On September 6, 1688, the troops of the Habsburg (Austrian) Empire captured Belgrade and moved the hostilities against the Ottomans deep into the territory of the Balkans. The Bulgarians from the Chiprov region, led by the local Catholic leaders, revolted.
At the end of the 1683th century, the Ottoman Empire had already passed the zenith of its military-political power, the Great Turkish War (or the War of the Holy League) (1699 – XNUMX) ended in a catastrophic defeat for the Sultan's troops and marked the beginning of the Ottoman decline. The question of the fate of the conquered Christian peoples also surfaced.
On September 6, 1688, the troops of the Habsburg (Austrian) Empire captured Belgrade and moved the hostilities against the Ottomans deep into the territory of the Balkans. The Bulgarians from the Chiprov region, led by the local Catholic leaders, revolted. The insurgent leaders are prepared for a long struggle, the local administrative center of Kutlovitsa (Montana) has been captured. However, the advance of the Austrian army is directed to the southeast, left to their own devices, the Bulgarians have no way to repel the sent punitive detachments. At the beginning of October, the uprising was put down, Chiprovets and the surrounding area devastated. The surviving Bulgarians sought salvation north of the Danube, about 3000 people reached Wallachia and subsequently settled in the Banat region, then part of the Habsburg Empire.
The National History Museum preserves a charter issued in 1774 by the office of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, reaffirming the rights of the Bulgarians who settled in the Banat region. You will be able to see this and other exhibits related to the history of the Chiprov region during the centuries of Ottoman rule in the completely renovated hall No. 4 of the NIM on November 1, 2023. We are waiting for you!
A national historical account of the Bulgarian lands under Ottoman rule" is realized with the financial support of the National Fund "Culture" under the program "Program for the restoration and development of state, regional and municipal cultural institutes
Certificate issued in 1774 by the office of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, reaffirming the rights of the Bulgarians who settled in the Banat region.
