Turks and Bulgarians, Fourteenth to Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract

The article reviews the representation of the Turks in Bulgarian lands from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The Turks were the enemy in two senses, both as military conquerors and, as Muslims, a dangerous threat to the Orthodox Church. The Turkish image greatly contributed to the shaping of Bulgarian identity. However, although largely negative, the Bulgarian image of the Turk was not always so.