Treacherous statistics or how historiographic myths are created (from the history of of the bulgarian town of Lovcha during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878)

Abstract

The article highlights the relationship between Russians , Bulgarians, and Turks during the liberation of Lovcha city (modern Lovech) by the detachment of colonel A. G. Zherebkov on July, 5 (17), 1877 and the capture of the city by the Turkish detachment of Rifat Pasha on July, 15 (27), 1877, based on published memoirs and official documents. The population of Lovcha was 12 000 (according to other sources, 10 000) people, 7/10 of which were Muslims (Turks and Roma). After the escape of the Turkish population during the Russian advance on the city, Turkish houses and shops were looted and partly burned by armed Bulgarians who came with a Russian detachment from Tarnovo and Selvi (modern Sevlievo), together with the Bulgarian residents. The Cossacks were also able to find war loot in the devastated Turkish quarters, but they were content with only a few and valuable items, since speed and maneuverability in a fight with the enemy was unattainable on a horse overloaded with baggage. The detachment of lieutenant colonel Baklanov was forced to turn back to Selvi due to significantly superior enemy forces. The Turkish detachment met almost no resistance from fleeing Bulgarians, residents of Lovcha, and started the violence and massacre on them, which was stopped by Rifat Pasha at the request of the city’s Muslims. It is revealed that in the existing historiography the number of dead Bulgarians is significantly overestimated. The author recreates the ways of creating a historiographical myth in the format of statistical data on the number of victims among the Bulgarian population of Lovcha city.