Crypto-Christianity and Religious Hybridisation in the Ottoman Balkans: a Case Study (1599–1622)

• Authors: Silvia Notarfonso
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In this paper I intend to address the issue of crypto-Catholicism in the early Ottoman Balkans, a complex phenomenon which has drawn historians’ attention over the decades. More specifically, I will attempt to define and clarify the difficult and unresolved issue, taking into account the characteristics of the Balkans where many religious and social groups co-existed. That produced interaction and enmeshment between the various religions and, as a result, identities developed specific distinctive traits and often overlapped. Within that unique Balkan environment – a real confessional melting pot – crypto-Christianity naturally arose. Crypto-Catholics or Orthodoxies, living under Ottoman rule, publicly decided to embrace the Islamic religion but secretly identified themselves as Christians. I have set out to investigate this phenomenon by considering letters and reports produced by Catholic missions involved in the Balkan peninsula.

Keywords

EN

Ottoman Balkans; Catholic missionaries; crypto-Christianity; Catholic confessionalisation

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Studia Ceranea
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 10
• Pages: 217-226

Dates

published

2020-12-23

Contributors

author

Silvia Notarfonso

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Identifiers

DOI

10.18778/2084-140X.10.09