The Wars of the Ottoman Empire from the 16th Century and Their Impact on the Economic and Demographic Situation of the Northeastern Bulgarian Lands

The article aims to examine the impact of the wars waged by Selim I and Suleyman I against Sefivid Iran in Asia Minor during the 16th century on the economy, demography, and settlement network of the northeastern Bulgarian lands. Although situated at a considerable distance from the Empire’s military conflicts, these territories became the destination of hundreds of Muslim settlers, many of whom were forcibly deported. In order to trace these processes and to identify their direct consequences – whether positive or negative – we have relied on information preserved in both published and unpublished Ottoman population registers. Our direct observations are focused on several deliberately selected regions: the districts (nahiye) of Varna and Provadia in the periphery, as well as Deliorman, the district of Kara Lom, Gerlovo, and Tozluka in the interior. The study of these areas provides us with a clear picture of how war influenced demographic and settlement dynamics, and consequently the confessional character of territories intrinsically connected with the medieval Bulgarian state. Such processes inevitably produced changes in the sphere of economic life as well. For this reason, the paper also addresses the transformations in the economic condition of the region, with particular attention to the agrarian background of the new settlers and their integration into the economic structures of the northeastern Bulgarian lands.