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CONTRIBUTION
TO THE DEBATES ON THE ORIGIN OF |
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Osman
KARATAY |
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Bosnia was seized by Avars and Slavs from Byzantium at the end of the 6th century, and settled by Slavic masses. Avars ruled Bosnia through Avar or Bulgar origined governors appointed by the center. The Avar State collapsed at the end of the 8th century and its realm was shared between Bulgars and Franks, and to some degree Byzantium. Bosnia remained ownerless and foreign forces could not establish staying rule there. Feudals of Avar remnants called 'ban' and 'zhupan' were unified around the Bosnian banate, which had then a little terrain in today's Central Bosnia, and founded the Medieval 'Federal' Bosnian state. There are no clear accounts in the sources for the pre-mid-12th century. Thus, even statehood of Bosnia before the 12th century is discussed. In these circumstances, it is very difficult to determine origin of the royal Kotromanic dynasty. Sources tell us about a Bosnian dynasty, continuous and with deep roots, in contrary to the neighboring Serbian, Croatian and Montenegrin states. Historians almost totally agree on that this dynasty descends from a ban appointed by Avars to rule then Bosnia. But the word Kotroman could not be explained, and thus origin of the dynasty was discussed leading some theories like Germanic origin. The first part of this word is likely Kotur, a well-attested antroponym among Bulgar Turks, as well as name of a Bulgar tribe (singular Kotrag, plural Koturogur / Kutrigur). Those who invaded Bosnia in the name of the Avar khaganate were Kutrigurs, and they were told about as a people in Herzegovina even in the second half of the 15th century. Their names have been preserved in many toponyms in the region. The -man suffix in the name does not show any Germanic connection, rather it reinforces, as a suffix widely used in Turkish especially for ethnonyms, the possibility of Turkish origin of the Bosnian kings. |
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