The Turkish Dominion

Suppression of Bulgarian Identity

Destruction of Bulgarian Church (Late 15th Century)

Under the orders of Sultan Bayazid, the leader of the Muslim Turks, the Bulgarian national church faced severe destruction. The Bulgarian clergy was either killed or forced to flee. Byzantium, now more commonly known as Constantinople, aimed to reintroduce earlier Greek practices into the language of the Bulgarian church.

Fall of Constantinople and Ottoman Rule (1453)

In 1453, Constantinople succumbed to the Turks. The Turkish Ottoman Empire now governed the Balkans, much like ancient Byzantium did in its prime. The Turks, for political reasons, supported the Greek Orthodox Church based in Constantinople. This unwritten alliance between the Turks and the Greeks endured for four centuries. Under this arrangement, Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire, particularly the Slavs, were politically subordinated to the Turks and spiritually to the Greeks City Tours Istanbul.

Dark Age for Bulgarian Identity (15th-19th Century)

This period marked a dark age for the Bulgarian national spirit, surpassing the challenges faced under Greek influence alone. Bulgarian books were burned, and the Bulgarian language, both spoken and as a literary medium, was officially replaced in church rituals by Greek. Bulgarians ceased to speak their language in public, adopting Turkish when conversing with the Turks and Greek when communicating with the Greeks.

The Turkish Dominion

Suppression of Bulgarian Identity

Destruction of Bulgarian Church (Late 15th Century)

Under the orders of Sultan Bayazid, the leader of the Muslim Turks, the Bulgarian national church faced severe destruction. The Bulgarian clergy was either killed or forced to flee. Byzantium, now more commonly known as Constantinople, aimed to reintroduce earlier Greek practices into the language of the Bulgarian church.

Fall of Constantinople and Ottoman Rule (1453)

In 1453, Constantinople succumbed to the Turks. The Turkish Ottoman Empire now governed the Balkans, much like ancient Byzantium did in its prime. The Turks, for political reasons, supported the Greek Orthodox Church based in Constantinople. This unwritten alliance between the Turks and the Greeks endured for four centuries. Under this arrangement, Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire, particularly the Slavs, were politically subordinated to the Turks and spiritually to the Greeks City Tours Istanbul.

Dark Age for Bulgarian Identity (15th-19th Century)

This period marked a dark age for the Bulgarian national spirit, surpassing the challenges faced under Greek influence alone. Bulgarian books were burned, and the Bulgarian language, both spoken and as a literary medium, was officially replaced in church rituals by Greek. Bulgarians ceased to speak their language in public, adopting Turkish when conversing with the Turks and Greek when communicating with the Greeks.