The Bulgarian Community in the Ottoman Society in the Second Half of the XVIII Century – the 70s of the XIX Century: The Process of Forming National Consciousness

The article delves into the situation of the Bulgarian community in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the XVIII century – 1870s, the analysis of the process of growth of national self-consciousness of the people in the conditions of transformations in society associated with the crisis of the feudal system and the need for reforms that began in the empire in the XIX century. The chronological framework of the study is the period of the National Revival of Bulgaria (second half of the XVIII century – 1878). The study demonstrates that the community played a vital role in preserving Bulgarian ethnicity during the period of Ottoman oppression, maintaining folk traditions, and resisting subjugation. It is emphasized that the integration of the community into the Ottoman feudal system did not imply that the subjugated people acquiesced to foreign rule. Amidst the crisis of feudalism and under the influence of reforms within the empire, changes occurred in the community, enhancing the populace’s desire to safeguard their interests. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that the Bulgarian community was one of the societal institutions where national liberation ideas began to emerge during the National Revival era. To a significant extent, it was through the community that the people began to resist both the Constantinople Patriarchate and the Ottoman authorities. The article is based on the methodological principles of historicism and objectivity, as well as on a combination of historical-systemic, historical-typological, and historical-genetic methods.