Burmazi was an Albanian tribe which is attested in Herzegovina in the Middle Ages.
49-493: The name Burmazi is a compound of the Albanian words burr (man) + madh (big or great). The form Burmazi instead of Burmadhi signifies a retained characteristic from an older phase in the Albanian language before /z/ settled into the voiced dental fricative /ð/. The Burmazi are first mentioned in 1300 as a Vlach katun , that is a semi-nomadic community based on kinship ties that lived in non-permanent settlements, located in
98-585: A Western Balkans population descending from a mixture of Romanized pre-Slavic Romance -speaking peoples and the South Slavs. From the 14th century the ethnic meaning of term "Vlach" was replaced with societal meaning and often meant the Slavic population with similar lifestyle. They practiced transhumance as herdsmen, shepherds, farmers, and in time developed peculiar socio-political organizational units known as katuns . With their caravans, Vlach carried out much of
147-509: A result of the Bosnian War . Those living in the part of the village located in the municipality of Stolac are mainly Croats , with a minority of Bosniaks , while those living in the now uninhabited area in the municipality of Berkovići were Serbs . It is also presumed that the surnames Burmazović and Burmazević have their origin in this tribe. Vlachs in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina Vlachs in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina were
196-551: A small part of former Vlachs declares with this name. According to Noel Malcolm , today it makes no sense to claim that Bosnian Serbs are "actually" Vlachs because members of the Serbian Orthodox Church over time crossed the Drina and moved to Bosnia or moved north from Herzegovina, but not all people who settled northern Bosnia in the 15th and 16th century were Vlachs. There were too many arrivals and departures to determine what
245-1027: A surname, instead using patronymics, for example katunar Dragić Dobrilović from Boban katun or katunar s Klapac Stanković and Radosav Milićević from Maleševac katun . The Ottoman occupation conquered Vlach territories which caused migrations; Ragusan documents in 1386 recorded that some Vlach with their animals found shelter in Ston and Pelješac ( ...quod recipiantur in Stagno familie, pastores, animalia et carnesia Vlacorum et circum vicinorum propter eorum saluamentum terrore Teucrurum partes discurrentium ), in 1466 Korita, Banjani and Riđani east of Trebinje fell. In 1448 Ragusa again accepted in Ston and Pelješac "peasants and Vlachs of duke Stjepan, Radoje Nikolić and Vukašin Grgurević with families and herds, with leaders and shepherds", as well in 1463 (Vlachs and people from Popovo ). During
294-406: Is Zot , which means lord in Albanian. Geographer Jevto Dedijer who traveled in the village to study its history noted that this earlier form was inscribed in the village in older family monuments like a cross that bore the name of village elder Petar Zot . The Burmazi have left their name to the village of Burmazi , which is today divided between the municipalities of Stolac and Berkovići as
343-571: Is a lack of evidence and loose onomastic correlations cannot be used as generalized evidence of a certain linguistic and geographic origin of an individual. Vlachs are first mentioned in Bosnian documents in c. 1234 by ban Matej Ninoslav . Sources from 1361, 1385, 1399, 1406, 1407, 1408 and 1417 among others mention them in relation to Bosnian bans and kings. Vlachs in the Bosnian state of Tvrtko I were considered as military element. The relationship of Vlach katuns and feudal holdings can be traced from
392-568: Is a rural self-governing community in the Balkans , traditional of the living style of Albanians , Vlachs (in Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Montenegro and Serbia ), as well as some Slavic communities of hill people . Traditionally, a katun is based on strong kinship ties and the practice of a closed farming economy based on stockbreeding, constantly moving to find pasture. The community based its organizational, political and economic activities on
441-561: Is argued that some group of Vlachs in the 14th century migrated to Zagora and Cetina county in Croatia, followed by the sudden appearance of stećaks in the territory they lived. In 1436, Vlachs are mentioned living around the Cetina , with Croats and Serbs which were part of Count Ivan Frankopan’s estate. At a time of social unrest, the Vlachs often fled to the area of Ragusa or Kotor , served in
490-452: Is difficult to pinpoint one definition that would explain exact meaning throughout the history. Over time, katun became a synonym for a particular settlement. Medieval katun is neither a temporary nor permanent summer stână in Romanian, or băcia ( transl. habitat ), in a modern sense of these words. In the area of the medieval Bosnian state , the socio-political life of
539-573: Is the percentage of Vlach ancestors of Bosnian Serbs since the Vlachs did not only contribute to the growth of the Serbian population, Vlachs mostly in Croatia converted to the Catholic faith later becoming Croats, and many of them in Bosnia converted to Islam later becoming Bosniaks. Katun (community) The katun ( Albanian : Katun(d) ; Aromanian : Cãtun ; Romanian : Cătun ; Serbian : Катун )
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#1732870129729588-461: The Vlach population was organized in a specific way, which bear certain similarities with the organization among Vlachs across the neighboring Balkans areas and states. Various authors have suggested that katun is a word of Illyrian, Thracian, Uralo-Altaic, Proto-Bulgarian or some other origin. A katun consisted of a community of several families or households gathered around one leader who directed
637-545: The 12th century. The first mentions of katuns in medieval Bosnia dates back from the 14th century and are related to the Burmazi (1300), Banjani (1319), Drobnjaci (1354), Predojevići (1356), Mirilovići (1366), Zlokruha (1367), Žurovići (1367), Ugarci (1368), Vlahovići (1368), Tomići (1369), Vragovići (1376), Plijeske (1377), Prijeraci (1377), Kresojevići (1379), Perutinići (1386), Hrabreni (1388), Kutlovići (1393) and Maleševci (1397). Stefan Uroš II mentions Albanian katuns in
686-476: The 14th and 15th centuries. Usually it is described as "mountainous landscape with pastures where people lived temporarily with cattle and where they lived only during the summer in huts". However, this description is more in line with today's distinct form of nomadic pastoralism called transhumance , whereas in the medieval times it had socio-political dimension, and significance in social and state affairs. The katun has changed its physiognomy over time, so it
735-552: The 14th and 15th century and grew rich by trade of goods between Ragusa and the mines of Bosnia. Vlachs were surnamed Pliščić, Gleđević, Ugarac, Boban, Mirilović, Vragović, Kresojević, Nenković, Bančić, Pilatovac, Pocrnja, Drobnjak and Riđan . Some of the Banjani and Maleševac (Stanković) were Kosača's vassals. Vlachs surnamed Vlahović, Žurović, and Predojević, those belonging to the Pribač Nikolić pasture encampment, and some of
784-682: The 14th century. By 1382 they were under the jurisdiction of the Bosnian ruler, and later assigned to large landowners. The Vlachs and lords' relationships indicate that medieval Bosnia was not compact – some Vlach vassals of the ruler, like Gleđević clan for instance, were on considerable distance away from the royal lands. Some Vlach vassals, like Nenko Krajsalić or Radoslav Borojević, became vassals fairly late although Kosača ruled certain lands near eastern banks of Neretva river for fifteen years. Some Vlach vassals, like Maleš clan, were vassals in part to Pavlović and in part to Kosača family, although working on Kosača holdings. In 1382, Vukoslav Piščić
833-927: The 15th century they continuously found shelter in the territory of Ragusan Republic, as well Venetian Dalmatia and Bay of Kotor . In 1475–1477 in the nahija Počitelj eleven deserted villages (Gojanovići, Ričica , Kukrica, Opličiči , Plešivac, Svitava , Šanica , Kozica , Gornja Ljubinica, Skočim, Dretelj ) were recorded, which were held by the Vlachs. At the time many Vlachs (generally, and from Banjani, Maleševci, Bobani, Zubci in particular) collaborated with Ottomans as slave agents. They lived in small villages called katun whose chieftain were titled katunar . Around them they placed guards; guard stations were called varde or vardišta . They practiced transhumance as herdsmen and shepherds, and became agricultural when settled permanently. They exported livestock products; animal skin, wool, cheese, butter and dried meat. Other exports included honey and wood. The Vlach cheese
882-637: The Banjan and Maleševac Vlachs (surnamed Hrebeljanović, Milićiević and Milošević) were Pavlovlić's vassals. The Kutlović clan were vassals of the Nikolic's. The Primilović clan belonged to a larger group of Vlachs, for whom no data on lords were found. Other katun Vlachs were Boljun, Bukvić, Burmaz, Godun, Hardomilić, Horojević, Hrabren , Jurjević, Kersojević, Kićurić, Kujavić, Milobradačić, Perventinić, Pribinović, Rudinjan, Veseličić, Vitković, Vojnović, Vragović, Zotović. Vlachs often don't bear "tribe-katun" name as
931-473: The Bosnian lords and later by the Ottomans. These traits changed very little over the centuries. The emergence of the stećaks and their symbolism in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the scholars is often related to Vlach communities. Most significant stećak necropolis, Radimlja , was Vlachs' Miloradović 's family necropolis, which is declared National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina by KONS , and inscribed into
