The Last Century of Ottoman Rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1788–1875)

The period of Ottoman rule over the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1788 to 1875 is marked by the beginning of the last Habsburg-Ottoman war in 1788 and the outbreak of the uprising in Herzegovina in 1875. This "century" is characterized by the continuous resistance of the Muslim population, led by the feudal elite and fanatical ulema, to all the reform actions of the Porte, which aimed to include the Ottoman Empire in the ranks of modern European states. Muslim armed resistance culminated in 1831 with the movement of Captain Husein Gradaščević, and was crushed only by the campaign of Omer Pasha Latas in 1850–1852. However, this fact did not lead to an improvement in the rights and living conditions of the Christian population. The Serbs, as the largest percentage of the population, tried several times from 1852 to 1862 to win their freedom or at least a better position by force of arms. However, they were unsuccessful in this, just as the central government was unable to impose respect for many legal norms proclaimed in Constantinople on the provincial Muslim elite. The key disputed processes in the eyalet/vilajate took place in a triangle: the central government embodied in a more or less capable vizier/wali, on one side, the Muslims who were not inclined to reforms, led by the feudal elite, on the other side, and the disenfranchised Christians, on the third side.