Jajce Since Its Fall Under the Turks Until the End of the 16th Century

Abstract

Jajce is one of rare medieval towns that has withstood the tempests of history and kept its essential quality to the present day, Since the end of the 15th century until the beginning of the 16th century, this town was in focus of not only the Bosnian but of the world historical events, too. At the beginning of the fırst quarter of the 16th century it came under the competence of the Ottoman power. Although it seemed that this town had remained beyond historically import ant events, we have found out that the town of Jajce was a scene of social processes which, as a result of the Ottoman policy and power, brought about radical economic, social and ethnographic changes.

As a starting point we took the status and position of the town of Jajce in the medieval Bosnian State. In this work, generally-accepted attitudes and facts have been presented. It was necessary to remind ourselves of them in order to be able to follow the sequence of historical events. Although the transforrnation of Jajce from a medieval town into a town with Oriental characteristics was late in a way, this town kept step with ali processes only in the second part of the 16th century.

Although the formation of towns is ascribed to the outstanding persons appointed to serve in Jajce and to other founders of endowments, some of whom occupied very high positions, the basic populafion of newly-founded towns had roots in village population. The town’s economy served the villages in the exchange of products and goods, thus establishing mutual relations with the masses of producers of natural economy.

In accordance with the policy of the Ottoman Empire, the town of Jajce in the 16th century was inhabited almost exclusively by the Muslim popuiation. The center of a town with Oriental characteristics was a market- place around which mahalls (residential quarters) were formed as specific urban, architectural ensembles. Basically, the development of Jajce as an urban milieu does not depart much from the development of other towns in Bosnia.

Social and spiritual life of the town of Jajce was part of the life of the market-place, the place which was not only the site of goods and capital exchange, but also the site of information exchange and the point where the dwellers of the town and from the neighborhood met. As almost always, the business centre was formed around sacred and public buildings; the town always had enormous influence on the neighborhood with its aesthetic and spiritual features.