How Strossmayer viewed Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nakon višestoljetne otomanske okupacije Bosna i Hercegovina su u vremenu biskupske službe Josipa Jurja Strossmayera doživjele u kratkom vremenu znatne promjene na socijalnom, političkom i crkvenom području. Ove su zemlje dugo vremena ostale zapadnim granicama, a uskoro i svojevrstan izolirani poluotok nekad moćnog imperija koji više nije mogao pratiti modernizacijske procese suvremenih europskih društava. Stoga je ovaj prostor predan na upravu Austro-Ugarskoj Monarhiji, mada je ostao pod formalnim suverenitetom Porte. U takvim su se uvjetima aktualizirala brojna pitanja na koja u prethodnim razdobljima nije bilo moguće adekvatno odgovoriti, posebice u odnosu na položaj Katoličke crkve. Između ostaloga je izobrazba franjevačkih bogoslova zahtijevala sustavna rješenja prilagođena situaciji u ostatku katoličanstva i napretku obrazovanja. Dolazak pod upravu katoličkih vladara otvorio je mogućnost odustajanja od arhaičnog oblika eklezijalnosti i uvođenje redovite crkvene vlasti. Upitnim je postao i položaj dotada privilegiranog muslimanskog i socijalna afirmacija obespravljenog kršćanskog stanovništva, a propituje se i uloga islama kao religije. Također su stvoreni uvjeti za osnutak i djelovanje raznih kulturnih ustanova te za njih vezane nacionalne emancipacije. U ovom se radu prati odnos biskupa Strossmayera prema spomenutim procesima te donosi zaokružena slika njegova viđenja Bosne i Hercegovine.After several centuries-long Ottoman occupation, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period of the episcopacy of Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer experienced in the short interval great changes on social, political and ecclesiastical plane. These countries remained for a long period Western borderlands, and soon afterwards even an isolated peninsula of formerly powerful empire, which at that time became incapable of following modernisation processes of contemporary European societies. Because of that, this area was surrendered for administration to Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, even though it remained under the formal sovereignty of the Sublime Porte. In such circumstances, numerous questions on which was impossible to answer in previous periods were actualised, particularly those related to the position of Catholic church. Among other things, the education of Franciscan students in theology required systematic solutions adapted to the situation in the rest of Catholic Christendom and the progress of education in general. Coming of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the administration of Catholic rulers opened possibilities for giving up archaic form of ecclesiality and introduction of regular ecclesiastical authorities. Questionable became also the position of hitherto privileged Moslem population and social affirmation of hitherto disenfranchised Christian population, as well as the role of Islam as religion. Preconditions for foundation and activity of different cultural institutions and to them connected national emancipations have been also created. The article follows the attitude of Bishop Strossmayer towards the processes mentioned above and presents a rounded picture of his views on Bosnia and Herzegovina