History Class: King Tvrtko I Kotromanic

KING TVRTKO I KOTROMANI? – THE MOST POWERFUL BOSNIAN RULER

The crowning of Tvrtko I took place on October 26, 1377 in Mile, near Visoko, and this is how the independent Kingdom of Bosnia was established 

In the long and rich history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is a special place for the period from the second half of the 14th century to the second half of the 15th century, when Tvrtko I Kotromani? made the Banovina of Bosnia the strongest kingdom of that time in the Balkans. The Kingdom of Bosnia was established 642 years ago, when Tvrtko I was crowned. From being a boy with the title of a Ban, he became the first and most influential Bosnian king.

The crowning of Tvrtko I took place on October 26, 1377 in Mile, near Visoko, and this is how the independent Kingdom of Bosnia was established, and Tvrtko I Kotromani? became the king of Bosnia, the Serbs, Primorje (the Coast) and Zapadne Strane (the West Sides). In the beginning, Tvrtko had a lot of problems with settling the relations between the Bosnian aristocracy, and outside forces constantly tried to use his youth to their advantage in their conquests of Bosnia. However, despite his age, at the beginning of his rule, Tvrtko I already showed great wisdom, which later meant that he had a great reputation in medieval Europe. Soon after Tvrtko’s reign began, the Hungarian king sent two armies to Bosnia, but he did not manage to conquer it, as the Bosnian king was determined and did not give up easily, knowing what he wanted from the beginning.

King Tvrtko I was special also because he was the first ruler of Bosnia who went on a counterattack to neighboring countries, after being the target of their attacks for years. In his conquests, Tvrtko I was more than successful. He finalized his conquest of Montenegro by taking over territory all the way to Kotor, and then he turned towards Serbia and made it to Sjenica and today’s Sandžak, when he was characterized as the king of Serbia, Bosnia, Primorje, Humska Zemlja, Donji Kraj, Zapadne Strane, Usora and Podrinje. Tvrtko also took over titles from the Serbian throne and allocated them to Bosnian aristocrats. Even though he became the ruler of Serbian territory, the Serbian church never recognized this.

GREAT RULER AND LEADER

The fact that Tvrtko was a great ruler and leader is confirmed by data that shows that the Kingdom of Bosnia became a significant factor in international relations, and his palace became a place of diplomatic activity of countries whose officials had to consider Bosnia as a serious participant of the events of that time. Bosnian king Tvrtko I had an internationally recognized reputation.

Tvrtko I also contributed to political stability, and there was significant cultural and spiritual progress, which made Bosnia the most powerful South Slavic country, and Tvrtko the greatest ruler in the history of medieval Bosnia, and even later. During Tvrtko’s rule, Bosnian cities developed and trade and mining flourished, and economic power is best reflected in the fact that the gold coin was four times bigger than the gold coin of the Ottoman Empire. The 24-carat gold coin was four centimeters wide and weighed 16 grams. The heraldic symbol of lilies that would become the symbol of Bosnian kings first appeared on those coins, while the next appearance of gold coins in Bosnia would happen during the rule of Stjepan Tomaš.

Towards the end of Tvrtko’s rule, the first Ottoman soldiers appeared at the borders, and within Bosnia. In 1389, when sultan Murat I decided to undertake a large military conquest of Bosnia, the Bosnian army was led by Vlatko Vukovi? at Kosovo Polje. This is how, in the manner of a great statesman, which he truly was, Tvrtko stood in defense of his country, which was under attack from great Ottoman forces in the Balkans. 

Tvrtko had win after win, which put pressure on Dalmatia as well, so in 1390, the following cities surrendered to him: Split, Trogir, Šibenik and the islands of Bra?, Hvar and Kor?ula. His intitulation meant that he was the king of Raška, Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia and Primorje. He died suddenly on March 10, 1391, leaving behind the kind of Bosnia he always dreamed of, great and independent. He was succeeded by his cousin, Stjepan Dabiša.

Tvrtko I Kotromani? was a significant figure in the history of Bosnia. As a ruler, he left a lasting impact on the region, shaping its political landscape and cultural identity. Explore the life and reign of Tvrtko I, and delve into the rich history of Bosnia under his rule. King Tvrtko is one of the most important historical figures for Bosnia and Herzegovina and a confirmation of its state continuity and sovereignty During Tvrtko I Kotromanic’s reign, the Kingdom of Bosnia enjoyed its greatest period.

During Tvrtko I’s reign, political stability was achieved, and significant cultural and spiritual development, which made Bosnia the strongest of the South Slavic countries, and Tvrtko I the greatest ruler in the history of Medieval Bosnia.During his reign, the first gold coins in the South Slavic region of Europe were minted. On this currency, the first heraldic symbol of the lily was shown, which became the symbol of the Bosnian kings.