Margarita Kuyumdzhieva, On the Interrelations between Wallachia and Bulgarians during the 17th Century: Benefactors and Beneficiaries
It is a well known fact that during the centuries after the Ottoman conquest of the Bulgarian territories the population of the enslaved Bulgarian lands maintained connections with Wallachia, although the issue of mutual contacts in this period has not been specifically investigated and considered systematically. Regarding the 17th century the emphasis in scientific research has been placed so far mostly on the contacts of the Bulgarian Catholics with the Wallachian ruler Matei Basarab and his entourage, as well as on the donations of Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu in Bulgarian territories. Apart from these links, however, there are data on other aspects of the complex picture of the bilateral relationship. The aim of the present text is focusing on the different transmitters of influence: Wallachian rulers, representatives of the high clergy, wealthy people, craftsmen and icon painters, all of them viewed through the perspective of the question who were the benefactors and beneficiaries during this epoch and what were some of the mechanisms that triggered them.