Physical environment and settlement patterns in Deliorman region (N.E. Bulgaria) in the sixteenth century

Abstract

The spreading process of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan region covers a very long period. After the successive conquest period, the ultimate goal of the institutionalization was to maintain the permanence in the region. To accomplish this, they practiced military and political methods. One of the most important of these was the establishment of new settlements representing the Ottoman presence. In the context of this study, the nature of these new settlements formed in the Deliorman region in the 16th century will be examined on the basis of the villages. Also, the role of geographical factors will be emphasized in these settlements. The demographic changes over time will be revealed via tahrir defters (tax registers) dated 1530, 1573 and 1580. The geographical factors will be used as the basis for the comparisons between these three defters. For this reason, 11 villages have been chosen to make an analysis about the process of infiltration of the nomadic groups into the sedentary life.