Remarks on the theories on the origin of Muslims in Bulgarian Lands : nineteenth-century and present perspectives

Niniejszy artykuł ma na celu przedstawienie wybranych dziewiętnastowiecznych teorii o pochodzeniu muzułmanów żyjących na ziemiach bułgarskich oraz skonfrontowanie ich z obecnym stanem wiedzy o tym zagadnieniu. Opisano koncepcje dotyczące dwóch grup etnicznych: muzułmanów bułgarskojęzycznych (tzw. Pomaków) oraz Turków.The paper is aimed to present selected nineteenth-century theories about the origin of Muslims living in Bulgarian lands and to confront them with the present state of knowledge. The paper also presents concepts regarding two ethnic groups: the Bulgarian-speaking Muslims (the so-called Pomaks) and Turks

Multilingual or monolingual? : the minority languages in Bulgaria after 1878

In the first years after gaining the independence in 1878, the Bulgarian lands were divided into two parts: the Principality of Bulgaria (a Turkish vassal and a Russian protectorate) and Eastern Rumelia (an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire). In the Principality, there was only one official language - Bulgarian, whereas in Eastern Rumelia: Bulgarian, Turkish, and Greek. After the unification in 1885, the whole territory used only Bulgarian in administration. However, the practice was more complicated due to the multi-ethnic character of these lands: in 1887, about 73.75% (2 326 250) inhabitants pointed out Bulgarian as their native language, 19.25% (607 331) - Turkish, 1.85% (58 326) - Greek, 0.75% (23 541) - "Jewish" (Ladino), 1.59% (50 291) - Roma etc. The users of different languages than Bulgarian had an important impact on the public sphere of the country. The paper presents the place of minorities languages in the Bulgarian reality by the examples of the parliaments (the National Assembly in the Principality of Bulgaria and the Provincial Assembly in Eastern Rumelia), local administration, elections, courts, and schools

De-Ottomanisation of land : Muslim migrations and ownership in the Bulgarian countryside after 1878

The turn of the 19th and 20th c. brought about deep changes in the Bulgarian ownership structure: what the Russians labeled the Agrarian Revolution, related to all processes of land changing hands from Muslim to Bulgarian ones. The basis for most activities related to seizures of Muslim estates were migrations and the abandonment of property during the war in 1877-1878. During the period of the Provisional Russian Administration in Bulgaria (March 1878-June 1879) the Agrarian Revolution was one of the most important tasks that the Tsar's representatives addressed in Bulgaria. Bulgarian control over land was to be the foundation of Christian domination in the state, which the Russians also saw as a guarantee of their continued influence in the Eastern Balkans. This involved both dispossessions and lotting out chiftliks among the agrarian workers who cultivated the land, as well as taking control over properties abandoned by war refugees (so-called muhajirs). The article is focused on the Muslim medium and small peasants, the cases of owners of chiftliks will not be considered, according to a large range of the topic

The Emigration of Muslims from the Greek state in the 19th century. An Outline

Modern Greek statehood began to take shape with the War of Independence that broke out in 1821 and continued with varying intensity for the next years. As a result of these events, the Greeks cast of the foreign rule, which for many not only meant separation from the Ottoman Empire, but also the expulsion of Muslims living in these lands. During the uprising, about 25 000 Muslims lost their lives, and a similar number emigrated from the territory of the future Greek state. The next great exodus of Muslims from Greek lands was related to the annexation of Thessaly by the Hellenic Kingdom, which was to a larger extent spread over time. Since the region was incorporated into Greece until the beginning of the 20th century, the 40 000-strong Islamic community had virtually disappeared.Modern Greek statehood began to take shape with the War of Independence that broke out in 1821 and continued with varying intensity for the next years. As a result of these events, the Greeks cast of the foreign rule, which for many not only meant separation from the Ottoman Empire, but also the expulsion of Muslims living in these lands. During the uprising, about 25 000 Muslims lost their lives, and a similar number emigrated from the territory of the future Greek state. The next great exodus of Muslims from Greek lands was related to the annexation of Thessaly by the Hellenic Kingdom, which was to a larger extent spread over time. Since the region was incorporated into Greece until the beginning of the 20th century, the 40 000-strong Islamic community had virtually disappeared

The Functioning of the Mufti Institution in Bulgaria at the Beginning of the 20th Century. A Case Study

