Myths about “Serbian Bosnia”

I often debate on forums, and so I see which theses are constantly repeated whenever the story of Serbian Bosnia is brought up. Below are the most common patterns, and my counterarguments.

Porphyrogenite (10th century)

Constantine Porphyrogenitus is quoted:

“That in the baptized Serblia there are inhabited castles… and in the village of Vosona, Katera and Asavich.”

The key thing that is being deliberately ignored is the suggestions:

ἐν τῇ (en tē) = u, unotar
εἰς τὸ (eis to) = prema, ka, do

Porphyrogenite says:

“in Christian Serbia” are these and those cities
“toward the land of Bosnia” are Katera and Asavih

If Bosnia was part of Serbia, he would use the same proposal.

Since “εἰς τὸ” means “to” or “towards”, this means that the cities he lists Κάτερα and Ἀσαβῆχ are Serbian, and located near Bosnia and not in Bosnia.

This is logical, because we are neighbors. If Bosnia was “inside”, he would use the same suggestion as for Serbia.

1. Kinam (12th century)

The Byzantine chronicler Kinam writes:

“Bosna is subject to the Archzupan of Serbia, but it is a neighboring nation to the Serbs.”

“Bosnia is not subordinated to the Archbishop of Serbia, but the people are neighbors to the Serbs.”

Your neighbor cannot be who you are.

Drina is the border – Kinam writes as a contemporary and an eyewitness.

👉 Conclusion:

Bosnians = a special people, neighbor to Serbs, not the same.

1. Chronicle of Pop Dukljanin

“And Surbia, which is also called Transmontana, he divided into two provinces: one from the great river Drina on the western side as far as Mount Pini, which he also called Bosna; the other, on the other hand, from the same river Drina on the western side as far as Lupia and Lab, which he called Rassa.”

First of all, Surbiam is a strange name, it does not appear anywhere else.

But if Dukljanin is proof that Bosnia is Serbia, then he is the same proof that all of Montenegro and half of Albania (up to Durres) is Red Croatia, which makes no sense.

“from the place of Dalma… to the city of Bambalona, ​​which is now called Dyrrachium, he called Red Croatia…”

Translation:

“from the town of Dalma all the way to the town of Bambalona, ​​which is now called Durrës, he called Red Croatia…”

Second, he himself writes that he is "Surbiam" just a name for the mountains (Transmontana / Zagorje).

For him, it is a geographical term, not an ethnic one.

He calls the people who live there Sclavi (Slavics), not Serbs.

According to Dukljan, Surbiam are mountains (Transmontana), Sclavi is a people, and Bosnia and Raška are countries in those mountains.

​Thirdly, Dukljanin did not write the history of the people, but drew the borders as it suited the archbishopric in Bar to gain power over the churches.

1. Papal bulls

The quote is used:

“the kingdom of Servilia, which is Bosna”

This translates as:

“Kingdom of Serbia, what is Bosnia”

Problem:

Serbia was never called Servillie in the papal bulls. In the Latin sources of that time, she is Servia, and later Rascia (Raška).

The form Servillia (from Latin servilis – servile, subordinate) is a pejorative administrative term for wider areas under Byzantine rule (servants of Byzantium).

In 1120, the Pope uses this outdated term and immediately specifies it with “quod est Bosna” in order to know which country it is actually about – Bosnia, which was already a separate political entity at that time.

1. Ban Matej Ninoslav (1235) – “Serbs are the people of Bosnia and Vlachs are from Dubrovnik”

It is quoted:

“If a Serb believes a Vlach… if a Vlach believes a Serb… and to another Vlach and another Serb, let there be no ism.”

Problem: This is NOT about “us” Serbs

deny it "that Serb" i "that Vlach".

Serbs and Vlachs are: 👉 a third party that trades in Bosnia

For his subjects, Ninoslav clearly says:

“if one of my people commits a crime to stand before me…”

It means:

His people are his people

Serbs and Vlachs are “They”

1. Charter of Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić from 1333

Stjepan called his language Serbian?

Quote from the charter.

Therefore, I, Mr. Ban Stefan, put my golden seal, that it is believed – everyone should know the truth. And there are four charters the same: two Latin and two Serbian

Problem:

In all the original charters of Stjepan II Kotromanić, there are them "7" he always signs himself as “Stipan”.

Apart from this charter from 1333, here Stipan suddenly becomes “Stefan”.?

Also all other names for the other Stjepans are always written "Stipan" all the way to Tvrtko I Kotromanić.

It is obvious that the copyists in the Dubrovnik office, making copies for their own needs, “scraped” the name and added the quote about “2 Latins and 2 Serbs” for their own use.

The original certainly didn’t say Stefan, and there aren’t even those famous golden seals that are mentioned in that dubious copy.

1. The crown of the company – “The company was only a Serbian king”?

Problem:

The company had:

Serbian crown (as king of Serbia through grandmother Jelisaveta)

i

Bosnian crown (as King of Bosnia through Kotromanić)

This is clearly visible on the seal:

👉 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pecat_kralja_Tvrtka_I.jpg

Lilies are not a symbol of Nemanjić

The lily is the Bosnian national symbol

Serbian lilies appear only in the 19th century – a pure plagiarism of Bosnian heraldry