Middle Ages Tvrdoš Monastery, founded in the 15th century. Tribulium was the original name for this settlement, and the etymology of it may be analyzed as
tri-bulium, or the place of the 'three hills', from the numeral 'three' (
*trei-) and an appellative derived from the IE root *b(h)eu- 'to swell, puff.
De Administrando Imperio by
Constantine VII (913–959) mentioned
Travunija (Τερβουνια). Serbian Prince
Vlastimir (r. 830–51) married his daughter to
Krajina, the son of
Beloje, and that family became hereditary rulers of Travunija. By 1040,
Stefan Vojislav's state stretched in the coastal region from
Ston in the north, down to his capital,
Skadar, set up along the southern banks of the
Skadar Lake, with other courts set up in Trebinje,
Kotor, and
Bar. The town commanded the road from
Ragusa to
Constantinople, which was traversed in 1096 by
Raymond IV of Toulouse and his
crusaders.
Trebinje diocese has its episcopal seat in Polje near Trebinje. At the end of the 12th century
Stefan Nemanja conquered provinces that include Trebinje. Under the name of Tribunia or Travunja it belonged to the
Serbian Kingdom and the
Serbian Empire. In 1373, Trebinje was taken by the
Balšić noble family, and later it was incorporated into the expanded
medieval Bosnian state under
Tvrtko I in 1377. There is a medieval tower in Gornje Police whose construction is often attributed to
Vuk Branković. The old
Tvrdoš Monastery dates back to the 15th century. Under Bosnian rule, Trebinje became part of
Kosača noble family domains. It was conquered by Ottoman forces for the first time in 1465, but already in 1470 it was returned to
Vlatko Hercegović Kosača. By 1478, the town was finally captured and incorporated into the
Ottoman Empire. The Old Town-Kastel was built by the Ottomans on the location of the medieval fortress of Ban Vir, on the western bank of the
Trebišnjica River. The city walls, the Old Town square, and two mosques were built in the beginning of the 18th century by the Resulbegović family. The 16th-century
Arslanagić bridge was originally built at the village of Arslanagić, north of the town, by
Mehmed-Paša Sokolović, and was run by Arslanagić family for centuries. The Arslanagić Bridge is one of the most attractive Ottoman-era bridges in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has two large and two small semicircular arches. Among noble families in the Trebinje region mentioned in Ragusan documents were
Ljubibratić,
Starčić,
Popović,
Krasomirić,
Preljubović,
Poznanović,
Dragančić,
Kobiljačić,
Paštrović,
Zemljić and
Stanjević.
Ottoman era The burning of
Saint Sava's remains after the
Banat Uprising provoked the Serbs in other regions to revolt against the Ottomans.
Grdan, the vojvoda of Nikšić, organized revolt with Serbian Patriarch
Jovan Kantul. From 1596, the center of anti-Ottoman activity in Herzegovina was the
Tvrdoš Monastery in Trebinje, where
Metropolitan Visarion was seated. In 1596, the uprising broke out in
Bjelopavlići, then spread to
Drobnjaci, Nikšić,
Piva and Gacko (see
Serb Uprising of 1596–97). The rebels were defeated at the
field of Gacko. It ultimately failed due to lack of foreign support. The calmer period during the Ottoman rule was the 18th century. No factories or bigger investments were made in Trebinje during the AU rule. Those and related actions resulted in migrations of the local population to Serbia. During the period of
Austro-Hungarian administration (1878–1918), several fortifications were built on the surrounding hills, and there was a garrison based in the town. The imperial administrators also modernized the town, expanding it westwards, building the present main street, as well as several squares, parks, schools, tobacco plantations, etc.
SFR Yugoslavia (1945–92) Trebinje grew rapidly in the era of
Josip Broz Tito's
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia between 1945 and 1980. It especially developed its
hydroelectric potential with dams, artificial lakes, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants. This industrial development brought a large increase in the urban population of Trebinje.
Bosnian War (1992–95) Trebinje was the largest town in Serb-held eastern Herzegovina during the
Bosnian War. It was controlled by Bosnian Serb forces from the fall of 1991, and was used as a major command and artillery base by
Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) troops besieging the Croatian town of
Dubrovnik. In 1992 Trebinje was declared the capital of the self-proclaimed
Serbian Autonomous Region of Herzegovina ().
Bosniak residents were subsequently conscripted to fight with the JNA and if refused they were executed, and thus they fled the region. Ten of the town's
mosques were razed to the ground during the war. The
Mitrovdan Offensive was launched in November 1992 against Serb positions in the region, with numerically superior combined Croat–Bosniak forces attempting to break through the defensive lines of the
Army of Republika Srpska. The operation was unsuccessful and ended in a Serb victory. The battle is annually commemorated.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (1995-present) During the late 2010s and the 2020s, Trebinje underwent a notable boom in new apartment construction, with property prices increasing. In January 2026, a new modern hospital, “
Saint Archdeacon Stephen – the 9th January,” was opened in Trebinje, built in cooperation between Republika Srpska entity and Serbia. == Settlements ==