Letters from the Front by Slovenian Officers and Soldiers Participating in the Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878

Abstract

This article examines under-researched aspects of Slovene attitudes toward the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, specifically analyzing the contents of letters from the front written by Slovene officers and soldiers. The focus is primarily on letters published in August–September 1878 in the Slovene liberal newspaper Slovenski narod, but a number of other sources are also used. Letters from Slovenes at the front raised a wide range of issues: Austro-Hungarian policy of the period, the progress of the occupation campaign, the attitudes of Slovene soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army toward the Christian (Catholic and Orthodox) population of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Turks, their everyday hardships and sentiments, their general impressions of the occupied territories, and so on. Based on these letters, the author identifies certain characteristics of the “European mentality” of Slovenes, expressed in their assessment of events, their rejection of Turkish traditions of warfare, and their deep-seated conviction in the unbridgeable gulf between Christians and Muslims. The letters do not provide a precise and complete description of the events, nor do they offer a serious analysis. However, their content allows us to judge the hopes and aspirations of patriotic Slovenes in the late 1870s, as well as the specific perceptions of the occupation by Slovene soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army.

Received: 20.01.2026.
Revised: 10.02.2026.
Accepted: 17.03.2026.

Citation
Kirilina L. A. Letters from the Front by Slovenian Officers and Soldiers Participating in the Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 98–119 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.04