The state of Bosnia began taking the shape in the 10th century, and at that time extended from the Drina River to the Adriatic Sea. Byzantium, Hungary and the neighbouring states of Croatia and Serbia each tried to take Bosnian territory in order to expand Catholicism and Christian Orthodoxy, thereby challenging the socio-legal position of Bosnia from its origins in the medieval period.In 1130, Bosnia emerged as an independent state under the leadership of Kulin, Ban (king) of Bosnia. The kingdom of Bosnia was established under the dominion of King Stephan Nemanja, king of Serbia. It was a small kingdom in comparison with kingdoms such as England or France. The most powerful empires in the area at the time were the Hungarian Empire, the Holy Roman Germanic Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Ban Kulin ruled until 1204; his reign was characterised by peace and even today is referred to as a time of peace within Bosnia. It was the so-called "golden age of Kulin Ban”. Bosnia was developing as an independent and internationally recognized country. The history of Bosnia in the high middle ages is frequently confused and confusing. But three powerful rulers stand out: Ban Kulin (who ruled from 1180 to 1204), Ban Stephen Kotromanić (1322-1353) and King Stephen Tvrtko I (1353-1391). Under the second of these, Bosnia expanded to include the principality of Hum (what is today known as Herzegovina); and under the third it expanded further to the south and also acquiring a large part of the Dalmatian coast. Indeed, during the second half of Tvrtko's reign Bosnia was the most powerful state within western Balkans. During that time Hungary was a dominant neighboring country under whose rule was Croatia but not Bosnia.

 

 

Ban Kulin had legendary status on both medieval and modern Bosnia. The reason for this is because he brought prosperity and peace to Bosnia. During 24 years of peace Ban Kulin economically developed Bosnia by making commercial treaty with Ragusa (Republic of Dubrovnik) - a well-known Charter of Ban Kulin in 1189, and encouraged Ragusan merchants to exploit rich Bosnian mines. Kulin was very successful in international relations - he established good relations both with the ruler of Hum (today known as Herzegovina), who married Kulin's sister, and with the Serbian grand župan, Stephen Nemanja, founder of the Nemanjić dynasty which was to turn Serbia into great power during the next two centuries.

 

 

Despite civil wars and invasions, Bosnia had achieved real prosperity during the high middle ages. The key to its wealth was mining: copper and silver at Kreševo and Fojnica; lead at Olovo; gold, silver and lead at Zvornik; and, above all, silver at Srebrenica. A roman gold-mine at Krupa (north-east of Gornji Vakuf) may also have functioned through the middle ages. The royal courts of Bosnia also had well-organized chancelleries, frequently manned, after the 1340s, by Franciscans; documents were written mainly in Bosnian variety of written language or script called Bosančica. Artists and craftsmen from Ragusa and Venice also came to work in Bosnia; little of their handiwork, alas, remain, but carving of good quality can be seen in the fragments of sculpture which have survived from King Tvrtko’s court at Bobovac, together with the capital of a column decorated with the Bosnian royal symbol, lily or the fleur-de-lys.

 

 

"Stećak” is without doubt a unique symbol of medieval Bosnia. Tens of thousands of them, scattered from Adriatic to Sava, Una and Drina River. People call them marble, from the Greek word "mnimorion” or the Latin "memory” in both cases means rememberance, a monument! On them were carved antique symbols of Bosnian residents - Bogumils - with the earth, sun, moon, family, life sounds, hunting, dancing, prayer etc. Epitafs of the tombstones are inscribed in "Bosančica”, unique script, which was used in medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina, pretty similar to today’s Cyrillic letters. For medieval Bosnia can be often heard Silver Bosnia, the reason for that name was the production of silver which caused production of all these tombstones.

 

 

At the end of his rule, in 1204, a certain Cotroman the German arrived to Bosnia, descendant of Cotroman the Goth from Ban Borić's time. He settled permanently in Bosnia and is to become the founder of the House of Kotromanić. Ban Kulin died in 1204 - he was succeeded by his son, Stevan. When Ban Kulin died, the Bosnian principality "included the lands at the upper flows of the Bosna (the district of Usora) and farther east to the mouth of the Drina.” To the West, the principality "was bulging into purely Croat areas and was simultaneously developing a pronounced regional character.”

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Muhamed Brkan, IV5