The Derbendzhi Villages in Kaza/Nahiye of Turnovo between 1515 and 1613 – 1614. Observations on Their Social and Economic Development

Since the beginning of the Ottoman rule, the district of Turnovo was a part of provence of Nikopol, which is the heir of the Turnovo kingdom of Shishman’s dinasty. Within the studied period (1515-1614), the number of villages included in the boundaries of Turnovo district was about 180. And the number of derbendzhi villages in the district ranged from 5 to 16 from the beginning of the 16th to the first quarter of the 17th c. The district of Turnovo, located in mountainous areas and crossed by the Yantra River, includes dangerous and quite difficult areas, which need special security. For this purpose, the Ottoman Empire granted special status to the inhabitants of some villages in the Turnovo district and appointed them as the guardians of passers-by. This practice occurs not only in the Bulgarian lands but also in the other Balkan lands during the Ottoman period. The Ottoman tax registers (tahrir defters) represent one of the most important sources of the Balkan settlement history. They provide detailed information on the different categories of population and the villages where they live. Most of them date back to the 16th c. Most registers referring to Turnovo district also date back to the 16th c. In this article the derbendzhi villages in Turnovo district will be studied during the period 1515-1614. The main source of this article is the unpublished Ottoman registers of Nikopol provence kept in the Turkish archives in Istanbul and Ankara. The purpose is to identify derbendzhi villages in Turnovo district and to analyze demographic, social and economic situation during the period. It will focus on the demographic and economic changes that have occurred in these villages during the studied period.