The Miladinov Brothers & Macedonian Literature - 19th Century

[Soldier of Macedon]

Just interested in who Balan was and which peasants called the Russian Emperor by the term ‘Bulgarian’ to denote he was a ‘Christian’ and not an actual Bulgarian.

He was a Bulgar scholar who was born in southern Ukraine and moved to Bulgaria shortly after Russia liberated the latter from the Ottomans. Later on, he also served the Exarchate. His works concerned history and language. Here is the actual quote:

Was it very long before the liberation of the Bulgarians that one could hear throughout Bulgaria Bulgarians answering to the question “What are you?” (by nationality) that they are “Christians” or “raya”? And it is not so unusual even today to hear a Bulgarian answering in court to the question of his nationality that he is a “Christian”. For him the concept of nationality has not yet become a new acquisition of his reason. During the Turkish period the Bulgarian peasant termed Bulgarians from cities “Greeks”, and city clothing was for him “Greek clothing”. And since the Greeks called this peasant a “fat-headed Bulgarian”, his brother from the city loved to be called by the term “Hellene” in order to avoid the derision associated with his true national name. Is not this exactly the same as what Mr. Misirkov tells us about the names for the Macedonian Slavs? The name “Bulgarian” had in Bulgaria fallen to a level which brought it only the derision of foreigners. In the speech of the Bulgarian himself, this name had lost its national content to such an extent that it became a synonym for “Christian”, which name came to signify the entire ethnic content of the Bulgarian individual and social consciousness. Our peasant, in saying “we are Bulgarians”, thought “we are Christians”, i.e., Orthodox. The Russian emperor was for him the “Bulgarian emperor” not by nationality but by Orthodox Christianity.

This is just one part of a broader analysis (from a biased Bulgar perspective) in response to Misirkov highlighting the fickleness of identities during the Middle Ages and Ottoman era. Generally, Balan is otherwise disparaging of Misirkov and in that regard, there is little difference between him and the other Bulgar “academics” from that period who couldn’t contain their insecurities in the face of Macedonian individualism and self-determination. In the quoted text above, he was forced to make this minor concession and acknowledge reality. However, he quickly followed up by remarking that whilst their national consciousness had faded, it was right for them to seek the “Bulgar” noun as a nationality because it is “more connected with the masses, with the simple peasantry, which is used in relation to it and by neighbouring nations.” He then goes on to connect that with the Macedonians. Basically, a rare moment of clarity followed by unqualified and simplistic drivel.

[Chicho Makedonski]

Balan (1904) stated that 'Bulgarian' was used as a synonym for 'Christian', hence even the Russian Emperor was a 'Bulgarian' to many of the peasants.

Just interested in who Balan was and which peasants called the Russian Emperor by the term ‘Bulgarian’ to denote he was a ‘Christian’ and not an actual Bulgarian.

[Soldier of Macedon]

That is most interesting, so the terms in this context are synonymous?

In certain (later) contexts, Mysia was synonymous with Bulgaria (Moesia) and by extension with recently acquired territories such as Macedonia. An interesting observation made by Mitko Panov is that Leo the Deacon refers to Bulgars and Mysians interchangeably prior to Samuel, but during his reign, he only refers to the people (most of whom were from Macedonia) as Mysians.

Still though, Pejčinoviḱ may have been inaccurate in labelling the Macedonians "lower Mysians" as would that not relate to the people in the north of the Black Sea by geographic definition?

More like west/northwest of the Black Sea. As for Pejčinoviḱ, I doubt he was thinking about corresponding boundaries of Roman provinces when he wrote Lower Mysia. Given his profession, he probably copied what he read in some religious books. In the thread that Carlin mentioned (Inscriptions at St. Sophia Ohrid) there are anachronistic references to Mysia and Mysians cited from the 16th century Life of Saint Naum, suggesting influence from a Greek source.

Pejčinoviḱ was writing during a time when Greek-speakers were calling themselves Romans and Bulgarian city-dwellers were calling themselves Greeks. Given the various claims and mess of identities in the Balkans during that period, his contribution to the culture of the region can hardly be considered an unwavering commitment to promoting an "ethnic Bulgarian" identity. Instead, his main legacy was the spiritual and literary enlightenment of his people. And for that purpose he wrote in a clearly identifiable Macedonian dialect - a dialect which is akin to many other Macedonian dialects that were deplored by so-called intellectuals from Bulgaria only a few decades later.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

That is most interesting, so the terms in this context are synonymous? Still though, Pejčinoviḱ may have been inaccurate in labelling the Macedonians "lower Mysians" as would that not relate to the people in the north of the Black Sea by geographic definition?

