In 1256, Pope Innocent (1198-1216) summoned the faithful Christian lords of Hungary to invade Bosnia and seize the lands and treasures of its "blasphemers." In 1247, the Pope urged the Bosnians to return to the Catholic fold, reminding them that his predecessors "had tried to redeem their see by devastating the greater part of it and by killing or carrying away in captivity many thousands of Bosnians." The Bosnians responded by adopting Bogomilism as the official state religion. In one last supreme effort, the Papacy "supported the Emperor Sigismund of Hungary, who held Croatia and Dalmatia, and who wished to add Bosnia to his kingdom." Though the Emperor "scored the success of capturing the Bosnian king," West writes, the Bosnians were unimpressed "and replaced him by another, also a staunch Bogomil." After the Turks came to the Balkans, the Bosnian Bogomils, hoping to escape persecution from their neighbors, openly supported the Turks against the Christian rulers. As a result, the Turks in 1415 offered the Bogomils military protection, secure titles to their land and freedom to practice their religion - if they counted themselves as Muslims and did not attack Ottoman forces. The Bogomils quickly accepted the offer.
The kingdom of Servia first paid tribute to Ottomans in 1375 CE and lost its independence after the disastrous defeat of Kosova (1389 CE) – where both the king of Servia and the Ottoman Sultan were killed. The successors of the two states entered into friendly association – the young Servian prince Stephen, acknowledged the suzerainty of Turkey by giving her siste in marriage to the new Sultan, Bayazid and formed with him a league of brotherhood. Under Stephen’s successor, George Branovich, Servia enjoyed a semi-independence – but in 1438 CE, he rebelled against Ottomans taking side with fellow Christian king of Hungary, John Hunyady – while Turks and Hungarian were at war. During the battle – he asked John Hunyady: ‘If you’re victorious, what will you do?’ ‘Establish the Roman Catholic faith,’ was the answer. Then he sent messenger to the Sultan to ask: ‘If you come out victorious, what will you do with our religion?’ ‘By the side of every mosque shall stand a church, and every man shall be free to pray in whichever he chooses’. However, the defeat of John Hunyady at Varna in 1444 CE brought Servia once again under tribute and in 1459 CE she finally became an Ottoman province.
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5th July 2007, 20:12
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