Jajce Bosnia & Herzegovina

The Bogomil “heresy” has dominated Bosnian society from the late twelfth century through the thirteenth century.

Hungary-Croatia has mounted occasional efforts to eradicate the Bogomils, whom Bosnia's hereditary bans, the Kotromanic family, have defended.

Pope Innocent III, with the aid of the King of Hungary in 1203, had forced an agreement of Kulin, Ban of Bosnia, to acknowledge Papal authority and religion: in practice this was ignored.

On the death of Kulin in 1216 a mission had been sent to convert Bosnia to Rome but failed.

Pope Gregory IX had In 1234 removed the Catholic Bishop of Bosnia for allowing heretical practices.

In addition, Gregory had called on the Hungarian king to crusade against the Bogomils.

Bosnian nobles had been able to expel the Hungarians, however.

It is not until Pope Nicholas' Bull Prae cunctis in 1291 that the Franciscans-led inquisition is imposed on Bosnia.

Bogomilism has been eradicated in Bulgaria and the East Roman Empire in the thirteenth century, but will survive in Bosnia and Herzegovina until the Ottoman Empire gains control of the region in 1463.

King Matthias begins his southern campaign by defeating the Ottoman general Ali Pasha, and then penetrates into Bosnia, capturing the newly built fortress of Jajce in December 1463 after a long and obstinate defense.

The conquered regions are organized into a new defensive province, or banate.

The past twenty years of Venetian-Ottoman warfare have seen heavy fighting and much destruction in parts of western Bosnia.