GORNJOTUZLANSKI PROTOKOL
THE GORNJA TUZLA PROTOCOL

Summary/Abstract: The Gornja Tuzla Protocol gives an accurate portrayal of Bosnia at a time when Ottoman authorities were coming under both international and domestic pressure and were consequently trying to meliorate the situation by introducing reforms and equality for all subjects, without hesitating to use force to that end. The Protocol introduces Gornja Tuzla on the eve of Tanzimat when the town became the seat of a mudirluk (an administrative unit) through the free electoral participation of all citizens of the town and the muhtars or heads of neighboring villages. The reforms met no resistance and were fully implemented. This stands in contrast to previous attempts of resistance by Bosnian notables with the aim of preserving their privileges and status quo before they were ruthlessly crushed by Omer-paša Latas. This was reflected in areas such as taxation, compulsory military service, employing reserve military corps to defend the homeland and in how administration and education functioned. War effort necessarily weakens local authorities, especially when it comes to maintaining an army, but as the Protocol shows, in this case the citizens of Gornja Tuzla supported the army by donating shoes and clothing and, even more importantly, by providing manpower, i.e. their own sons. Thus, the Protocol is a true embodiment of the co-existence of one of 44 mudirluks of a region in Bosnia.

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