Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/doi.org/10.52328/t.9.1.5
From Porphyrogenitus' “Baptized Serbs” to the Bosnians: War, Borders, Political Conflict, and the Dynamics of Ethnic Identities in Bosnia and the Hum Region (10th — 14th Centuries)
Vuk Bačanović
; Filozofski fakultet, Univerzitet u Beogradu
Sažetak
This article examines the transformations of collective identities in Bosnia, Serbia, and the Hum region between the tenth and fourteenth centuries, advancing the thesis that warfare, political conflict, and border regimes were decisive factors in shaping medieval forms of belonging. Drawing on Frankish, Byzantine, papal, and local diplomatic sources, it demonstrates that designations such as Srbin, Bošnjanin, Sclavus, Vlah, natio, and ethnos did not denote stable ethnic categories, but rather functioned as political and legal markers of jurisdiction, loyalty, and territorial organization. Particular attention is devoted to the emergence of the term Bošnjanin in the fourteenth century as an integrative label for the subjects of the Bosnian state, which gradually assumed primacy over the earlier designation Srbin in diplomatic practice, without implying a complete rupture in identity. This shift is interpreted as the outcome of warfare, changes in vassalage, and institutional needs for a broader political framework of
affiliation. The article concludes by arguing that identity in medieval Bosnia was a dynamic construct shaped by conflict and legal practice, rather than a static ethnic constant.
Ključne riječi
medieval Bosnia; Serbia (Raška); the Hum region; Serbs; Bošnjani; ethnic identity; ethnogenesis; natio; ethnos; diplomatics; charters; legal practice; war and frontier
Hrčak ID:
347385
URI
Datum izdavanja:
25.5.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *