The Western border of the Ottoman Empire in the period of II. Bayezid and Bosnia Sanjak as a serhad region

This study aims to examine the state and social structure of the western border of the Ottoman Empire in Sanjak of Bosnia along with the strategic importance of the conquests on the western border and their importance during the reign of Bayezid II. During the reign of Bayezid II, with the capture of Kili and Akkirman, which were on the western border of the Ottoman Empire, both the Black Sea trade was dominated and a direct connection with the Crimean Khanate was established. With the capture of Inebahtı, Modon (Methoni), Koroni and Navarin (Pylos), which were on the southwestern border, the control of the Mediterranean trade, as well as the dominance in the Ionian Islands and the Balkans, was taken over by the Ottomans. Unlike the contemporary meaning of the word 'border' as the line separating the lands of two neighbouring states, in the XV. and XVI. centuries, the border meant areas where a state could collect its taxes and recruit soldiers to form its army. However, border, in a broader framework, represented the area where the political, social and economic relations of the two neighbouring states were experienced. One of the sanjaks on the borderline of the Ottoman Empire was the Sanjak of Bosnia. The distinguishing feature of the Sanjak of Bosnia, which the author of Künhü'l Ahbâr Mustafa Âli Gelibolulu defines as "the meeting place of ghazis around the world and the mansion of loyal mujahideen from every climate sones", is that it was a frontier-border province from its conquest until its loss. During the reign of Bayezid II, the largest administrative unit of the Sanjak of Bosnia was called Vilayet. In this period, when the kazas had not been formed yet, nahiyes, karyes and farms were united under the centers called vilayets. Cereal products such as barley, wheat, fruit and vegetable crops were grown in almost every region of the sanjak. In terms of livestock, mostly small cattle such as sheep and pigs were kept. In the cities of the sanjak, besides agriculture and animal husbandry, people were engaged in leatherwork, textile production, food products and tool manufacturing. Structures such as mosques, imarets and zawiyas were established in the cities and neighbourhoods were formed around these structures. Thanks to the markets in the cities, trade was always kept alive. In addition to these, foreign trade was carried out with Venice at the piers on the Sava River. Besides, silver, iron, lead and coals were mined in the sanjak.