In their conquests of the Balkans and Europe in the second half of the 15th century, Ottomans found both members of the Church of Bosnia and Bosnian Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The attitude of Ottoman authorities of the time to Catholic population is, among other things, recognized in the Ahdnama of sultan Mehmed II el-Fatih donated to Bosnian Franciscan fra Angelo Zvizdović at Milodraž near Fojnica on 28 May 1463, which guarantees security and freedom to Bosnian Catholics. Thus, among other things, Fojničaj Ahdnama reads as follows: Let them reside in my empire carefree. And those who emigrated (fled and left) let them be free and safe. Let them come and reside in the countries of my empire without fear. Although Ahdnama cannot be equaled to the UN General Declaration of Human Rights from 1948, it suggestively symbolizes an act of legal protection of members of another religion. Ahdnama is not an isolated document which testifies of Ottoman tolerance of members of other religions. No less valuable is Emernama by Gazi Husrev-beg which, in 1532, guaranteed free exercise of religion to Franciscans of Fojnica and Kreševo (An act of civilizational tolerance).

At about the same time, in the second half of the 15th century, Spain was witnessing the full swing of Reconquista, which was aimed at cleansing Spain (and Portugal) of Muslims (moriskosi) and Jews (marani), who settled their and lived in co-existence with Catholics for centuries. After King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela occupied Granada, the last stronghold of Spanish Muslims (J. Chisholm) on 2 January 1492, the latter had to be christened or else leave the land of Spanish kings. In the counsel of main priest of Queen Isabela – fra Tomás de Torquemada, in the same year, Catholic rulers signed a decree on expulsion of Jews from Spain. Most expelled Jews (Sephardi) found a safe haven in Bosnia, mostly in Sarajevo, where Ottomans ruled. It is indisputably witnessed by Sarajevo Haggadah. Reasons for expulsion of Muslims and Jews were exclusively of religious nature, wherefore the Church gave Reconquista a character of a crusade war (P. Vujić, 147).

In the context of described happenings, it is very significant to remind cultural and academic public of a document from the Archives of the Tuzla Canton which speaks of the status of Catholic Church in Bosnia in the late 19th century. It is a ferman (decree) whereby sultan Abdul-Medžid renew privileges (e.g. exemption from tithe) to members of the Catholic Church granted by previous sultans. Catholic church and priests are granted freedom of exercising religion and security of life and property. The decree was written in 1853 (ATK, OZ-19 B/F).

Confirmation of previously issued imperial decree, most likely, triggered frequent complaints of Catholic priests and population, who largely emigrated from Bosanska Posavina to Slavonija, to Austrian side, due to worsened legal-political and security situation, and consuls of Western countries and Russia reported of it to their respective governments (G. Šljivo). Benevolent relations between Ottoman authorities and Bosnian Catholics visibly began to deteriorate after long wars between the Ottoman Empire with Austria and Venetian Republic, and because of a conspirative attitude of a part of Catholics toward the current Ottoman authorities. Still, one should bear in mind that by the end of Ottoman rule all the three Bosnian religions shared a hard destiny, each in its own way, due to frequent wars and rebellions, security, material deprivation and unpredictable migrations.

Sources and references:

• Archives of the Tuzla Canton, Oriental collection (ATK, OZ-19 B/F).

• Chisholm, Jane, Datumi iz svjetske historije: Usborneova knjiga, Svjetlost, Sarajevo, 1999

• Gazi Husrev-begova emernama: Akt civilizacijske tolerancije. See: https://balkans.aljazeera.net/news/culture/2017/6/11/gazi-husrev-begova-emernama-akt-civilizacijske-tolerancije, accessed on 20.11.2022

• Hodžić, Nermana, Orijentalna zbirka Arhiva Tuzlanskog kantona 1563-1936, analitički inventor, Arhiv TK, Tuzla, 2017

• Šljivo, Galib, Bosna i Hercegovina u XIX stoljeću u spisima stranih izvještača, Planjax, Tešanj, 2008

• Tepić, Ibrahim, “Bosna i Hercegovina od kraja XVIII stoljeća do austrougraske okupacije 1878. godine”, in: Bosna i Hercegovina od najstarijih vremena do kraja Drugog svjetskog rata, BKC, Sarajevo, 1998, 174-219

• Vujić, Perica, “Španjolska rekonkvista – demografija, politika i kultura”. See: https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/250179, accessed on 20.11.2022