Visoko during the Middle Ages
Encyclopedia
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
excavations proved that the Visoko Valley was the center of a medieval Bosnian state and later kingdom. Many royal charters were written in Visoko
Visoko
Visoko is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina of rich historical heritage. It was an early centre of the Bosnian medieval state, and the site where the first Bosnian king Tvrtko I was crowned. Located between Zenica and Sarajevo, Visoko lies on the Bosna river where the...
and surrounding locations. Visoko Valley, as it is called today, included old royal town Visoki, its trade center Podvisoki, Mile, coronation and burial place for Bosnian ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
s and king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s, and area of Moštre, where Bosnian Church
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
institutions were located, including a university.
Visoko valley
Visoki
The royal town of Visoki was a town and fortress which existed during the time of the medieval Bosnian state. The first mention of the town happened on 1 September 1355, but it is believed to have been built even earlier. It was used by Bosnian bans and kings as a ruler's residence from which several official charters were written to other states. It was also defensively fortified, as the fortress had a trenchTrench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
and many tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
s of varying sizes. Visoki was first mentioned in a charter written in the royal town of Visoki, and was named in castro nosto Visoka vocatum. The charter was written by a young ban, Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Stjepan Tvrtko I was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King....
, who later became king in 1377 by his coronation in Mile. Several other rulers and nobles wrote charters in Visoki, including King Stephen Ostoja of Bosnia and Tvrtko Borovinić, who would be the last to write of the old town of Visoki in 1436 in the document on Visoki.
Visocica
Visočica Visočica Visočica (also known as Brdo Grad (Bosnian: Hill Town) is a hill in Bosnia and Herzegovina famous as the site of the Old town of Visoki as well the recent claim that it is one of the Bosnian pyramids....
hill, at a height of 766 meters, and 300 meters above the valley where the modern town of Visoko
Visoko
Visoko is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina of rich historical heritage. It was an early centre of the Bosnian medieval state, and the site where the first Bosnian king Tvrtko I was crowned. Located between Zenica and Sarajevo, Visoko lies on the Bosna river where the...
is located. By the time of the Turkish conquest
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
of Bosnia, the old town was probably destroyed and never reconstructed. Few remnants of old Visoki remain, most being preserved in the town's museum. In situ evidence include the remains of foundations of the towers, walls and gates of Visoki. A model has been reconstructed according to plans of Đoko Mazalić made in 1953. The old royal town of Visoki is a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. Today, beginning from 2007 its ruins are being slowly excavated so the town is becoming visible more and more.
Podvisoki
Podvisoki (English: Subvisoki) is a modern settlement in Visoko and was once a medieval subtown of the royal town. It was an important tradeTrade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
center and sometimes a ruler's residence. Podvisoki was one of the earliest examples of the medieval urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
environments in Bosnia. In Podvisoki, a colony of Dubrovnik's merchants developed and maintained historically good relations with the Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
. The terms Bosnia and Subvisochi (Podvisoki) are often mentioned in Ragusan charters and documents. Biggest caravan shipment in medieval Bosnia happened in 1428 between Podvisoki and Dubrovnik. Often, term Bosnia would be identified with Podvisoki, which was one of most important trade centres in country and located in core of Bosnian state.
Mile
Mile was first recorded in 1244 as the home of the Church of Ss. Kuzme and DamjanSaints Cosmas and Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian were twin brothers, physicians, and early Christian martyrs born in Cilicia, part of today's Turkey. They practiced their profession in the seaport of Ayas, Adana, then in the Roman province of Syria...
, a possession of the Bosnian bishopric. Around 1340, a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
vicarage was established in Mile, the Franciscan monastery in the town being the first in Bosnia. The monastery is located by the modern settlement of Arnautovići on the right bank of the river Bosna. Mile was the coronation and burial place of Bosnian bans and kings during the medieval Bosnian state and was also the site where the assembly of Velikog rusaga bosanskog (Big Bosnian Rusag-kingdom) was held. The first king of Bosnia, Tvrtko I Kotromanić, was crowned in Mile, and later buried there alongside his uncle Stjepan II Kotromanić. An archive with important documents was also located in Mile.
Visoko
Visoko
Visoko is a city and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina of rich historical heritage. It was an early centre of the Bosnian medieval state, and the site where the first Bosnian king Tvrtko I was crowned. Located between Zenica and Sarajevo, Visoko lies on the Bosna river where the...
's museum houses many artifacts founded by archeological excavations in the valley. One such expedition found a necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
of stećak, some made in fine detail, including many materials, jewellery, tools, and other artifacts.
Moštre
Medieval university
Medieval university is an institution of higher learning which was established during High Middle Ages period and is a corporation.The first institutions generally considered to be universities were established in Italy, France, and England in the late 11th and the 12th centuries for the study of...
in the Visoko area, referred to as the place called Bosnia by the Vatican archives. The university at Moštre was first mentioned in 1175 as a high academy of Bosnian religious organization (see Bosnian Church
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
). The university was known for its scholarship in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, cosmogony
Cosmogony
Cosmogony, or cosmogeny, is any scientific theory concerning the coming into existence or origin of the universe, or about how reality came to be. The word comes from the Greek κοσμογονία , from κόσμος "cosmos, the world", and the root of γίνομαι / γέγονα "to be born, come about"...
, and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
. There are four documents that directly or indirectly point to the existence of the high academy in the Visoko Area.
In addition to its university, Moštre was the location of Bosnian church
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
institutions including the house of krstjani. Also, Moštre was a place where charters were sometimes written; for example, in 1323, when ban Stjepan published his charter to Duke Vukoslav, and later in 1381, when king Tvrtko I Kotromanić issued a charter to Hrvoje Vukčić
Hrvoje Vukcic
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić was a Ban of Croatia, Grand Duke of Bosnia and a Herzog of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Croatian noble House of Hrvatinić and the strongest of the three main large feudalists of early feudal medieval Bosnia...
.
Other locations
In Biskupići, a plate of Kulin Ban dating from 1193 was found alongside remains of his church, grave, and foundations of buildings from that period. Other notable medieval settlements in the vicinity included Sebinje town, Čajan town in Gračanica—which protected the roads between Visoko and BobovacBobovac
Bobovac is a fortified city of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located near today's Vareš.The city was built during the reign of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and was first mentioned in a document dating from 1349...
—and the town of Bedem i Goduša.
See also
- Middle agesMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
- Historic documents written in VisokiHistoric documents written in VisokiThe primary function of old town Visoki was defense, but it was also a place where a lot of medieval Bosnian rulers wrote various documents and charters...
- History of Bosnia and HerzegovinaHistory of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Pre-Slavic Period :Bosnia has been inhabited at least since Neolithic times. In the late Bronze Age, the Neolithic population was replaced by more warlike Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th and 3rd century BCE displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former...
- Medieval Bosnian state
- Bosnian rulers
- Bosna (region)