The Ahdname of Milodraž ( sh, Milodraška ahdnama/Милодрашка ахднама), also called the Ahdname of Fojnica (Фојничка ахднама/''Fojnička ahdnama''), was the '' ahdname'' issued on 28 May 1463 (or 1464) by the Ottoman sultan

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

Bosnian Franciscans Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena (also ''Bosna Argentina''; officially la, Provincia OFM Exaltationis S. Crucis - Bosna Argentina) is a province of the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their headquarters ...

, represented by

Anđeo Zvizdović Anđeo Zvizdović (or Zvijezdović; 1420 – 7 June 1498) was a Franciscan friar and evangelist who negotiated the Ahdname of Milodraž – the promise of the freedom of religion to the people of Bosnia following the Ottoman conquest of ...

Tradition and history

According to Bosnian Franciscan tradition, Mehmed was preparing to depart following the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia when Anđeo Zvizdović came to meet him in the Ottoman military camp in

Milodraž Milodraž was a settlement in the Kingdom of Bosnia, situated on an important road connecting the towns of Visoko and Fojnica. No remains of it have been found, but royal charters and Ragusan documents confirm that one of the residences of King T ...

. Led in by Mehmed's soldiers, Zvizdović drew the Sultan's attention to the exodus of Catholics from the newly conquered country. The friar specifically pointed to the necessity of maintaining the merchants, craftsmen and miners, and so succeeded in receiving Mehmed's solemn promise of

religious tolerance Religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, mistaken, or harmful". ...

. The Franciscans of Bosna Argentina recognized Mehmed as their sovereign, and in return he promised that "the Bosnian priests shall have freedom and protection, and may return to and settle the lands in the Empire in their monasteries without consternation. No-one is to attack them, nor threaten their lives, property or churches." Its form and content, as well as Mehmed's personal oath, resemble that of an

international treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

. The rights expressed in the Ahdname of Milodraž were reiterated by all subsequent

Ottoman sultans The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

, but the Franciscans were nevertheless in a difficult position with the local authorities. Although they were loyal to the Ottoman regime, the local government often suspected them of aiding the Catholic

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

, the Ottoman Empire's greatest enemy. Bosnian Franciscans used the Ahdname of Milodraž not only in relations with the Muslim authorities, but also to protect themselves from the ambitions of

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

clergy when the latter claimed the right to collect tax from them too on the basis of an earlier '' firman''. The Ahdname of Milodraž is often said to have enabled the survival of

Roman Catholicism in Bosnia and Herzegovina The Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. According to the latest census from 2013, there are 544,114 Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, making up ...

Historicity

The Ahdname of Milodraž has been preserved in transcripts; an ''ahdname'' was likely also issued to the Franciscans of

Srebrenica Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality located in the easternmost part of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby ...

in 1462, but it has been entirely lost. The absence of the original document led some historians to describe the Ahdname of Milodraž as a forgery. Its historicity was only confirmed in the mid-20th century.

References

External links

The amazing life of the Ottoman Bosnian Ahdname
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahdname of Milodraz Christianity in the Ottoman Empire Freedom of religion Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina Franciscans of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia 1463 in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman period in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina Religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Ottoman period