Review article
Croats of the Bihać area from the Ottoman invasion until today
Anto Ivić
Abstract
Almost two centuries passed from the first Ottoman invasions to the fall of Bihać,
the last Croatian stronghold conquered by the Ottomans in 1592. After the fall of the
defense on the river Vrbas, and then on the Una, only the defensive line on the river
Kupa was effective enough to finally stop the Ottomans. During this period, the indigenous
population of the wider area was suppressed in migrations to the northwest.
The Islamization of conquered Bihać was important in the Ottoman security
strategy. Part of the indigenous Catholic population remained in the villages around
Bihać. The wars and demarcations in the 17th and 18th centuries affected the
confessional and ethnic image of the wider river Una area.
There were periods of more frequent „cross-border exchange“ of the Croatian
population due to economic and other reasons. About eight hundred surnames are
recorded in the preserved registers of the parish of Bihać from the end of the 18th
century.
In the heart of the Croatian ethnic and political historical space, from which
it is today separated by the state border, Croats have survived as indigenous population
of this area, mostly around Bihać. Its numbers were influenced by wars, socio-
political circumstances and political-territorial alterations in the 20th century.
Keywords
Bihać; Bosanska krajina; Croats; Catholics.
Hrčak ID:
278902
URI
Publication date:
8.6.2022.
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