''Stanak'' ''(in original Bosančica: Сmɖɴɖк; )'' is the most common name used to refer to the assembly of nobility in

medieval Bosnia This is the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Middle Ages, between the ancient and Roman period and the Ottoman period. Early Middle Ages The western Balkans had been reconquered from "barbarians" by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 52 ...

. The assembly was also known as the ''Rusag'' (from the Hungarian word ''orszag'', meaning "country"), ''Zbor'', ''Sva Bosna'' (meaning "Whole of Bosnia") or just ''Bosna'', with the officials of the

Republic of Ragusa hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century , currency = ...

employing several

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

terms as well. The term ''stanak'' is first attested in the charter of

Tvrtko I Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, he succeeded his uncle Stephen II ...

in 1354. Its influence peaked between the 1390s and the 1420s. The Serbian historian Sima Ćirković and most other Yugoslav scholars believed that the existence of the ''stanak'' proved a unity and feeling of belonging to a Bosnian identity and integrity, but also illustrated weakness of the monarch and

decentralization Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group. Conce ...

of the state, as argued by American colleague John Van Antwerp Fine, Jr. The right to take part in the sessions of the s''tanak'' was enjoyed by every Bosnian '' knez'', from magnates to petty lords, collectively known as ''vlastela'', but the ultimate authority belonged to the highest nobility. The ''stanak'' was convoked when required, usually by the

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

, who presided over it and led its sessions. If male, his wife was allowed to attend, but his children were not. The

Bosnian Church The Bosnian Church ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=/, Crkva bosanska, Црква Босанска) was a Christian church in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina that was independent of and considered heretical by both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodo ...

clergy, not belonging to the ''vlastela'', were also barred, but influenced decision-making in the ''stanak'' through the great lords associated with them. The magnates of the country convoked the ''stanak'' themselves when the country experienced greater domestic issues, such as succession crisis or deposition of the ruler, domestic conflicts or wars. It normally took place wherever the monarch held court: in Mile,

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 ...

Bobovac Bobovac ( sh-Cyrl, Бобовац) is a fortified city of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located near today's Vareš and the village of Borovica. It is protected site as a National monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The city was ...

Kraljeva Sutjeska Kraljeva Sutjeska (sometimes Kraljevska Sutjeska, or just Sutjeska or Sutiska, historically Trstivnica, in local tradition ''Naše stolno misto'') is a village in the municipality of Kakanj, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The village has historical signi ...

and Jajce. The ''stanak'' enjoyed great power and authority; it deliberated on matters such as election of the new king or queen and

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

, foreign policy, sale or cession of territory, contracting and signing treaties with neighboring countries, and military issues. Charters issued by monarchs reflected the decisions made by the ''stanak''; as the royal power weakened, that of s''tanak'' increased.

References

Binliography

* {{Bosnian Parliament through history Historical legislatures Kingdom of Bosnia Medieval Bosnian state