Travels in the Slavonic provinces of Turkey-in-Europe (1866) (14578688707)

Identifier: travelsinslavoni00mack (find matches)

Title: Travels in the Slavonic provinces of Turkey-in-Europe

Year: 1866 (1860s)

Authors: MacKenzie, G. Muir (Georgina Muir), d. 1874 Irby, A. P. (Adelina Paulina), 1833-1911

Subjects:

Publisher: London : A. Strahan

Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto

Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

Text Appearing Before Image:

ide the town,a khan marks the boundary between Bosnia andArnaoutluk. Near the khan stands a great stone, andhere it is customary for Mussulmans passing from onedistrict to the other, to slay a sheep, by way of thank-offering for the safety of the journey thus far. The boundary represented by the stone of Mitrovitzdoes not apply to the Christian population, which onboth sides is alike Serb, calls its country Old-Serbia,and insists that Bosnia does not properly begin tillmuch farther to the north-west. But for the Maho-metans on either side Mitrovitz, the sacrificial stonemarks a real frontier; the Mussulmans in Arnaoutlukbeing Albanian immigrants, while the Mussulmans inBosnia are the renegade descendants of a native Slavonicaristocracy. In Bosnia the Mahometan has not onlymore prestige than in Arnaoutluk, but his tenure ofthe land is far older; for the greater part of the Bosniannobility became Mussulmans towards the end of the fif-teenth century, whereas the Christian emigration from

Text Appearing After Image:

CHAP. XX.) FROM ARNAOUTLUK INTO BOSNIA. 291 Old-Serbia did not occur till the end of the seventeenthcentury, and the Arnaout renegades did not becomemasters of the soil till then. The relative position ofChristian and Mussulman is also different in Arnaout-luk from what it is in Bosnia. In Old-Serbia, wheresuch noble families as did not perish in war graduallyamalgamated with the people, they inspired the masswith their historic recollections, their proud obstinacy,and warlike spirit. Thus, although at a later periodthe Arnaouts obtained supremacy by adoption of theconquerors creed, the Serbian still continues to feelhimself their superior; and the renegades slight at-tachment to his new faith causes him to be hated lessas a Mahometan than as a barbarian and a brigand. InBosnia things went very differently. There the Christianpopulation consists of that part of the nation whichalready before the Mahometan conquest occupied thelowest room; while the Mahometan represents the classwhich

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1866

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