980-470: The List of UNESCO World Heritage as part of stećak nomination. Vlachs probably were bilingual (speaking a language close to Romanian and Slavic languages). Many personal names in the records, of which many are preserved, indicate their bilingualism. Initially Vlachs used an Ikavian accent and later I/jekavian accent (spreading it further), of Neo-Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian . Those who migrated to
1029-511: The Orthodox Church was more politically favored than Roman Catholic. The first Orthodox churches in Bosnia and Herzegovina were built in the 13th century on its eastern reaches. Before the arrival of the Ottomans, on the Bosnian proper the Orthodox Church had some presence as the Serbian Orthodox Church, limited exclusively to areas adjoined to the Kingdom of Bosnia by Tvrtko I 's conquests in
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#17328701297291078-735: The Ottomans they were permitted to plunder enemy territory, and became known as martolos or voynuk . Their military activity earned them special tax privileges. In the late 15th century at least 35,000 Vlachs lived in Herzegovina, while in the 16th century 82,692 Vlach households lived in the Smederevo region in Serbia. Within the territories ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Vlach groups moved from southeastern Bosnia (Pavlović area) to central regions of Tešanj and Žepče, also they spread northwest and north of
1127-601: The Republika Srpska of modern Bosnia is of Vlach origin, as well as the majority of the population from Bosnia and Herzegovina in general"–this also applies to the entire Western Balkans as a mixture of Slavic and indigenous population–but also states that "there are none direct sources to support Vlach colonization of these lands." Serbian Orthodox Church have a decisive role in the process of national identification of Vlachs in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina who became Serbs while Catholic Vlachs became Croats. Today only
1176-583: The Sava towards the future Bosanska Krajina . Living on the border of Habsburg Empire they relocated if the social situation was better on the other part of the border. There they received also a special social-military system. Before 1516, Vlachs settled nahia Vrbanja , Prusac , Glamoč and Kupres . In 1527 Ferdinand I freed them from feudal obligations, shared booty with them, gave them their own captains ( vojvoda s) and magistrates ( knez es), and freed them to practice Orthodox Christianity. It eventually led to
1225-638: The Vlachs preceded both Ottoman Turks and Bosnian Slavs in Zachlumia , but by now it is certain that they emerged only as a medieval symbiosis of both autochthonous and Slavic peoples. Hrabak and Dominik Mandić argued that some Vlachs from Herzegovina migrated there from Thessaly , Epirus and Macedonia before the Ottoman invasion into Southern Europe, but although probably happened some waves of small migrations from there and Albania to Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, for such theorization there
1274-511: The West during Ottoman invasion spoke what are now labeled Eastern Herzegovinian and Bosnian–Dalmatian subdialects. LZMK linguist Nataša Bašić argued that the Vlachs were creators of New-Shtokavian dialect with reduced number of cases in declination, with New-Shtokavian accent, with the loss of the phoneme / H /, with diphthongization old jat and other modifications characteristic for foreigners, especially for Romans . Ćiro Truhelka argued that
1323-547: The area around Stolac and Trebinje . In the archives of Ragusa they are grouped together in terms of social and economic organization with the also pastoral Vlachs whose name figured as inclusive of all semi-nomadic pastoralists in the area, but recorded as Albanians otherwise. By 1343 they had elevated in social status and began to appear in Ragusan documents also as traders between the hinterlands of Herzegovina and Ragusa. Over time they were Slavicized . This process started in
1372-458: The decisions of a council of elders or a senior member appointed as its leader. The Albanian communities strictly followed the Kanun , their traditional customary law that has directed all the aspects of their kinship-based society . This form of association of people resulted from the absence of strong central government. Particularly autonomous katuns are observed in documents from the second half of
1421-632: The defter of the Sanjak of Herzegovina from 1470, Burmazi appears as distinct nahiye of 40 settlements. The Ottoman conquest of Herzegovina saw a threefold demographic change in Burmazi. A part of the people converted to Islam and started to move in the newly formed Ottoman urban centres of Bosnia . A larger part left the area and settled in the Dalmatian Hinterland in Šibenik and the village of Ogorje in Muć , in
