Demographic Structure and Economic Life of the Circassian Settlers in the Ivraca and Rahova Regions of Bulgaria in the 1860s and 70s

Towards the end of the Russo-Caucasian war in the 1860s, Tsarist Russia forcibly deported thousands of Circassians to the Ottoman Empire, some of whom ended up in the Balkans, including the Ivraca (Vratsa) and Rahova (Oryahova) districts of Bulgaria, where 19 Circassian settlements were founded. The demographic structure of the Circassian families was as such that average family size was 3.3 people, while there were also instances of families of eight. Most families had two children, but a few families had up to five children. There was a significant numerical disparity between boys and girls, as well as men and women for reasons that this article has not been able to identify. While Rahova was located in the plains and had lands suitable for cultivation, Ivraca was a mountainous district and as such characterized by non-arable lands. Therefore, Circassians mostly engaged in raising livestock were settled in Ivraca, whereas many Circassians in Rahova were employed as day laborers. Circassians encountered no problems regarding the size of their plots. The crop yields depended on such factors as natural disasters, soil quality, and effective management, as well as individual needs and endurance. It is likely that the majority of the Circassian families in the Rahova district were able to provide enough produce for a family of four for a whole year; some even sold the surplus crops in local markets. In summary, Circassians, like other farmers elsewhere, were heavily dependent on the harvest of their crops. Circassians lived in these districts until the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-78, during which Circassian settlers were uprooted again and forced to move to the Ottoman lands in Anatolia and the Middle East. Hence the Circassian presence in Bulgaria came to an end.