THE POPULATION OF THE SANJAK OF BANJA LUKA IN THE MID 19th CENTURY

Abstract

The study examines historical statistical sources about the population of the former Sanjak (District) of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the mid-19^th century. Data analysis shows that the majority of the population was Christian. In the kaza of Banja Luka (sub-district) the Christian majority was overwhelming. About 90 % of Christians in the kaza were Orthodox (Serbian Orthodox), meanwhile the rest was Roman Catholic. In the City of Banja Luka itself, Muslims had a clear majority of more than 90 % consequently making them a strictly urban population group in this area. Due to different sources, the slow but steady population decline of the Muslim population in the city could be observed. Turmoil, war, hunger and forced migration, typical for the wider region of Bosnian Krajina in the 19^th century, did not weaken the Christians in a way to lose their dominant position in the population.