CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Sabanci University Research Database 'PHILETISM' IN THE BALKANS: THE FORMATION OF THE BULGARIAN EXARCHATE (1830-1878) by ÜMİT ESER Submitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Sabancı University Spring 2009 I ABBREVIATIONS BOA. Bİ. Ottoman Archives of Prime Ministry/ Decrees of Bulgaria (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri/ Bulgaristan İradeleri) BOA. DED. BBD Ottoman Archives of Prime Ministry/ Registers of Foreign States/ Berat Registers of Bulgaria (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri/ Düvel-i Ecnebiye Defterleri/ Bulgaristan Berat Defteri) BOA. MH. Ottoman Archives of Prime Ministry/ Central Chancery Registers (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri/ Mühimme Defterleri) BOA. MV Ottoman Archives of Prime Ministry/ Official Reports of Council of Ministers (Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri/ Meclis-i Vükela Mazbataları) C. ADL Judiciary of Cevdet's Classification (Cevdet Tasnifi/ Adliye) H. H. Reform Decree (Hatt-ı Hümayun) MMZC Official Report of the Ottoman Parliameny (Meclis-i Mebusan Zabıt Ceridesi) II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express deepest gratitude for my advisor, Prof. Dr. Fikret Adanır, for his excellent guidance, encouragement, and conversations full of motivation. I am glad to have the chance to study with him. I would like to thank Elif Kiraz, who translated the crucial chapters of single German book- the book of Michael Ursinus- used in this study and assisted to read some Ottoman documents. I also would like to thank Leyla Kenaroğlu, Emil Sabri Halil and Necmi Kasapoğlu for their help in the translations of Bulgarian works. I must thank to Katerina Antoniou for her help about some Greek names and her support. All translations from French into English, Turkish into English, and Russian into English are the work of author of this thesis. Admittedly, all the mistakes in these translations belong to me. I would like to thank Dr. Akşin Somel and Dr. Elçin Macar for their help on various occasions and for their suggestions. I would like to render my thanks to the staff of Ivan Vazov National Library in Plovdiv and helpful clerics of the Assumptionist Roman Catholic Church at Moda, who provided the copies of Revue d'Orient. Besides, I would like to thank Demet Akman, who provided access to the Külliyat-ı Kavanin documents in the Turkish History Association (Türk Tarih Kurumu). And lastly, I am grateful to my mother, Nilgün, for her strong support throughout my thesis time, and sister, Gizem, for her support and understanding. III ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyze the formation process of the Bulgarian Exarchate. The method of presentation in this work is topical-chronological. First chapter deals with different aspects of Ottoman modernization (transformation/formalization process of millet system, rise of secularist tendencies, and attempt to create an Ottoman nation by Tanzimat cadres) starting from the 19th century. Following chapter continues with structural and cultural changes beginning from the mid-18th century in the Bulgarian lands and role of Catholic and Protestant missionaries within these changes in the 19th century. The third chapter investigates the phases of the foundation of the Bulgarian Exarchate between the 1830s and 1872. Our argument is that establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate is the most crucial event in the fragmentation of the Orthodox realm in the Balkans realized in the 19th century due to the spread of ideas of Enlightenment and Romanticism. Ethnic violence and secular parochialism posed the most serious threat against ecumenic character of Orthodoxy. Even though the Ecumenical Patriarchate had a reserve against nationalist ideas, 'official' churches of the nation-states became the instruments of these new political structures. The research of problem under study is based on archival collections and secondary sources. These archival materials are the Ottoman Archives of the Prime Ministry, Külliyat-ı Kavanin documents in the Türk Tarih Kurumu (Turkish Historical Association), and Tasnif-i Cevdet/Adliye (Classification of Teacher Cevdet for Judiciary). The existing historiography on the Exarchate is very old and very limited, though many researches were conducted about the Ottoman millet system, reforms of the 19th century, and missionary movements in the Bulgarian lands. ÖZET Bu çalışmanın amacı Bulgar Eksarhlığının biçimlenme sürecini incelemektir. Bu çalışmada sunum metodu konuyla ilgili-kronolojiktir. İlk bölüm 19. yüzyıldan başlayarak Osmanlı modernleşmesinin farklı veçheleriyle (Millet sisteminin dönüşüm/ resmileşme süreci, seküler eğilimlerin yükselişi, Tanzimat kadrolarınca bir Osmanlı ulusu yaratma