Administrative and legal status of the town of Srebrenica in the middle ages
Administrative and legal status of the town of Srebrenica in the middle ages

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the organisational structure of the mediaeval Bosnian ‘land’ of Podrinje, as well as the position and role of the ‘region’ of Osat as the integral part of the land in question. Of course, the central role in this paper will be given to the most important administrative and economic center of the given region – the town of Srebrenica. In the historical documents Srebrenica is mentioned for the first time on 16 August 1352. This town represents an important economic center in the life of the mediaeval Bosnian state. In this town, as an important mining and trading center, an important colony of Dubrovnik was developed.. However, due to the weakening of the Bosnian state in the early 15th century and occasional separation from the parent country, economic stagnation and significant demographic changes ensued. This state of affairs lasted until the beginning of the Ottoman rule when, due to stable political circumstances, economic expansion of the town of Srebrenica started. Srebrenica was, of course, a very important administrative regional center of the mediaeval Bosnian state. In the beginning, it belonged to the District of Osat, but later on, Srebrenica, as an autonomous late mediaeval district, became independent. The above-mentioned area of Srebrenica and Osat is located in the Bosnian region of Podrinje (Trebotica). In the complex structure of the feudal organisation of the mediaeval Bosnia, the territory in question was under the patronage of the Duke of Usora. Nevertheless, the specific quality of Srebrenica can also be seen in the significant ruling scope in the given area.

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