The Image of the Ottoman Authorities in the Vitae of the Balkan Martyrs of the 16th Century

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Abstract

The article examines how the images of the Ottoman authorities are presented in the Slavic hagiography of the 16th century (the vitae of the Balkan martyrs): first of all, the sultans, but also individual mayors («eparchs») and viziers. Despite some of the negative features the Ottoman Sultan acts most often as a neutral figure or even as a kind of arbitrator, to whom both a Muslim judge and some Christians turn for advice. It is the «tsar» who can decide what sentence to impose on a Christian martyr. This peculiarity of the image of the Ottoman ruler can be explained by the fact that for the compilers of the vitae he represents the only legitimate «tsar» to whom, despite his belonging to the «Hagarites» and their faith, they must obey as subjects. The contrast is presented in the image of some local rulers and senior officials: they often act as persecutors of Christianity. Moreover, in order to achieve their goal and destroy the future saint, these «eparchs» or «voivodes» resort to deception and flattery, forcing the «tsar» or judge himself to believe in their lies and pass a death sentence on a Christian. The image of a Muslim city or prison guardian given in the hagiography is also quite ambiguous. The guardian can act as a fairly positive character who is imbued with respect for the martyr and tries to alleviate his suffering, as well as organizes meetings of the future saint with other Christians. At the same time, Ottoman guards are characterized by human weaknesses: they can doze off on duty and take bribes.

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Nikita V. Evstafyev

Institute of Slavic Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: nikichan1@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6965-4112

Postgraduate Student, Junior Researcher

Russian Federation, Moscow

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