1470-487: The end of the 15th century the territory was called Donji Vlasi (Lower Vlachs). The Gornji Vlasi (Upper Vlachs) were only mentioned by Mavro Orbini . The 1376 and 1454 documents by Republic of Ragusa about trade with Bosnian lands mention Vlachi et Bosgnani . In the 1418 document by Grgur Nikolić , Vlachs, Serbs and Ragusians are clearly distinguished. In the 14th century documents, they were treated as shepherds from mountains that separate Croatia and Bosnia. It
1519-1087: The evasion of the writing and spelling letter /H/ in Serbian language until Karadžić 's reform is due to Vlachs influence as it is a Romance language characteristic. Truhelka noted many preserved non-Slavic family surnames in Bosnia and Herzegovina of Vlach origin, which are often Slavicized by suffixes ić , ović and ević , with most notable being; Banjan, Balac, Bilbija, Boban, Bokan, Banduka, Bencun, Belen, Bender, Besara, Bovan, Čokorilo, Darda, Doman, Drečo, Đerman, Gac, Gala, Jarakula, Kalin, Kešelj, Keser, Kočo, Kalaba, Kokoruš, Kosor, Lopar, Macura, Mataruga, Pađen, Palavestra, Punja, Riđan, Šola, Šolaja, Šabat, Šurla, Šatra, Škipina, Špira, Tubin, Taor, Tintor, as well as Kecman, Šikman, Toroman, Šuman, Karan, Šurlan, Servan, etc. Pope Gregory XI in 1372 letter for Franciscans in Bosnia ordered them to convert Vlachs who live in tents and pastures ( Wlachorum... quorum nonnulli in pascuis et tentoriis habitant ). Their religion depended upon social and political events. During Ottoman occupation
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1568-539: The example of katuns , organized filurîci eflakan (Vlach filurîci) according to "Vlach model" in Smederevo , Vidin and Braničevo . From them was collected taxes baduhava eflakan , or rusum eflak , mostly in the form of sheep or goats, as well gold currency. In the defters of the 1470s and 1480s in Central and North-Central Bosnia, around Visoko and Maglaj , roughly 800 Vlachs arrived accompanied by two Orthodox priests. With war and plagues, and as Catholics fled,
1617-846: The island of Korčula , especially in Vela Luka , in the village of Blata , in Makarska and in Kaštel in Istria . A later third wave of emigration occurred towards Serbia in the area of Vrnjacka Banja . The brotherhoods of Burmazi also included the Zotovići, the Milkovići and the Gledjevići , who since the late 14th century formed their own branch and gradually became one of the urban families of Ragusa with estates around Trebinje . The earlier, non-Slavic form of Zotović
1666-573: The katun into new territories, or the first step towards building more permanent settlements, most often villages. The shape and scope of the katuns varied, and their warrior companies were important. These companies used to serve under local Slavic noblemen , who often bore the title of voivode . They sometimes served under foreign militaries, such as the Venetians and the Ottomans . In the end, some katuns managed to expand into larger territories, where there
1715-684: The lands to the east across the Drina River , traditionally under Serbian suzerainty. In the area of eastern Hum, today Eastern Herzegovina, there was Eparchy of Zachlumia and the Littoral and it held a much prominent role prior to 1250's when it relocated from Ston to the valley of river Lim . In the 16th century, although Ottoman law prohibited building of new churches, several Orthodox monasteries were built, notably in Tavna , Lomnica , Paprača , Ozren and Gostović, while Rmanj Monastery in northwestern Bosnia
1764-647: The late 14th century when they gradually moved from being bilingual in Albanian and Slavic to monolingual in Slavic only. This is reflected also in their anthroponymy as personal names like Burmaz started to be used in their Slavic translation, Velislav . By the early 15th century they began to settle permanently in the area of the modern village Burmazi and were further concentrated in Ljubomir and Domaševo in Trebinje. The village of Arbanaška has also been linked to them. In
1813-561: The military of Ragusa during the Ottoman threat, and when most of Herzegovina was occupied by the Ottomans by 1472, once again fled to Ragusan territory. Some data of historic documents show that a part of Vlachs belonged to Bosnian Church , and they largely contributed to the spread of this church. According to Sima Ćirković , ethnicities which appear in the medieval texts from Bosnia include names such as "Bošnjanin", "Vlach", "Latinin" and "Serb". Ottomans in Bosnia and Herzegovina , following
1862-917: The needs of the church hierarchy such as Žitomislić by the Neretva , Tvrdoš near Trebinje , Nikoljac (in Bijelo Polje ), the Holy Trinity in Pljevlja and Piva . The example of Herzegovina reveals that the immigrant Vlach herdsmen had more economic power and they were more religious than their predecessors who lived there under Christian lords. With time the Slavicized Vlachs who were of Orthodox faith were eventually Serbianized , and those of Roman Catholic faith were Croatized , while others who embraced Islam became Muslims and later (modern days) Bosniaks . Ilona Czamańska claims that "The majority of Serbs from
