Kulin (d. c. November 1204) was the
Ban of Bosnia from 1180 to 1204, first as a vassal of the Byzantine Empire and
then of the Kingdom of Hungary, but his state was defacto independent. He was
one of Bosnia's most prominent and notable historic rulers and had a great
effect on the development of early Bosnian history.
One of his most noteworthy diplomatic
achievements is widely considered to have been the signing of the Charter of
Ban Kulin, which encouraged trade and established peaceful relations between
Dubrovnik and his realm of Bosnia.His son, Stjepan Kulinić succeeded him as
Bosnian Ban. Kulin founded the House of Kulinić. Kulin's origin is unknown. His
sister was married to Miroslav of Hum, the brother of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan
Nemanja (r. 1166–1196).
Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos
(1143–1180) was at that time the overlord of Bosnia.[6] In 1180, when Komnenos
died, Stefan Nemanja and Kulin asserted independence of Serbia and Bosnia,
respectively. His rule is often remembered as being emblematic of Bosnia's
golden age, and he is a common hero of Bosnian national folk tales. Under him,
the "Bosnian Age of Peace and Prosperity" would come to exist. Bosnia
was completely autonomous and mostly at peace during his rule.
War
against Byzantium
In 1183, he led his troops with the
forces of the Kingdom of Hungary under King Béla and the Serbs under Stefan
Nemanja, who had just launched an attack on the Byzantine Empire. The cause of
the war was Hungary's non-recognition of the new emperor, Andronikos Komnenos.
The united forces met little resistance in the eastern Serbian lands - the
Byzantine squadrons were fighting among themselves as the local Byzantine
commanders Alexios Brannes supported the new Emperor, while Andronikos Lapardes
opposed him - and deserted the Imperial Army, going onto adventures on his own.
Without difficulties, the Byzantines
were pushed out of the Morava Valley and the allied forces breached all the way
to Sofia, raiding Belgrade, Braničevo, Ravno, Niš and Sofia itself.
Bogomils
In 1199, Serbian prince Vukan Nemanjić
informed the Pope, Innocent, of heresy in Bosnia. Vukan claimed that Kulin, a
heretic, had welcomed the heretics whom Bernard of Split had banished, and
treated them as Christians. In 1200, the Pope wrote a letter to Kulin's
suzerain, the Hungarian King Emeric, warning him that “no small number of
Patarenes” had gone from Split and Trogir to Ban Kulin where they were warmly
welcomed, and told him to “Go and ascertain the truth of these reports and if
Kulin is unwilling to recant, drive him from your lands and confiscate his
property.”
Kulin replied to the Pope that he did
not regard the immigrants as heretics, but as Catholics, and that he was
sending a few of them to Rome for examination, and also invited that a Papal
representative be sent to investigate. Unconvinced, the Pope sent his legates
to Bosnia to interrogate Kulin and his subjects about religion and life, and if
indeed heretical, correct the situation through a prepared constitution.
The Pope wrote to Bernard in 1202 that
"a multitude of people in Bosnia are suspected of the damnable heresy of
the Cathars." The two legates sent by the Pope went through the country of
Bosnia and interrogated the clergy.
Bilino
Polje abjuration
Not only did Casamaris listen to his
informants’ answers, but where they were in error, he would have taught them
correct doctrine, in line with Innocent’s directive. John must have convinced
himself that he had fulfilled Innocent’s command to correct the krstjani,
because the “Confessio” (Abjuration) signed at Bilino Polje by seven priors of
the Krstjani church on 8 April 1203, makes no mention of errors.
The same document was brought to
Budapest, 30 April by Casamaris and Kulin and two abbots, where it was examined
by the Hungarian King and the high clergy. Kulin’s son Stefan, during a later
meeting, agreed that if the Bosnians violated the agreement, they would pay a
heavy fine of 1,000 marks.
On the surface, the “Confessio”
concerned church organization and practices. The monks renounced their schism
with Rome and agreed to accept Rome as the mother church. They promised to
erect chapels with altars and crucifixes, where they would have priests who
would say Mass and dispense Holy Communion at least seven times a year on the
main feast days.
The priests would also hear confession
and give penances. The monks promised to chant the hours, night and day, and to
read the Old Testament as well as the New. They would follow the Church’s
schedule of fasts, as well as their own regimen. They also agreed to stop
calling themselves krstjani—which had been their exclusive privilege—lest they
cause pain to other Christians. They would wear special, uncolored robes,
closed and reaching the ankles. In addition they were to have graveyards next
to the church, where they would bury their brethren and any visitors who
happened to die there.
Women members of the order were to
have special quarters away from the men and to eat separately; nor could they
be seen talking alone with a monk, lest they cause scandal. The abbots also
agreed not to offer lodging to manicheans or other heretics. Finally, upon the
death of the head of their order (magister), the abbots, after consultation
with their fellow monks, would submit their choice to the Pope for his
approval. As for the Bosnian Catholic diocese itself, John advised Innocent
that they needed to break the hold of the Slavonic bishop who had ruled the
Bosnian church up to then, and to appoint three or four Latin bishops, since
Bosnia was a large country (“ten days’ walk”).
After the “Confessio” was approved by
King Emmerich, John de Casamaris, in a letter to Innocent, refers to “the
former Patarenes.” Obviously, he thought that he had converted the krstjani,
but he was wrong. Partly due to Rome’s complacency (caused by Casamaris’s
feelings of success) and the Pope’s failure to appoint Latin bishops, as John
had suggested, the heretical movement grew stronger over the next few decades,
uniting with remnants of the old native Catholic church. Together they formed a
national, heretical church which survived crusades and threats of crusades
until the mid-fifteenth century, when it gradually vanished in the face of the
Ottoman takeover
Charter
of Ban Kulin
The Charter of Ban Kulin was a trade
agreement between Bosnia and the Republic of Ragusa that effectively regulated
Ragusan trade rights in Bosnia written on 29 August 1189. It is one of the
oldest written state documents in the Balkans and is among the oldest
historical documents written in Bosnian Cyrillic. The charter is of great
significance in both Serbian and Bosnian national pride and historical
heritage.
Death
After the death of Ban Kulin in 1204,
the Bosnian throne was succeeded by his son Stjepan Kulinić (often referred to
in English as Stephen Kulinić).
Marriage
and children
Kulin
married Vojislava, with whom he had two sons:
Stephen Kulinić, the following Ban of
Bosnia
A son that went with the Pope's emissaries
in 1203 to explain heresy accusations against Kulin
Legacy
and folklore
As a founder of first defacto
independent Bosnian state, Kulin was and still is highly regarded among
Bosnians. Even today Kulin's era is regarded as one of the most prosperous
historical eras, not just for Bosnian medieval state and its feudal lords, but
for the common people as well, whose lasting memory of those times is kept in
Bosnian folklore, like an old folk proverb with significant meaning: "Od
kulina Bana i dobrijeh dana" ("English: Since Kulin Ban and those
good ol' days").
Accordingly, in today's Bosnia and
Herzegovina, many streets and town squares, as well as cultural institutions,
and non-governmental organizations, bear Kulin's name, while numerous
culturally significant events, manifestation, festivals and anniversaries are held
in celebration of his life and deeds
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