Orthodox structures in the Balkans during 17^th—18^th century: According to documents from the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul
Language: Bulgarian with a summary in English

     In the present study on the Orthodox Church in the Balkans during the 17th-18th centuries are included the translations of 226 unpublished and 3 published Ottoman documents in a broad chronological range — the earliest document in from 1684 and the latest one from 1786. Most of them (227) are drown from the “Piskopos kalemi” fund at the Ottoman Archives — Istanbul (BOA). The great historical value and unique nature of the translated documents due mainly to the fact that they are derived from the processed “Piskopos kalemi” fund in which 4746 archive unites are systematized with 4813 documents for a period from 1015 to 1207 (1606—1792). Only a small part of this arhchive treasure is published, since these various in type documents written in different types of Arabic handwritind are not annotated, but only dated unlike the documents in most of the funds of Istanbul Ottoman Archives. More than 2000 of them directly affect the problems of the Orthodox church structures in the Balkans during 17th and 18th c., as officially recognized institutions but also under the rule of the Ottoman authorities.

Table of contents

I. The Orthodox Church on the Balkans in documents from the funds of the Ottoman Archives in Istanbul (17th—18th c.)

1. Introduction

2. Diplomatic-paleographic analysis of the documents

3. Principles of publishing the documents

3.1. Presentation of the non-equivalent vocabulary (toponyms, anthroponyms, Ottoman terms)

3.2. Consideration and translation of the Ottoman terms with divergent meaning and foreign to the Ottoman fiscal and administrative practice terms and lexemes

3.3. Dating criteria

4. The Orthodox structures on the Balkans in the 17th—18th c.

II. Translation of documents, notes and historical comments (№1—229)

1. An obligation of the Ohrid Patriarch Parthenios for 1684 (3.08.1684)

2. A plea from Patriarch Dionysios concerning the collection of church taxes from the kaza of Silistra (before 13.09.1686)

3. A plea from Patriarch Dionysios concerning the collection of church taxes from Anhialo, Varna, Mesemvria and other kazas (before 26.09.1686)

4. Patriarch Dionysios appoints his representative for the collection of church taxes from the dioceses of Silistra and Braila (before 5.10.1686)

5. Patriarch Dionysios pleads for the appointment fo a new metropolitan of Thessaloniki in place of the guilty Neophytos (before 13.10.1686)

6. Requiring a Sultan’s order for the unobstructed collection of church taxes in Tarnovo and the region (before 11.05.1678)

7. A report of the cleric Germanos against the Ohrid Patriarch Gregory III (before 28.12.1687)

8. The Patriarch ot Ipek Arsenios pleads for a renewal of his berat (before 14.01.1688)

9. Patriarch Callinicos pleads for a Sultan’s order concerning the collection of church taxes from the kaza of Edrine (before 24.10.1691)

10. The Patriarchate of Ohrid pays the salary of the court jeweler Benli Konstantin (29.12.1692)

11. The Catholic community in Sarajevo pleads for an interpretation of the Sultan’s order, providing it financial guarantees (27.04.—5.05.1963)

12. A plea form Patriarch Ignatios concerning the appointment of a metropolitan of Voden (before 27.05.1693)

13. The priests of the churches in Filibe owe miri rüsüm for the period of nine years (20.07.1697—9.07.1698)

14. Obligations of the patriarchs in Ipek, Ohrid and Istanbul for the period 28.11.1685—28.06.1699 (without a date)

15. Metropolitan Gregory is appointed to collect the church taxes for the years 1698 and 1699 from the kazas of Sofia, Berkovitsa, Pirot, Breznik, Iznebol, Kutlovitsa and their adjacent villages (before 10.05.1698)

16. Patriarch Callinicos claims a dismiss of the Metropolitan of Sofia Gregory (after 28.06.1699)

17. The population of the villages in the kaza of Nikopol complain about the interference of the local officials when paying the church taxes (21.04.1700)

18. The Metropolitan of Silistra and other kazas, the cleric Athanasios, is assigned to collect the church taxes from his diocese (before 16.09.1700)

19. The metropolitans and bishops of Thessaloniki and the region do not allow the Patriarch’s proxy to interfere in their deeds (before 08.06.1700—07.06.1701)

20. A collection of church taxes from Edrine and the region (before 08.06.1700—07.06.1701)

21. Patriarch Callinicos pleads for a Sultan’s order concerning the collection of church taxes from the kazas of Ruse, Giurgevo, Razgrad, Osman Pazar, Chervena Voda and others (before 23.04.1701)

22. A complaint from the Metropolitan of Arnavud Belgradi against the representative of his predecessor (before 22.10.1701)

23. The collection of church taxes from Filibe and other kazas in the region (before 30.11.1701)

24. The Metropolitan Theodosius of Tarnovo complains about the treacherous behavior of the Bishop Dionysios ot Ruse (before 25.12.1701)

... (№26—229)

III. Reference apparatus

1. Glossary of terms

2. Sunject and thematic index

3. Geographic index

4. Index of the personal names

IV. A list of selected facsimiles of different types of documents

Православни структури на Балканите през XVII–XVIII век