1911-670: The organisation of the Military Frontier , and the decree Statuta Valachorum by Ferdinand II . It resulted in a situation almost looking like Vlachs fighting against Vlachs. In southeastern Hum (later southeastern Herzegovina) between 1393–1437 many Vlach katuns emerged. The primary lords of the Herzegovinian Vlachs were Bosnian Slavic noble families, the Kosača , Pavlović , Sanković and Nikolić . The Vlachs from Herzegovina sometime plundered lands of Republic of Ragusa in
1960-415: The organizational, political and economic goals of his group. The main occupation in the katun was always cattle breeding, almost exclusively sheep and to some extent goats, so the community used to be quite mobile. Earlier, nomadic pastoralism was characterized with the construction of temporary camps under tents. Erection of tents in the 14th and 15th centuries could be interpreted as the gradual expansion of
2009-512: The region of Drenica between 1246-1255. Albanian and Vlach katuns are mentioned as being gifted to the Visoki Dečani monastery in 1330, and in Stefan Dušan's chrystobull of 1348 a total of 9 Albanian katuns are mentioned around the vicinity Prizren . The elder was chosen from a family that stood out for his wealth and war reputation, and oftentimes, but not always, he would be able to pass
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2058-505: The repopulation of Bosnia from Herzegovina and Serbia was of high interest for the Ottomans for their military activities. Benedikt Kuripečič in the 16th century noted that Bosnia is inhabited by three peoples; (Muslim) Turks, (Catholic) Bosnians and (Orthodox) Serbs "who call themselves Vlachs... They came from Smederevo and Belgrade". According to Noel Malcolm in these migrations also participated Serbs and Herzegovinians who were not Vlachs. Since Vlachs weren't paid for military activity by
2107-414: The resulting groups being called "municipalities". Such groups (municipalities and katuns) could encompass a large number of villages and hamlets, and numerous population of different ethnic and/or cultural background. The earliest news about Vlach katuns can be found in the sources of Byzantine provenance , in the letters of Patriarch Nicholas to Emperor Alexius I Comnenus , at the very beginning of
2156-402: The seniority to his descendants. He would govern the community during a movement or war, and would maintain close relation with other elders and representatives of other families. As the katun grew and organizationally developed, warrior petty nobility multiplied, and in feudal organisation would take a title of knez , who would often rule over 40 or 50 individual villages. Family ties among
2205-425: The traffic between Bosnian inland and coastal cities such as Dubrovnik . They also had close contacts and militarily served various Bosnian noble families and kings. In older scholarship, Marko Vego argued that Vlach autochthony, because some Vlach settlements named after Vlach tribes, like of Vojnići and Hardomilje , are found near Roman forts and monuments, while Bogumil Hrabak supported Vego's assertion that
2254-535: Was a lack of influence from the regional or central government and social relations. In the second half of the 14th and 15th centuries, some of these katuns built permanent villages, outside or in the župas themselves. They inhabited Church estates and city districts and townships , which were already subordinated to a city municipality or to local lords. By settling themselves, those katuns brought some elements of self-governance and gathered more scattered villages around them. Other, usually smaller, katuns joined them,
2303-525: Was first mentioned in 1515. According to Noel Malcolm, although Orthodox believers were underprivileged and often ill-treated under Ottoman regime the Orthodox Church was, however, much favored, especially compared to the Roman Catholic church. A significant proportion of the Orthodox churches and monasteries in present-day Herzegovina were only built under Ottoman rule. Several larger monasteries were built for
2352-533: Was named as knez of all Vlachs by King Tvrtko I of Bosnia . As the earliest noble landowners in Hum (later Herzegovina), with katun Tomić, they were assigned to the Sanković noble family. In 1409, when Tvrtko I conquered parts of Rascia and Zeta , Vlachs were inhabiting some 100 katuns . They were mentioned as "Vlachorum congregationes et cetus". In the area around Stolac and Žabljak there were so many Vlachs that at
2401-404: Was reputable because of fat, and in 1325 sold one libra for 10 folars compared to other cheese that sold for 8 folars . In 1420 Vlach cheese was sold for 15 folars . With their caravans, led by kramar , mostly composed of horses numbering between 10–100, they conducted a large part of the trade between inland and coastal cities. Their military tradition and mobile lifestyle was used by
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