently diverged from other South Slav languages. It remains mutually intelligible with Serbian and Croat.

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Formation of Bosnia & Herzegovina Borders:
 

1. In the 6^th century, as Germanics migrated westward, a group of Slavs expanded southward to fill the void, inhabiting the northern border of the Byzantine Empire (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world).
2. 558 – Avars, a central Asian Turkic people, driven west into Europe (through modern Ukraine) by Persians and more powerful Turkic empires, came into contact with the Byzantines. They were paid off by the Byzantines to settle the area north of the Danube River, and to subdue barbarian Germanics remaining in the territory. The Avars succeeded in driving the Germans out of area, including the Lombards, who were driven into Italy, where they become the ruling class. At this time, large groups of Slavic peoples were settled north of the Danube as well. The Avar raids forced them south into the Balkan peninsula, where they settled lands abandoned by Germanic peoples, including modern Romania and Hungary. Slavic peoples would inhabit the entire Balkan region north of the Greek-inhabited lands at the very southern portion of the peninsula by 700.
3. In the 7^th century, Slavs in the eastern Alps (modern southern Austria/northern Slovenia) formed Principality of Carantania. They were absorbed into the Frankish Empire by 745. Frankish rule ended at the approximate modern southern Slovenian border.
4. By end of 10^th century, Byzantine (continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world) re-establishes control in the region of modern Bosnia, now inhabited by Slavic predecessors to the Bosniaks.
5. Around 1050, Bosnia falls under control of fellow South Slavs - the Kingdom of Croatia.
6. 1102 – Due to a succession crisis, the Kingdom of Croatia (including Bosnia) came under the monarchy of Hungary.
7. 1166 - Byzantines conquer Bosnia from the Kingdom of Hungary.
8. 1189 – Serbs and Hungarians help Bosnia escape Byzantine rule, but Bosnia is now under Hungarian rule again.
9. In the 14th century, Venice expanded along the eastern Adriatic coastline from its perch at the northern end of the sea, absorbing the thin strip of coastline of modern Croatia. Following France's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the European powers would award this coastal strip to Austria, opening the way for Croat consolidation of the area. Bosnia was still under Ottoman rule, so this strip of coast was closed off to the Bosniak populations directly inland, creating the enclave between Croatia and Bosnia still in place today.
10. By 1463, most of Bosnia & Herzegovina were conquered by the Muslim, Turkic Ottoman Empire. By 1482, the remaining westernmost parts were conquered. This would lead to nearly all Bosnians being converted to Islam. Bosnians did not have the strong Christian centralization of other Balkan peoples, who were either strongly tied to the Roman Catholic Church, or the Byzantine Orthodox Church. Bosnians had their own church, but with the weaker church organization, they succumbed to the perks of being Muslim in the Ottoman Empire, especially considering that they would endure under Ottoman rule for over 400 years. This was a key development in the Bosnian heritage that would forever distinguish them from other, “Christian” South Slavs.
11. 1878 – Austria-Hungary captures Bosnia & Herzegovina, much to the resentment of the Muslim Bosniaks, who preferred the Muslim rule of the Ottoman Empire. Their insurgent activities would help to cause WWI.
12. Bosnia was added to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after WWI, as part of the terms of defeat of the Austrians in this war. Bosniaks within Yugoslavia maintained their distinct nationalistic identity until the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, when Bosnia fought and won its independence, becoming a sovereign nation-state.
13. In 1929, the name was changed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
14. Gains independence in Yugoslavia Wars as its own nation in 1992, which was followed by the Bosnian War of Independence against Serbia (Serbia being the preeminent sectarian group in Yugoslavia). Minor border (non-violent) disputes with Croatia and Serbia continue to this day.

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Etymology (How Name Received):

Bosnia named after the Bosna River running through Bosnia. The original Illyric word "Bosna" is of uncertain meaning. Herzegovina is from the German word Herzog, meaning Duke.

Bosniak Culture:

Bosnian culture is derived from several influences, due to its many neighbors, and existing under foreign rule throughout most of its history. Bosnia is perhaps most defined as an enclave of Islam in an otherwise Christian part of the world (Southeast Europe). The unfortunate side effect of this is that Bosnia has been plagued by religious-induced violence.

However, Bosnia has traditionally been a religiously moderate nation, with the exception of the sectarian violence suffered during the Yugoslavia Wars. The government is secular, and acceptance of various religions is valued, an important characteristic in a religiously diverse nation such as Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2008:

Economy: Bosnian War (1992-95) produced devastating effect. Still an underdeveloped economy as far as Europe is concerned, but showing signs of growth and improvement.
Government: Democratic Republic
Religion: Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, Other 14%. Ethnic Bosniaks are primarily Muslim, while ethnic Serbs (generally Orthodox) and Croats (generally Roman Catholic) primarily Christian. Ethnic Bosniaks were unlike other European people that came under Ottoman rule during the time of the Ottoman Empire, most of which retained their Christian beliefs and practices. Bosniaks, on the other hand, were religiously decentralized before the Ottoman conquest, and found it easier to abandon Christianity to take advantage of the Muslim preference within the Ottoman Empire, causing Bosniaks to largely convert to Islam.
Demographics: Bosniak 48%, Croat 14% (Yugoslavia), Serb 37% (holdovers from population intermixing during era of Yugoslavia).
Foreign Policy: Engaged in law suit against Serbia for war crimes and charges of genocide during Bosnian War from 1992 - 95. Currently engaged in minor border disputes with Croatia and Serbia & Montenegro.
Population: 4,590,310 (2008)

 

Formation of Nations (All European Nations)

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