Whose company is I Kotromanić? The unveiling of the monument in Sarajevo ignited a largely senseless debate from a genre that is so common in the area of the former Yugoslavia.
The monument that was unveiled this week in front of the BiH Presidency building in Sarajevo reads: "Bosnian King Tvrtko I Kotromanić 1338-1391."
Mayor Benjamina Karić says she fulfilled her promise - the monument to one of the most important Bosnian rulers was erected on the 834th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of Kulina Ban.
"Symbolism is more important than the ceremony," said the mayor, explaining that the monument was installed the night before this anniversary "so as not to interfere with traffic and citizens' activities."
"With dignity and courage, on today's date, when we celebrate the 834th anniversary of the Charter of Ban Kulin, one of the most important documents of Bosnian statehood and diplomacy, this monument is a gift from the City of Sarajevo to the citizens of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina," concluded Karić.
Banjaluka also wants Tvrtko
Judging by the reactions of the mayor Draško Stanivuković, Banjaluka is angry because of the "injustice committed by Sarajevo".
In a post on social networks, Stanivuković says that the mayor of Sarajevo "appropriated the medieval Serbian ruler Tvrtko I Kotromanić".
This, he says, was a gross rewriting of history. "Tvrtko I Kotromanić was a Christian ruler, with the official title of king of the Serbs of Bosnia, the Primorje and the West Side, crowned according to the Nemanjić rite in the Mileševa monastery," says the mayor of Banja Luka.
Users of social networks immediately noticed that even Stanivuković did not mention the title of the Bosnian king correctly. They object to him for omitting the hyphen between "Serbs (and) Bosnia", which changes the meaning of the title.
In the original documents, such as Tvrtko's charter to Dubrovnik from 1378, it is written that he is "the king of Serbia and Bosnia and the Maritimes and the West."
Who is reducing Tvrtko Bosnia?
Statements by politicians followed, showing that the discussion about Tvrtek I Kotromanić is a reflection of the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where historical facts are ignored or selectively promoted.
Željka Cvijanović, a member of the BiH Presidency, said that she has nothing against the monument of the "Serbian" king Tvrtko I Kotromanić being across the street from her office in the Presidency, but that she is against "manipulating history".
President of the RS Milorad Dodik emphasizes Tvrtko's affiliation with the Nemanjić lineage and that "according to that, he was enthroned in the Mileševa monastery". "Bosnia was then part of a term that refers to a much smaller territory than Bosnia and Herzegovina today," said Dodik.
What do historians say?
"It is unfortunate that the monument to the Bosnian king Tvrtek has become the object of manipulation," says historian Husnija Kamberović. He reminds that Tvrtko's Bosnia was a bigger and more stable country than BiH today, that Tvrtko was the Bosnian king and Bosnia was a feudal state.
"It is completely inappropriate to impose contemporary national identities on rulers in the 14th century. It is an absolutely ahistorical approach," Kamberović told DW.
He concludes that politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina show by their attitude towards the monument that "they would prefer to return Bosnia to the Middle Ages, because they are bothered by modern states where everyone is equal before the law".
Neither Serbian, nor Croatian, but - Bosnian!
It is indisputable that Tvrko I Kotromanić was a Bosnian ruler who had family ties with the Serbian Nemanjić dynasty, but also with the Croatian noble family Šubić.
One of the most important Serbian historians, Sima Ćirković, writes about this in the book "History of the Medieval Bosnian State". "The company belonged to the Bosnian Kotromanić family, which was already considered to have ruled Bosnia since its existence," Ćirković writes.
It seems superfluous to discuss any "affiliation" of the Company, because the directions of its activities, more than ethnic and religious affiliation, were determined by political motives characteristic of the rulers of the Middle Ages - the expansion of power and influence.
Tvrtko also crowned himself as the "King of the Serbs" because the Serbian lands, after the fall of the Serbian Empire, were left without a ruler. This confirms Tvrtko's pragmatism - he had family ties with Nemanjići, which he took advantage of.
In Mili or Milesevo?
In today's characterization of King Tvrtko, another unknown from his life is used - the place of coronation.
While Serbian historiography insists that he was crowned in the Mileševa monastery in Raška, other research says that he was actually crowned in Mile near Visoko. One of the most deserving researchers for the development of this thesis was the Bosnian archaeologist Pavao Anđelić.
Users of social networks noticed another detail, a kind of Bosnian paradox - that the former Christian royal symbols "lilies" are now more acceptable to Muslims than to Christians in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That is why they asked Draško Stanivuković - will he place the king's coat of arms with lilies along with the Tvrtko monument in Banja Luka?
If he does that, the Banja Luka mayor might risk a criminal charge for "causing national intolerance or offending on a national basis."
This is the wording that prosecutors in the Republic of Srpska often use when filing criminal charges for displaying the national flag with a shield and golden lilies under which the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted to the United Nations.
Tvrtko - the biggest personality in the history of Bosnia?
Bosnian diplomat Slobodan Šoja also answered the question from the beginning of this text - who is Tvrtko I Kotromanić and whose is it. He wrote on Facebook that King Tvrtko I Kotromanić is "the greatest personality in the history of Bosnia".
"During his reign, he managed to unite the entire country and channel the people's energy in the same direction. (...) In addition to wisdom, strength, courage and skill, he was also very lucky, because the Bosnian neighborhood at the time of Tvrtko's breakneck ascent was going through difficult moments that he took advantage of perfectly. That is why Bosnia was a miracle of that time," writes Šoja.
He condemns today's politicians who determine "which constitutive nation Tvrtko belonged to". "And he simply belonged to the universal geniuses who are rarely born. "Tvrtko is too big to be classified in some small groups," adds Shoja.
A shared past
Film director and director of the Bosnian Cultural Center Jasmin Duraković also believes that it is pointless to classify the company into ethnic groups.
He told DW that the ruler belongs to the "common collective past of the country". "He was a factor in uniting people living in Bosnia and the entire Balkans, but it seems that there are many who do not want integration social stories, but still insist on exclusive national concepts," says Duraković.
Stefan (Stjepan) Tvrtko I Kotromanić already became a Bosnian ban at the age of 15. History will also remember him for the fact that he calmed down the rebellion of the local nobility, but also arranged relations with the Hungarian rulers.
As the Bosnian king, he greatly expanded the territory of medieval Bosnia, which at the height of its power included many areas that today belong to Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Historians say that "political stability" and "significant cultural and spiritual progress" were achieved during his reign, which makes him one of the most important rulers of Bosnia.
Bonus video:
