Relations between Heterodox Muslims and Christians in Central Rumeli in the First Centuries of the Ottoman Rule according to the Hagiography of Three Muslim Saints

Tatiana D. Bondarenko

doi:10.21638/spbu13.2024.303

Authors

Tatiana D. Bondarenko Institute of Balkan Studies and Center of Traceology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu13.2024.303

Abstract

Understanding the image of Christians in heterodox Muslims’ literature allows us to deepen our knowledge of how interaction between representatives of the two religions took place in the first centuries of Ottoman rule in the Balkans. Based on vilayetname of three Muslim saints popular in the Balkans (Sarı Saltık, Othman Baba and Demir Baba), this article explores the image of Christians with whom the dervishes interacted; the changes in the image of Christians; the nature of interactions between heterodox Muslims and Christians. The main categories of Christians with which the Muslim saints interacted were warriors and the ordinary rural and urban population (in the case of Sarı Saltık, representatives of the religious and secular authorities of the Christian world can be added). While Christian warriors are portrayed as enemies, the ordinary population often receives aid from the dervishes, regardless of their religious affiliation. The religion of ordinary people is not always mentioned, but it can be determined by indirect signs such as demography. It can be established that the image of Christians in vilayetname was influenced by the political situation related to heterodox Muslims in the contemporary period, their relationship with authorities and dervishes from orders
loyal to the state. Gradually, they become the main antagonists of Muslim saints, while the confrontation with Christians loses relevance. Another factor influencing the image of Balkan Christians is the movement of the state border to the west and the turn of Central Rumeli into the hinterland of the Ottoman state.

Keywords:

heterodox Islam, dervishes, image of the Other, Islam in the Balkans, Rumelia

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