Kuzey-Doğu Bulgaristan'ın demografik yapısı ve yerleşim düzeni: Niğbolu Sancağı (1479-1483)

This thesis examines demographic structure and settlement patterns of Niğbolu Sandjak in thethe last two decades of the fifteenth century. Seen through the data provided by the Ottomantax and population censuses (tahrir defterleri), the research shows the demographicmovements of native Christians in the sandjak and new settlers coming from the Asia Minor.The thesis examines the presence of Turkic people in the region from 5th century to the end ofthe 15th century. Based on the two 15th century icmâl defters of Niğbolu Sandjak, this studyfocuses on recovery of pre-Ottoman settlemets and establishment of new Turkish settlements.Also this study criticizes the catastroph theory of Hristo Gandev who developed one of theleading demographic theories of Marxist Balkan historiography. The information we get fromthe icmâl defters does not consistant with Gandev?s Catastrophy Theory. Following theconquest of the region, neither a quick Turkification nor a mass-Islamization was happened inthe sandjak but the secure and peacefull environment provided the infrastructure of theseIslamizationa and Turkification processes for the sixteenth century.Keywords: Niğbolu, demography, settlement, icmâl defterleri, Catastrophe Theory, yörük,mezraa.