The Municipality of Tomislavgrad () is a municipality in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its seat is in the town of Tomislavgrad. According to the 2013 census, it has a population of 31,592.

History

Antiquity

The area of the municipality has been inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of Dalmatae.The Cambridge Ancient History Vol. 11: The High Empire, AD 70-192 by Peter Rathbone, page 597, "... One such place was Delminium, from which the Illyrian Delmatae took their name, attacked more than once by Roman consuls ..." The town of Delminium was established by the Dalmatae in what is now the territory of the Municipality of Tomislavgrad.Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992; , pg 188, "... after whom the Roman province Dalmatia was named, their own name is derived from their principal settlement Delminium near Duvno. Beyond the Dinara, Delmatae occupied the plains of Livno, Glamoc, and Duvno, ..."

The area has been populated since 4000 BC – 2400 BC, even before the arrival of the Illyrians. From that period, only polished stone axes remain as evidence of early human presence. Bagarić, Ivo. Duvno: Povijest župa duvanjskog samostana. Sveta baština. 1989 The Bronze Age (1800 BC – 800 BC) also left a few artifacts in Tomislavgrad. The archaeological collection of the Franciscan friary in Široki Brijeg included 34 bronze sickles, 3 axes, and two spears found in the area, particularly in Stipanjići and Lug. These items were given to the Archeological collection "fra Mijo Čuić and fra Stjepan Naletilić." Later, Fr Vojislav Mikulić found a bronze axe in Letka which was added to the collection. Unfortunately, the collection was destroyed in a fire at the end of World War II, leaving only one sickle and axe. This evidence indicates that the early inhabitants of Tomislavgrad were cattlemen, farmers, and warriors.

The Illyrians left numerous material proofs from their time. They built 36 fortifications on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, serving as watchtowers or defensive forts. Many Illyrian graves have also been found, dating from the Bronze and Iron Ages to the Roman conquest of Delminium. These graves contained jewelry and items used by the deceased.

The Celts also inhabited the area, bringing higher culture, crafts, and better weapons. Bagarić, Ivo. Duvno - Short Monograph. Župni ured sv. Franje Asiškog, Bukovica. 1980. However, the small number of Celts eventually assimilated into the Illyrian population.

The Romans conquered the territory of the Illyrian tribe Ardiaei, with the Dalmatae being one of the last bastions of Illyrian freedom. The Dalmatae attacked Roman wards near Neretva, Greek merchant towns, and the Roman-friendly Illyrian tribe Daors. They fortified their settlements and surrounded their capital with smaller forts. It is estimated that about 5,000 Dalmatae lived in Delminium during this time.

In 167 BC, the Romans conquered the entire Adriatic coast south of Neretva, destroying the state of the Ardiaei. The first conflict between the Dalmatae and Rome began in 156 BC. The consuls Gaius Marcius Figulus and Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum conquered and destroyed Delminium, with the latter receiving a triumph in Rome for his victory. Delminium was described as a "large city," almost inaccessible and impregnable. The Romans used lighted arrows to burn the wooden houses. After various rebellions and three wars with Rome, the Dalmatae were finally subdued in 9 AD.

Following the Roman conquest of Delminium, they built roads and bridges, connecting the Adriatic coast in Salona (Solin) and Narona (Vid near Metković) through Delminium. Remains of these roads still exist. The Romans introduced their culture, language, legislation, and religion, and Tomislavgrad experienced 400 years of peace.

After the Romans defeated the Dalmatae, Delminium was almost abandoned, with a Roman military crew stationed there to maintain control over the Illyrians. The Romans began rebuilding Delminium in 18 and 19 AD during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. A Roman forum was built in the center of the city, on the site of the present-day Nikola Tavelić basilica.

In 1896, Fra Anđeo Nuć discovered various sculptures of Roman pagan deities, fragments of pagan sarcophagi, and columns of medieval Christian churches. Notable discoveries included two votive monuments and altars dedicated to the goddess Diana, one altar dedicated to the native Illyrian god Armatus, and one votive plate dedicated to the goddess Libera. Later finds included a relief of Diana, a relief of Diana and Silvanus, new pagan altars, fragments of sarcophagi, clay pottery, column parts, and various other artifacts from the Roman and early medieval ages. These findings led to the conclusion that the present-day Catholic graveyard "Karaula" (previously an Ottoman military border post and guardhouse) was a Roman and Illyrian pagan sanctuary and graveyard.

Middle Ages

Due to the scarcity of documents, the early Middle Ages in the present-day Municipality of Tomislavgrad are shrouded in mystery, similar to the broader history of the Croats. Written records are almost non-existent. Some Croatian traditions were later recorded by chroniclers, such as the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, compiled by Archbishop Gregory of Bar in the second half of the 11th century, and De administrando imperio by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII. Constantine VII states that the Croats arrived in the last wave of migration from the area of Greater or White Croatia (around present-day Kraków in Poland) to the Roman provinces of Pannonia and Dalmatia.

