Bulgaria

Geography

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  1701 A system of geography by Herman Moll - Turky in Europe.jpg

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

BULGARIA is so called as it were Volgaria, because certaine people comming from Volga about the yeere of our Lord 566. did possesse this Country. Some thinke that this Country is the lower Maesia. It lyeth betweene Servia, Romania, and Danubius. This Country for the most part is Mountainous, and it runneth out on the back side of the Mountaine Haemus toward Danubius, and Romania whence the middle part of the Country is ragged, & the steepe parts of it are ful of solitary Woods. The Metropolis of this Country is Sophia, which Niger thinketh to be that Towne which Ptolemy calls Vibiscum. Here the Beglerbeg of Greece resideth, whom the Turkes call Rumelt Beglerbeg, who hath 21. Sangiacates under him. There is also Serrajum a famous Citty of Bulgaria. And Nicupolis which is governed by Sangiacks. Neere this Citty there are some ruines of an admirable Bridge, which the Emperour Irajan built over Danubius, when he warr'd against the Getes.

1695. Thesaurus geographicus a new body of geography by Abel Swall and Tim. Child.

SERVIA, Servia aut Maesia superior, & BULGARIA, Bulgaria

THE ancient Maesia contained these two Provinces, excepting that its Limits were not so far extended toward the East, but at present this Country advanceth as far as the Black Sea, by reason that the Territories of the Dobrussian Tartars have been joyned to those of Bulgaria. They are bounded on the North by the Danube, on the South by the Mountains, that separate them from Greece and Romania, on the East by the Coasts of the Black Sea and Romania, and on the West by the River Drin and Bosnia. Their extent from East to West, that is to say, from Bosnia on the same Sea, consists of about 150 leagues and 60 in their largest breadth from North to South, viz. from Walachia to Albania. They are situated between the 42d Degree 40th Minute, and the 45th Degree 20 Minutes of Latitude; as also between the 43d Degree and the 45th of Longitude, so that the Air is very temperate and healthful, and the Soil no less fertile, altho' the greater part thereof is untill'd, by reason that the Turks deprive the Peasants of almost the whole Fruit of their Labour. Cattle and most sorts of Fowl are here sold at a dear rate; neither is the Bread good, as being baked in many places under Ashes: The chief Rivers are the Save, which receives into its Channel the Streams of the Drin and the Morave, which in like manner intermixeth its Waters with those of Nissava, but at length, after a long course falls into the Danube.

The Inhabitants of these Provinces are Cruel, very much inclin'd to Robbery and Drunkenness, more especially the Servians, who carry away Children on purpose to sell them to the Turks for infamous Uses. The Bulgarians are not so inhuman, being somewhat more civilized. However, both these Sorts of People are famous on the account of their great Courage and Magnanimity. These Provinces were at first go•ern'd by certain particular Kings and Princes until Mahomet II. Emperor of the Turks, subdued them, and they depend at this Day on the Jurisdiction of the Beglierbeg of Rumelia. About 30 or 40000 Roman Catholicks reside in these Territories, and are very poor: The Grecians inhabit the Towns, and are more numerous; the Mahometans dwell in the Burghs and Villages: But the Jews engross to themselves almost the whole Traffick, and have many Synagogues.

BULGARIA.

SOPHIA, Sofia, or Sophia the Capital City of Bulgaria, is seated on the River Ichar in a spacious Plain, near Mount Haemus, at an equal distance from the Confines of Thrace or Romania to the East, Ma∣cedonia to the South, and Servia to the West; as also 60 miles from Nicopolis or Nigeboli, 90 from Philip∣popoli, 100 from Thessalonica to the North, 110 from Nissa, about 250 from Belgrade to the South, and 300 from Constantinople to the West. It anciently bore the Name of Sardica, and appertained to the Lower Maesia, having been founded (as it is generally be∣lieved) by the Emperor Justinian, in Honour of his Wife Sophia. It is as yet a large, populous and well-built City, tho' not enclosed with Walls, and for sometime the See of an Archbishop. It is also at present the usual Place of Residence of the Beglerbeg or chief Governour of Rumelia, and commonly call'd Triadizza by the Turks, to whom it hath been subject ever since the Time of their Emperor Amurath II. who subdued it, together with all the adjacent Ter∣ritories. But the City of Sophia is more especially famous for one of the greatest General Councils, con∣vened A. C. 307: wherein that of Nice was con∣demn'd, through the Artifices of the Emperor Con∣stantius.

SILISTRIA is the second Town of Note, esteemed also by some Persons, as the Chief in Bul∣garia, and the Seat of a Turkish Sanjack. It is di∣stant 18 miles from Nicopolis to the South, and 70 from Sophia to the North. In the Road leading from this Place to Tomi or Trosmi, a Place noted for the Confinement of the Poet Ovid, are to be seen the Remains of a Wall built by the Emperors of Constan∣tinople against the Inroads of the barbarous Nations.

NICOPOLIS or Nigeboli, is in like man∣ner the principal Town of a Sangiack-Government, and watered by the River Danube, about 74 miles from Sophia, almost to the North. It is famous for the Victory which Bajazet I. Emperor of the Turks gained over the Christians in the Time of Sigismund King of Hungary, A. D. 1396.