Fra Grgo Martic as the intermediary between Catholic Church and Ottoman authorities in the unpublished chronicles of the Franciscan monastery Kresevo

Gotovo čitavo 19. stoljeće u Bosni i Hercegovini, sve do uspostave austrougarske vlasti, obiluje turbulencijama izazvanim slabljenjem Osmanskoga Carstva i težnjama onodobnih europskih sila da, koliko je to moguće, riješe probleme izazvane takvim stanjem i zbivanjima. Porta na razne načine, ponajprije zakonskim uredbama (Hatišerif od Gülhane 1839., Hatihumajun 1856.) pokušava riješiti probleme, ali nedostaje volje i snage za njihovu provedbu pa su rezultati gotovo neznatni, a položaj katolika i Katoličke Crkve sve je nezavidniji. Fra Grgo Martić je, kao agent Franjevačke provincije Bosne Srebrene u Sarajevu, više puta bio posrednikom između osmanskih vlasti i Franjevačkoga samostana Kreševo. U djelovanju na tom planu intenzivno, kao član sarajevskoga Medžlisa (Vijeća), ali i privatno, u granicama mogućega i dopuštenoga, komunicira s predstavnicima vlasti, a za pomoć u rješavanju pojedinih sporova obraća se i diplomatskim predstavnicima drugih država koji su u određenim situacijama mogli ostvariti određeni utjecaj. Takvi slučajevi detaljno su opisani u neobjavljenim samostanskim ljetopisima vođenim između 1864. i 1878. godine.Almost entire 19th century in Bosnia and Herzegovina, up to the establishment of Austro-Hungarian rule, abounds in turbulence caused by weakening of the Ottoman Empire and aspirations of the European forces of that time to solve the problems caused by such state and events. The Ottoman Government tried to solve problems in different ways, firstly by legal regulations (Edict of Gülhane in 1839, Hatti Humayun of 1856), but the will and strength for their implementation were missing, so the results were almost negligible and position of Catholics and Catholic Church increasingly unenviable. Fra Grgo Martic, as the agent of Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena in Sarajevo, was the intermediary between Ottoman authorities and Franciscan monastery Kresevo. Working on that plan intensively, as a member of Sarajevo Medzlis (Council), but also privately, within possible and allowed limits, he communicated with representatives of authorities and contacted diplomatic representatives of other countries for help in solving certain disputes and in the situations where they could have certain influence. Such cases were in details described in the unpublished monastery chronicles written between 1864 and 1878