The Bulgarian Narrative about the Fall under Ottoman Rule: A Historical Canon with no Messianic Myth

The text aims to analyze the Bulgarian way to narrate the fall under Ottoman rule. It searches for answers to the questions of why the historical narrative is constructed in such a vague and elusive way, why there is no messianic figure or epic event in the collective memory, why the literary canon is so indifferent toward this topic. In order to rationalize this peculiarity the analysis scrutinizes the initial formation of a normative narrative about the fall under Ottoman rule. It covers the period 1830s-1870s and is focused on three main areas: 1) textbooks on Bulgarian and Ottoman history; 2) publications in the press relating to the topic in question; 3) literary production devoted to the end of the Bulgarian kingdom in 14^th c.