North Macedonia History

''Europe Macedonia


 * 1453 - Came under Ottoman rule
 * 1912-3 - Ottoman rule came to an end
 * 1991 - Gained independence from Yugoslavia

In Ottoman Macedonia, the Turks constituted the upper classes and non-Muslim population was called rayah (flock). The rayah could not carry or possess arms; paid higher taxes than the Turks; and relinquished children to serve in the sultan’s army. Only a small percentage of Macedonians converted to Islam. Christian clergy were permitted to control church activities, revenues and civil cases between Christians. An Orthodox archbishopric existed in Ohrid between 1000-1767 when Ottoman authorities abolished it and, in an effort to eliminate national churches in the empire, transferred ecclesiastical control of the area to the Orthodox patriarch in Constantinople. In 1870 this situation was reversed with the establishment of the Bulgarian exarchate that received the support of Macedonians, mainly because of its Slavic character. In 1958, over two hundred years after its initial dissolution, an independent Macedonian Orthodox Church was established in Ohrid.