[Soldier of Macedon]

Whatever that means, unsure how an ancient term for a people in Anatolia was extrapolated to the medieval Balkans.

Moesia was where the horde of Bulgars led by Asparukh settled in the 7th century. Some authors from the Middle Ages (e.g. Leo the Deacon) had a tendency to classicise terminology and either replace or interchange Bulgaria with Mysia - owing to its similarity with the sound of Moesia in Greek. The spelling appears to have been adjusted for simplicity and the habit was picked up by later authors. The reference to Macedonia by this outdated relic is a legacy of her association with Bulgaria in the Middle Ages. Kiril Pejčinoviḱ was doing a bit of classicising himself, because it is doubtful the average commoner from Macedonia in the 19th century identified themselves or their territory as Lower Mysian. Also see below.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/...4:id=mysia-geo

MYSIA (Μυσία: Eth. Μυσός, Eth. Mysus), the name [p. 2.389]of a province in the north-west of Asia Minor, which according to Strabo (xii. p.572) was derived from the many beech-trees which grew about Mount Olympus, and were called by the Lydians μυσοί. Others more plausibly connect the name with the Celtic moese, a marsh or swamp, according to which Mysia would signify a marshy country. This supposition is supported by the notion prevalent among the ancients that the Mysians had immigrated into Asia Minor from the marshy countries about the Lower Danube, called Moesia, whence Mysia and Moesia would be only dialectic varieties of the same name. Hence, also, the Mysians are sometimes mentioned with the distinctive attribute of the “Asiatic,” to distinguish them from the European Mysians, or Moesians. (Eustath. ad Dion. Per. 809; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. 1.1115.)

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Interesting that Gregory Akindynos a native of Prilep, was referred to as being of Mysian race.

Whatever that means, unsure how an ancient term for a people in Anatolia was extrapolated to the medieval Balkans.

[Carlin]

There is a thread "Inscriptions at St. Sophia (Ohrid)" where there are similar terms / examples being discussed.

Interesting that Gregory Akindynos a native of Prilep, was referred to as being of Mysian race.

[VMRO]

I feel a lot of the terms that emerged in the 19th centuries are rooted in the Middle Ages. Still wonder how these terms appeared and how they were used? What did they mean?

Also, where is the source from VMRO?

It is from Mitko Panov's book - Blinded state

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Something else that is strange but dates back to Samuils empire is the labelling of Samuils soldiers as Mysians & Scythians.

Might be something to do with the terminology used during the Byzantine time where labels were thrown around and also depending the source Pejcinovic actually received his knowledge from to apply those types of labels.

I feel a lot of the terms that emerged in the 19th centuries are rooted in the Middle Ages. Still wonder how these terms appeared and how they were used? What did they mean?

Also, where is the source from VMRO?

[VMRO]

This is the front page from Kiril Pejčinoviḱ's Огледало (Mirror, 1816). If I am not mistaken, the underlined section says "written in the Bulgarian language of the Lower Mysians". I find this just really interesting how he has identified his own people in this text (Pejčinoviḱ was from Tearce, Tetovsko). It is strange as Mysia was a region of ancient Anatolia, so I thought perhaps Pejčinoviḱ is making reference to the old Roman province of Moesia Inferior (could be interpreted as Lower Moesia) but this was located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Moesia Superior (Upper Moesia) however did cover some territory in Macedonia.

Something else that is strange but dates back to Samuils empire is the labelling of Samuils soldiers as Mysians & Scythians.

Might be something to do with the terminology used during the Byzantine time where labels were thrown around and also depending the source Pejcinovic actually received his knowledge from to apply those types of labels.

[Liberator of Makedonija]

This is the front page from Kiril Pejčinoviḱ's Огледало (Mirror, 1816). If I am not mistaken, the underlined section says "written in the Bulgarian language of the Lower Mysians". I find this just really interesting how he has identified his own people in this text (Pejčinoviḱ was from Tearce, Tetovsko). It is strange as Mysia was a region of ancient Anatolia, so I thought perhaps Pejčinoviḱ is making reference to the old Roman province of Moesia Inferior (could be interpreted as Lower Moesia) but this was located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. Moesia Superior (Upper Moesia) however did cover some territory in Macedonia.

[Risto the Great]

The oldest examples of Macedonian folk song were recorded by the Austrian archpriest Sylvester in Kostur (Aegean Macedonia) in the sixteenth century.

They were published only relatively recently by Ciro Giannelli and André Vaillant (1958).

URL:
https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/b...=1&isAllowed=y

This was utterly fascinating Carlin. Thank you.

[Carlin]

The oldest examples of Macedonian folk song were recorded by the Austrian archpriest Sylvester in Kostur (Aegean Macedonia) in the sixteenth century.

