Merchants and Trade in the Bulgarian Lands under Ottoman Rule (15th – 18th Centuries)

The internal trade and the intensive exchange of goods in the Ottoman Empire created a favorable field for the construction of a peculiar network of trade centers, in which the Bulgarians also found a place. Its centers became the Ottoman bazaar and çarşı, which developed as commercial and social centers. Their specifics, place in the urban organization and production will find a place in this report. The report presents the list of goods that is available in various shops in the bazaar. Attention is also paid to the ownership of various merchants in the Bulgarian lands. The buildings that are closely related and necessarily present in the city bazaar are examined. Attention is paid to the impressive list of goods that the market offered in the Bulgarian Ottoman space. Along with this, attention will also be paid to the legislative framework and the main control figures who guided trade in the city market. The preserved baç laws of a number of cities in the Bulgarian lands provide an opportunity for such analyzes and a deep insight into the various aspects of the functioning of the internal trade exchange. The detailed population registers with the tax list included in them give another touch to the economic orientation of the cities. Along with all this, attention will also be paid to the main actors of the weekly market – the village merchant, the professional merchant and the craftsman – with their specificities and role in the trade network that transported goods from the city to its rural surroundings.