The Territory of the Bulgarians and Its Borders During the 15th–17th Centuries.

Abstract

This study explores the boundaries of the Bulgarian space in the early centuries of the Ottoman domination.

After analyzing European, Ottoman, and Bulgarian sources, a general conclusion is made that during this period, when there were no political boundaries in the Balkans, the Bulgarian space—compared to that of other Balkan peoples—was enclosed within a system of boundaries composed of three concentric zones.

The first and widest frame comprises the space enclosed within the region of the Danube Delta, the mouth of the Timok River, the middle stream of the Devol River to the southwest of Lake Ohrid, and the mouth of the Maritsa River. Bulgarians and their neighboring peoples coexisted in this zone, where the broader boundaries of their respective spaces intertwined.

In the second zone, ethnic boundaries become apparent. For Bulgarians and Serbs, these boundaries followed the space between the Morava, Nishava, and Timok rivers. However, there existed an inner space that Bulgarians did not share with others, perceiving it as their own center. In this space, non-Bulgarians were considered foreigners.

As boundary points of this internal Bulgarian space, sources indicate the towns of Nish, Silistra, Svilengrad, and the stream of the Strumitsa River.