Orthodox Christian Monks and the Modes of Identification of Non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire

The research presented in this paper is divided into two parts. The first part examines the influence of Ottoman state policies and administrative practices on the formation of the modes of identification among Orthodox Christian monks in the Balkans. Various types of Ottoman documents are analysed, with a contrast drawn between those issued by central and local authorities. Special attention is given to the complexity of the monks’ legal and social status, and to how these aspects were articulated through different forms of identification. The second part explores the monastic influence on the development of self-understanding among non-Muslim elites in Balkan towns and villages. It focuses on the role of patronage and the close ties with various monastic brotherhoods in shaping expressions of elite social status. The core of the research is based on sources related to monasteries under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Peć, and, specifically in the case of the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos, on those which maintained multifaceted ties with the Church dignitaries and Orthodox Christians in the central Balkans and beyond.