Щрихи върху ежедневието на дербентджийското и войнушкото население през XVI–XVII век
Outlines of the Everyday Life of the Derbendji and Voynuk Population during the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Summary/Abstract: The main object of this study is, on the basis of some Ottoman documents, to shed new light on the everyday life of some settlements situated along the busy road from the Ottoman capital city of Istanbul to Central Europe. Some details are given about the daily duties of the Bulgarians who went to work in the Capital’s State Stables or went on a risky journey, following the conquests of the Ottoman army. They are studied on the basis of an unpublished list of voynuks assigned to service. The population of the Christian villages along important roads most often performed derbendji service. Despite their tax privileges, Bulgarians from these villages had a difficult life. They were often disturbed by the presence of Ottoman troops and state officials, who during war, but in peacetime as well, moved along this main road, staying in people’s houses and expecting to be fed and supplied with provisions. The everyday life in the villages of the region of the Balkan Mountains Range and the Sredna gora Mountain, far from the busy roads, was quite different. There the population was engaged in cattle breeding and crafts related to it. In this region there were some very large entirely Bulgarian settlements, which over time became thriving trade and craft centres having the appearance of small towns.

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