Autor analizuje działalność muftich, jednej z najważniejszych instytucji administracji muzułmańskiej w Bułgarii w okresie Trzeciego stanu (1878–1944). Przedstawione zostały trzy przypadki: Afiza M. Mustafowa, Afiz Suleymanova i Sali Effendiego, które ilustrują szereg zjawisk związanych z funkcjonowaniem muzułmańskich autonomicznych instytucji w Bułgarii na przełomie XIX i XX w. Studia przypadków oparte są na materiałach z Centralnego Archiwum Państwowego Bułgarii w Sofii. The author analyses the functioning of the muftis in Bulgaria, one of the most important institution of the Muslim religious-administrative autonomy in that Balkan country during the Third State period (1878–1944). The presented three cases of Afiz M. Mustafow, Afiz Suleymanov, and Sali Effendi illustrated series of phenomenon linked to the functioning of mufti and Muslim autonomous institutions in Bulgaria in the turn of the 19th and 20th century. The case studies are based on the materials from the Central State Archive of Bulgaria in Sofia

Muslims in rural and Municipal Councils in Bulgaria at the turn of the 19th and 20th century

The modern Bulgarian state, created in 1878, was ethnically and religiously heterogeneous. In 1881, 26 % of the country’s population were Muslims (527,000) and in 1910 it was 14 % (602,000). Despite that, Muslims did not hold any posts in Bulgaria’s central administration, nor did they generally occupy them at the level of districts (okrag) and counties (okoliya). However, the situation was different in commune (obshtina) governments. Muslims were represented in the councils in cities and villages in the northeast of the country and the Rhodope Mountains (the areas where they were concentrated) and had the opportunity to play an important role in making decisions on key issues related to local finance, infrastructure and education together with Bulgarians. In some cases, they managed to efficiently participate in the functioning of local governments, while in others they played only a symbolic role. On the one hand, the Muslims were not sufficiently represented, their position in the city councils was marginalized, in the political rivalry they were accused of betrayal and connections with the Ottoman authorities, and they also needed to deal with the problem of corruption and clientelism. On the other hand, special officials were elected as Muslim assistants to a mayor or as mayor’s representatives delegated to a village as a nod of acknowledgment to acknowledge the Muslim community, and some of the rural councils in the northeast and in the Rhodope Mountains were dominated by Muslim representatives. This situation was similar in many ways to how it had been in the Ottoman Empire, where Christians were isolated from the central government but could be represented at the commune level. These structures inherited some pathologies. The model adopted by the state of Bulgaria would not have been possible to implement without the centuries-long tradition of komshuluk, which became one of the most important positive factors shaping ethnic relations in the Bulgarian lands after 1878. The paper is based on the author’s original studies of materials found in the State Archive in Varna, as well as on the press from this period, examined using the case study method

Bulgarian-Serbian rapprochement in 1904 as the basis for the unification of the South Slavs : remarks on Boncho Boev’s federalist concepts

The article discusses the federalist concepts of the Bulgarian economist Boncho Boev, formulated during the Bulgarian-Serbian rapprochement in 1904. The creation of a South-Slavic State would take place through the economic integration of Serbia and Bulgaria, which, by improving their economic position, would simultaneously strengthen their political situation and join Macedonia. Boev’s views are presented on the basis of speeches given during the Student Balkan Congress in Sofia on 6-8 March (22-24 February old style) 1904, and subsequently published in the Journal of the Bulgarian Economic Society as “Посещението на Сръбски крал и сръбско-българското сближение” [The Visit of the King of Serbia and the Serbian-Bulgarian Rapprochement] and "Балканската федерация като идеал на сръбско-българската младеж" [The Balkan Federation as the Ideal of the Bulgarian-Serb Youth]

The question of Christian Slavic refugees and the Russian occupation of the principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia (1877–1879)

The modern Bulgarian state was founded as a result of the Russian intervention on the Balkan Peninsula in 1877–1878. Until June 1879, the tsarist army occupied the newly created state, which was divided into the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia pursuant to the decision of the Congress of Berlin. During this period, the Russians made all the most important decisions in the eastern Balkans, including those concerning migrations. As a result of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, about 100,000 Christian Slavs left their homes fleeing the hostilities. After the cease-fire, at the beginning of 1878, most of the refugees came back home; however, the Christians from Macedonia and Thrace, the lands which remained under the Ottoman Empire’s control in accordance with the Treaty of Berlin of July 1878, also started to migrate to Bulgaria. This was a result of unsuccessful uprisings as well as the will to live in a country ruled by the men of the same religion and ethnicity

The agrarian reforms in Serbia and Bulgaria in 1880 and their impact on the Muslim great estates – a comparative outline

With the fall of the sultan’s rule in the Balkans, the natural aspiration of the rural population was to take control over the lands belonging to the great Muslim landowners – in the case of Bulgarians and Serbs, the agricultural reforms implemented in 1880 became the fulfilment of these expectations. The comparative method was used to formulate the new conclusions on the property relations in these two South Slavic countries at the end of the 19th century, provide an indication of the characteristics of the Serbian and Bulgarian villages as well as to highlight the common features of both countries. An attempt will be made to define the factors that could have contributed to these differences and similarities