girişimiyle) ilgilenir. Takip eden bölüm 18. yüzyılın ortasından başlayan Bulgar topraklarındaki yapısal ve kültürel değişimlerle ve 19. yüzyılda bu değişimdeki Katolik ve Protestan misyonerlerin rolüyle devam eder. Üçüncü bölüm 1830larla 1872 arasında Bulgar Eksarhlığının kurulma evrelerini inceler. İddiamız Bulgar Eksarhlığının kuruluşunun 19. yüzyılda Aydınlanma ve Romantizmin fikirlerinin yayılmasından dolayı gerçekleşen Ortodoks aleminin parçalanmasında en önemli olay olduğudur. Etnik şiddet ve seküler dar görüşlülük Ortodoks mezhebinin ekümenik karakterine yönelik en ciddi tehdidi yaratmıştır. Ekümenik Patrikhanenin milliyetçi fikirlere karşı ihtiyatı olmasına rağmen, ulus- IV devletlerin 'resmi' kiliseleri, bu yeni siyasi yapıların aletleri haline gelmiştir. Çalışılan sorunun araştırması arşiv koleksiyonlarına ve ikinci el kaynaklara dayanır. Bu arşiv materyalleri Başbakanlık Osmanlı Arşivleri, Türk Tarih Kurumu'nda Külliyat-ı Kavanin dökümanları ve Muallim Cevdetin Adliye Tasnifidir. Birçok araştırmacının Osmanlı millet sistemi, 19. yüzyıl reformları ve Bulgar topraklarındaki misyoner hareketleri hakkında araştırmalarını yürütmesine karşıni Eksarhhane üzerine var olan tarih yazımı eski ve hala çok sınırlıdır. V CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 Historiography of the Topic 3 Historical Background of So-Called Millet System: An Autonomous Realm for non-Muslim Communities 4 Nomen: Millet 4 Discussions about the Existence and Autonomy of the Millets 8 The Greatest non-Muslim Millet in the Empire: Millet-i Rum 11 Centrifugal Tendencies at the End of the 18th Century: Kardzhaliisko, Rule of Ayan, and Emergence of Local Liability in the Balkans 15 CHAPTER I: GENERAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 21 The Imperial Edict of Rose Chamber and Reforms in the Provincial Administration 21 War and Ongoing Reforms: Announcement of the Reform Decree 28 Centralist Modernization Project: Ottomanism 33 Modernization: Secularization Attempts within the non-Muslim Communities 39 CHAPTER II: VAZRAZHDANE: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TRANSITION PERIOD AMONG THE BULGARIAN COMMUNITIES 41 Economic Revival and Major Centers of Economic Activity 42 Cultural Revival and Emergence of Schooling Network 50 Disorder in the Northwestern Edge: Peasant Rebellions, 1841-50 52 Rise of Catholic Missionary Efforts and the Establishment of a Uniate Church 55 Nascent Involvement of the Protestant Missions 61 CHAPTER III: ESTABLISHMENT PROCESS OF THE BULGARIAN EXARCHATE, C. 1830-1872 69 Early Demands for the Bulgarian-Speaking Metropolitan Bishops, c. 1830-1847 69 Construction of a Bulgarian Church in the Ottoman Capital and Search for Restoration of Friendly Relations under the Guidance of Stefan Bogoridi, 1847-1859 71 Years of Crisis, 1859-1864 74 The Ambassadorship of Ignatiev and the Disruption of the Russian Pan-Orthodox Policies, 1864-1870 77 The Pronunciation of the Ferman (Imperial Decree) and the Establishment of the Exarchate VI 83 Ignatiev's Last Attempt for Reconciliation, 1870-1872 88 Formation of the Bulgarian Exarchate: A Philetism? 92 Aftermath 93 CONCLUSION 103 BIBLIOGRAPHY 107 VII INTRODUCTION The roles of educational and religious institutions are important in the nation-formation period in the 19th century Balkans. The duty of these institutions is acceptance of nationalistic policies by local rural masses and conviction of these masses to be 'national'. The centralization, bureaucratization, and homogenization triggered by these institutions led to the nationalist indoctrination of the masses1. Since the religious institutions (churches, monasteries, synagogues) and educational institutions were controlled by the same group (clerics) in the Ottoman millet system, establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate is a milestone for the development of Bulgarian nationalism. Formation of the Bulgarian Exarchate is related with the intellectual aspect of nationalism. It had a crucial importance over the school issue in the Macedonian question and linguistic programs of the Bulgarian nationalism. Miroslav Hroch, who successfully related the construction of an élité nationalism to the capitalist developments, has a model of the development of nationalism for small nations in Eastern Europe. Hroch has five phases for non-dominant ethnic groups for the development of linguistic programs2. In this work, initial four stages were investigated in the Bulgarian context. In the Stage A, Hroch shows that 'language is celebrated and defended'. A few educated scholars and bishops published some works on the role of their national groups or dictionaries. In these works, 'aesthetic value, ability to express all manner of feelings or the convey of information, and historical merits' of vernacular language were praised. These