The Role of the Sanjak of Herzegovina in Ottoman Expansion between the Neretva and Cetina Rivers during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period

Isailović, Neven and Jakovljević, Aleksandar (2024) The Role of the Sanjak of Herzegovina in Ottoman Expansion between the Neretva and Cetina Rivers during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. In: The History of a Conflict for the Future of New Encounters. Turkish Presence in Dalmatia from the 16th to the 18th Century. Catholic Faculty of Theology of the University of Split; Crkva u svijetu, Split, pp. 373-399. ISBN 978-953-7187-35-4; 978-953-8429-40-8

Text Uloga Hercegovackog sandzaka u sirenju osmanskog utjecaja na podrucje izmedju Neretve i Cetine (Povijest jednog sukoba za buducnost novih susreta, 2024).pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (4MB)

Abstract

The Sanjak of Herzegovina played a pivotal role in the expansion of Ottoman rule and influence into the territory of the medieval Kingdom of Croatia from 1465, when the greater part of Herzegovina (then known as the Herzog’s Land) fell under the Ottoman control, until the mid-16th century, when the delineation between the Sanjak of Herzegovina and the Sanjak of Bosnia was established. The Ottoman governors of Herzegovina, often Islamised members of the local Christian nobility, led the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Croatian territory until 1522. In addition to military campaigns, they employed the strategy of istimalet, a conciliatory approach towards Christians who accepted Ottoman supremacy. Following the initial phase of devastation, the Herzegovinian marcher lords sought to integrate members of the former elite into the Ottoman system by appointing them to significant administrative positions and granting them control over regions where they had previously held hereditary rights. The region of Poljica represents a unique case, as the local noble community managed to maintain its autonomy through treaties with both the Ottomans and the Venetians from as early as the last quarter of the 15th century. A significant source for studying this topic and period consists of unpublished Ottoman documents, which have been preserved by families in Poljica and within Franciscan monasteries in central Dalmatia

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