Population And Demographics In The Danube Province (1864-1877)

The Danube Province, which was founded in 1864, consisted the sanjaks (subprovinces) of Ruse, Varna, Tulcea, Turnovo, Vidin, Sofia and Nish. The main components of the population of the Danube Province were Bulgarians and Turks. There were also other Muslim and non-Muslim groups. Before the establishment of the Danube Province, some 250.000-300.000 Muslim immigrants from Crimea and Caucasus had been settled in this region from 1855 to 1864. There were 569.868 (34,68%) Muslims, apart from the immigrants and 1.073.496 (65,32%) non-Muslims in 1859-1860 in the area of the future Danube Province. According to the Old Register of 1865, 658.600 (40,51%) Muslims and 967.058 (59,49%) non-Muslims, including females, were living in the province except Nish sanjak. The property and population censuses made between 1865 and 1874 in the Danube Province were one of the first modern censuses in the Ottoman Empire. Female population was also registered in the censuses in cities and towns beginning in 1865. The registration of property and population in the villages was started in 1869. Nish sanjak, became the part of the Prizren Vilayet between 1869 and 1874. Although the data given in the Yearbooks of the Danube Province have some incompleteness and inconsistencies as well as misprinting and calculation mistakes, the population ratios and demographic distribution are reliable, except the Yearbook of 1291. According to of the Tahrir-i Cedid (New Census) completed in October 1874, there were 963.596 (42,22%) Muslims and 1.318.506 (57,78%) non-Muslims in the Danube Province excluding Nish sanjak. In addition, the entire population of the province, together with the sanjak of Nish, reached the number of 2.594.928 including 1.055.650 (40,68%) Muslims and 1.539.278 (59,32%) non-Muslims in 1874. The Ottoman statistics show that the Muslims were in majority in the sanjaks of Ruse, Varna and Tulcea, while the non-Muslims were in majority in other sanjaks. Besides, average population per household and the population growth rate of non-Muslims were higher than those of Muslims. In 1873, 17,96% of the population of the province were living in the urban areas. Sofia and Nish sancaks were separated from the Tuna Vilayet and the detached Sofia Province was founded in 1876. However, Sofia and Nish sancaks were annexed to Adrianople and Kosovo vilayets respectively in 1877. At least 1.100.000 Muslims as well as 1.700.000 non-Muslims lived in this region before the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. However, the war changed the demographic situation deeply not only in the Danube Province, but also in the Eastern Rumelia and exterminated almost half of the Turkish and Muslim population by death or migration in both regions.

Keywords

Danube Province, Midhat Pasha, demography, population, Bulgaria