Bulgarian development under the Ottoman Empire
After the conquest and placing them under Ottoman rule and management, the Bulgarian lands were restored economically, culturally and spiritually and around the middle of the 15th century entered a gradual process of social growth and prosperity.
Prelude[edit]
The Varna Crusade marked the end of the era of crusades in the Balkans, during which Western and Central European powers attempted to expel the Ottomans from Europe, respectively to remove the noose around Byzantine and Christian Constantinople and eventually to restore the Latin Empire.
The Battle of Varna put an end to these hopes, and the subsequent Battle of Kosovo was the final chord of half a century of policy in this direction, the initial fiasco of which was the defeat of the Crusaders at the Battle of Nicopolis. The only support and a kind of citadel of the burnt crusader hopes is the Belgrade fortress, which remained in Hungarian hands until 1521, when after a siege it was conquered by the Ottomans, who soon after put an end to the half-thousand-year-old Hungarian kingdom, winning the Battle of Mohács in 1526.
These historical events, as a result of which the Bulgarian lands from the theater of hostilities turned into the rear, created conditions for economic, cultural and spiritual recovery, followed by all-round social growth during most of the 16th and 17th centuries. During these two centuries, the Bulgarian land, in addition to being united and entirely under the scepter of the Ottoman Sultan, was also a deep rear as a result of the Hungarian lands falling under Ottoman rule.
Economic development[edit]
Economically, the development of the Bulgarian lands in the XV-XVII centuries was marked by the features characteristic of the Ottoman economic model. Around the middle of the 15th century, the Ottoman authorities began to pay special attention to the restoration of normal economic life in the Bulgarian lands. The agrarian fund of the empire was divided into categories, of which the most important for the Bulgarians were timars, mülks and waqfs. The Timar system was legally regulated during the reign of Sultans Mehmed II and Suleiman I. The Bulgarian peasant had the right to own and cultivate his land against the payment of the special tapu resmi fee, and he also had the right to sell, donate and transfer it in inheritance. In general, in the 15th century, economic production in the Bulgarian lands was restored. During this period, cereal crops took the leading place in agricultural production in the Bulgarian lands, and in some regions flax, hemp, cotton, vegetables, vines and fruit trees were also grown. During this period, the production of rice, poppy, sesame, apricots and roses began to be absorbed. In the 16th and 17th centuries, cultivated agricultural areas in the Bulgarian lands were visibly expanded. At that time, the institution of the homestead was established, however, the various types and modifications of reayat-chifliks, mülk-chifliks and hass-chifliks that existed during the period have nothing to do with late chifliks in the Ottoman Empire from the time of the Bulgarian National Revival and in particular from the beginning of the 19th century.[1][2]
In the 16th and 17th centuries, ironwork, weaponry, coppersmithing, goldsmithing, textile production and pottery became widespread in the Bulgarian lands. Trade turnover grew significantly in view of the vast internal Ottoman market of the empire. There are fairs, weekly (village) markets, shops form bazaars.[3]
The most characteristic feature in the economic development of the Bulgarian lands during this period was the appearance of corporations in the form of esnafs. In this way, the surest marks for social identification of the subject, and in particular of the Bulgarian, to a given social group/stratum are two - the denomination and the profession.[4]
The foreign trade of the Ottoman Empire with the neighboring Republics of Dubrovnik and Venice and the Danube principalities was of great importance for the economic development of the Bulgarian lands during this period. The first (equal) Ottoman capitulations granted during this historical period also had an impact on the Bulgarians and their lands.[5]
Cultural development[edit]
Community Ottoman cultural development in literature, philosophy, politics and art was also reflected in the Bulgarian lands during this period. A reflection of this development is the emergence of Damaskins folk literature and the gradual formation of the new Bulgarian language. During this period, Ottoman historiography was established, and from 1520, Ottoman archives were created, allowing a modern comprehensive, detailed and in-depth look at all the social processes that took place during this historical period. Architecture, construction, applied arts, including fine painting in the Ottoman context marked significant achievements in and around the Bulgarian lands.[6]
Spiritual development[edit]
In the course of the Ottoman conquest, the Tarnovo Patriarchate was subordinated to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, however, the Ohrid Archbishopric continued its existence as even Wallachia, Moldavia, incl. parts of southern Italy. In purely religious terms, a number of restrictions on freedom of religion were introduced by the Ottoman authorities during this period, however, despite these known restrictions, the diocesan system in the Bulgarian lands survived and gradually restored its normal functioning. In the second half of the 15th century, the old monastic Orthodox centers began to revive in the Bulgarian lands, a sign of which is the famous "Rila story", around which centers were formed literary schools — Sofia, Etropole, Adjara, including the Rila Literary School.
References[edit]
- ↑ История на България за кандидат-студенти и зрелостници, София, 1999, Първо издание, стр. 108-110, ISBN 954-89762-09-9
- ↑ сп. Исторически преглед, бр. 1, 1958 г. Статия: Към въпроса за чифлиците в Османската империя през XIV-XVII век. Автор: Вера Мутафчиева.
- ↑ История на България за кандидат-студенти и зрелостници, София, 1999, Първо издание, стр. 110, ISBN 954-89762-09-9
- ↑ История на България за кандидат-студенти и зрелостници, София, 1999, Първо издание, стр. 110, ISBN 954-89762-09-9
- ↑ История на България за кандидат-студенти и зрелостници, София, 1999, Първо издание, стр. 111, ISBN 954-89762-09-9
- ↑ История на Османската империя, Духовна, материална култура, занаяти (XIV-XVII в.), стр. 116; автор: Ахмед Садулов; ISBN 954-9541-53-3
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