Произход, религия и език на българите: еволюция на гледищата в Западна Европа (ХV–ХVIII век)
Origin, Religion and Language of the Bulgarians: Evolution of the Views in Western Europe 15-th–18 th centuries

Summary/Abstract: The object of study includes West European historiographical texts from the 15th-18th cc. which contain information about the origin, religion and language of the Bulgarians. While the earlier period was mostly dominated by the idea of their “Scythian” origin and that they were Christians who had adopted the Roman Catholic faith while nothing was said of their language, in the 16th century the texts already spoke of the “Volga” origin and Orthodox faith of the Bulgarians. To this thesis one should also add the preconceived idea of the Dalmatian Orbini about the Slavic origin of the Bulgarians, later also found in Païsy. The thesis of the “Volga” origin and Christian faith continued as a traditional presence in Western and Central European historiography in the 18th century. At the same time, a new interpretation was launched as a result of the ideological quests of the Enlightenment. According to the latter, language as the principal criterion of national affiliation determined the “Slavic” association of the Bulgarians (Assemani, Peyssonnel). A parallel is drawn between Païsy's History and some of his contemporary western authors to reveal a different interpretation of ideas: in Païsy we have an adapted relationship between Russians and Bulgarians, while elsewhere the information was not artificially selected, revealing a relationship between Turks and Bulgarians. It is pointed out in conclusion that while Western Europe made an early start on the road to “rediscover” itself in terms of both its own inhabitants and the others, Balkan societies began to move in that direction as late as the 18th century.

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