The immigration of Croats to the area of today's Tomislavgrad and their interaction with the indigenous population are not fully understood. The Croats breached the defensive lines on the Danube and began settling in these Roman provinces at the end of the 6th century and especially at the beginning of the 7th century. Constantine VII records that they came at the invitation of Emperor Heraclius to defend the empire from the Avars, which they successfully did. In the conquered area, they established their own kingdom. In 640, Pope John IV, a Dalmatian from the city of Salona, sent a mission with Abbot Martin to redeem natives captured by the Croats. Archbishop Grgur notes that at the end of the 8th century, the area of today's Tomislavgrad was central to the then-Croatian state. He writes that during the time of King Budimir, a significant national assembly was held in Duvno with papal envoys in attendance. The Croatian king was crowned at this assembly and divided the kingdom into administrative provinces. Duvno was on the border between the provinces of Red Croatia in the east and White Croatia in the west. Dominik Mandić claims the assembly was held around 753, but the Archbishop of Bar dates King Budimir's reign from 887 to 917, implying the assembly occurred in 885 or 886. Ivan Kukuljević Sakcinski suggested that Budimir was actually Tomislav of Croatia, although some historians dispute the assembly's occurrence and question the credibility of the Chronicle.

The end of the 8th century marked significant changes for Croatia and the area of Duvno. In 796, Charlemagne defeated the Avars and established Frankish rule in Croatian territories, bringing his empire into contact with Byzantium. Charles recognized Byzantine supremacy over Venice and the Dalmatian city-states, affecting the Croat-inhabited areas outside these cities. The Frankish political system was introduced, and Frankish Christian missionaries were active from the 9th century. Unlike other peoples who established quasi-states in the Roman provinces, the Croats built a respectable state organization during the 9th century.

The most important Croatian ruler of the 10th century was Tomislav. Few sources detail his rule. During this period, Constantine VII wrote about Croatia's military strength and its victory over the Bulgarians. Thomas the Archdeacon mentions Tomislav as a prince in 914, and church councils in Split in 925 and 928 also reference him. Archbishop Gregory mentions Tomislav's victory over Attila, the Hungarian king. The prevailing view is that Tomislav was crowned Croatian king after a successful war with the Hungarians, occurring before 925 when Pope John X referred to him as King of the Croats. Since Thomas the Archdeacon dates Tomislav's principality to 914, his coronation likely took place between 914 and 925.

The Duvno field, with the city of Županjac, remained under Croatian kings' control until the late 13th century, when it passed to the noble Šubić family. At the turn of the 14th century, the Šubićs, with Pope Boniface VIII's approval, established three dioceses in the Archdiocese of Split: Šibenik, Makarska, and Duvno. Their motive was to curb the Bosnian Church's influence and strengthen their own. The Diocese of Duvno was headquartered at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Rog, near present-day Roško Polje. The bishops of Duvno often served as assistants to the archbishop of Split or as titular bishops.

By the 1320s, Duvno became part of the Banate of Bosnia when Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia took the land from the Šubićs. Duvno became part of the Western Regions, a province of the Banate of Bosnia, along with Livno and Glamoč. Despite this, the local population did not identify with the Bosnian Kingdom. In 1357, after King Tvrtko ceded Zachlumia west of the Neretva river to Hungarian and Croatian King Louis I, Duvno became the southwesternmost part of his realm.

In 1374, a conflict erupted in the village of Kolo in Duvno over loyalty to either the Bosnian or Croatian-Hungarian King. As a result, Tvrtko took control of the village, giving it to the Semković family from Usora, with King Dabiša confirming their ownership in 1395. In 1404, King Ostoja granted Duvno and Glamoč to Duke Pavle Klešić. By 1444, Duvno had become the possession of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, Duke of the Duchy of Saint Sava.

Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans exploited the rivalry among Croatian nobles and penetrated parts of Bosnia in the 1430s. They first traversed the area of Tomislavgrad in 1449 en route to Cetina, under the control of Croatian Ban Petar Talovac, at the invitation of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača. Kosača had sought the Ottomans' aid against Duke Sladoje Semković. During their campaign, the Ottomans enslaved many and plundered the region.

After fully subjugating Bosnia in 1463, the Ottomans turned their attention to Herzegovina. Between 1468 and 1469, the territory of Završje – encompassing Glamoč, Livno, and Tomislavgrad – fell entirely under Ottoman control. The Ottomans established the Sanjak of Herzegovina in 1470, and by 1477, the Kaza of Drina, a subdivision of that sanjak, included the nahiyahs of Drežnica, Ljubuški, and Rog (the administrative center of Duvno).

For the next two centuries following Ottoman conquest, information about life in the Duvno region under Ottoman rule is scarce. The majority of the population fled from the Ottoman invaders, leaving the present-day town as a small Ottoman kasbah known as Županj-Potok. An anonymous travel writer from the late 16th century described Županj-Potok as follows:

In the mid-16th century, the Ottomans established a qasaba in Županj-Potok. By 1576, Duvno was incorporated into the Kadiluk of Imotski, becoming a separate kadiluk before 1633. In the latter half of the 17th century, Duvno was briefly under the jurisdiction of the Sanjak of Klis before returning to the Herzegovinian Sanjak.