A View on the Development of Spiritual Life in Bosnia Under the Influence of Ottoman Rule

On the Lack of Renaissance Literature of the European Type (From the Conquest in 1463 to 18th Century)

Abstract

The paper gives a view on the development of the spiritual life in Bosnia under the Ottoman rule with special emphasis on the consideration of the issue of guilt “for lack” of Renaissance literature of the European type in Bosnia from the Ottoman conquests in 1463 to the beginning of the 18th century. In the introductory part, the literary Renaissance is analysed as a cultural and civilizational dividing line in European literatures and the “revival” as a cultural and historical phenomenon that often happens in the history of literary tradition. The concept of the involvement of the Bosnian Muslim population in the so-called wave of Renaissance literature of the Ottoman type written in Oriental languages, and especially in 16th century, is introduced. While answering the open question why in Bosnia there was no European Renaissance literature, attention is drawn to the fact that all the material evidence point to the fact that in the mentioned period, from 1463 to the beginning of the 18th century, none of the confessional communities in Bosnia was simply interested in the Renaissance literature of European type, for the defense of their own spiritual viewpoint. Those were the inner reasons for the non-existence of Renaissance literature of the European type in Bosnian literary tradition in the mentioned period.