They were published only relatively recently by Ciro Giannelli and André Vaillant (1958).

URL:

https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/64628/OralTradition6-2-3-Sazdov.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

[Carlin]

Rayko Zhinzifov

Rayko Zhinzifov or Rajko Žinzifov (15 February 1839 – 15 February 1877), born Ksenofont Dzindzifi (Ксенофонт Дзиндзифи).

Zhinzifov was born in 1839 into a Graecophile Aromanian family in Veles in the Ottoman Empire, today in North Macedonia. He initially studied Greek in Prilep at his father's school. In 1856, he was already an assistant teacher in Prilep at Dimitar Miladinov's school and a teacher in Kukush afterwards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayko_Zhinzifov

Рајко Жинзифов (роден како Ксенофонт Ѕинѕифи; Велес, 15 февруари 1839 - 15 февруари 1877, Москва) — познат македонски преродбеник од влашко потекло и дводомен писател и поет. Бил сестран деец — публицист, преведувач и собирач на народно творештво.

Роден во Велес во влашко гркоманско семејство по потекло од Москополе (јужна Албанија), а доселено во Велес од Битола. Татко му Јоан Ѕинѕифи имал завршено медицински факултет во Атина, но работел како грчки фанариотски учител во Велес.

https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D1%98%D0%BA%D0%BE_%D0%96%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B7%D0%B8%D1%84%D0%BE%D0%B2

[Chicho Makedonski]

The Miladinov brothers are controversial and highlight how confusing ottoman times were for the Macedonians and others but especially the Macedonians due to having less power than their neighbours and being constantly ruled by different foreign empires which all strived to make Macedonia their land. Sadly these peoples being the Greeks, Bulgarians and Serbians all still wanted to make Macedonia their land during ottoman times.

The Miladinov’s supposedly supported the establishment of Bulgarian churches and schools in Macedonia as they called Macedonia west Bulgaria at times and called themselves ‘west Bulgarians’ because they were worried that with the name Macedonia it will tempt the Greeks to take Macedonia and make it greek with a Greek speaking majority. This is why they supported the Bulgarian churches/schools to open in Macedonia as they preferred to have churches/schools with a more slavic language opposed to Greek as a way to showcase that Macedonia is more ‘slavic speaking’ than Greek, also because the Macedonians spoke a more ‘slavic’ language since 6th century AD.

They called themselves Bulgarians as ‘Bulgarian’ was synonymous with ‘slavic speaker’ in ottoman times, obviously leftover terminology from the Bulgarian empires that temporarily controlled Macedonia. The Miladinov’s also called themselves ‘west Bulgarians’ as a way to say that they are from ‘west Bulgaria’ which is not true but because they called Macedonia ‘west Bulgaria’ at times this is why they called themselves ‘west Bulgarians’.

The Miladinov’s are controversial figures they created Bulgarian and Macedonian folklore with the title being ‘Bulgarian National Songs’ and supposedly went to Russia to pay homage to their ‘Bulgarian ancestors’, yet never had any songs about national ethnic Bulgarian icons but had songs about national ethnic Macedonian icons such as Alexander the Great. This shows they were also weary of their ethnic Macedonian icons and heritage regardless of what they called themselves during the confusing ethnic mess of the Ottoman Empire which silenced national belief. Even if the Miladinov’s thought of the ancient Macedonians as ‘slavic speakers’ and thus sang songs about them, they never sang songs about any ‘slavic speaking’ ethnic Bulgarians.

Very confusing times. They were strong ethnic Bulgarian sympathisers and saw the ethnic Bulgarians as allies then as they both opposed the Greek idea of making Macedonia a Greek land with a Greek speaking majority. They used the term ‘Bulgarian’ to emphasise their slavic language/culture opposed to Greek and also possibly in a national sense as they supposedly went to Russia to pay homage to their ‘Bulgarian ancestors’, but this could’ve been through being strong ethnic Bulgarian sympathisers and wanting help from ethnic Bulgarians to oppose Greek efforts in making Macedonia ‘Greek’ opposed to more ‘slavic’.

The use of the term ‘Bulgarian’ in ottoman Macedonia was simply the norm at times and didn’t have an ethnic meaning for the most part. Although the Macedonian national consciousness was not active on a wider public scale during the 1800’s, the Macedonians celebrated and sang songs about people of whom the Macedonians always regarded to be of ethnic Macedonian origin and who were known to be ethnic Macedonians, regardless if they thought of them to be ‘slavic speakers’ it shows the Macedonians never forgot their heritage as the songs and beliefs were passed down orally from generation to generation.