Notable Bulgarian uprisings against the Ottomans had occurred in the 1590s, and when the decline of the Ottoman Empire begins about 1600, the order of local institutions in Bulgaria gives way to arbitrary repression, which eventually generates armed opposition.

Beginning in the 1600s, local bandits, called hajduti (sing., hajdutin), lead small uprisings.

(Some writers now describe these uprisings as precursors of a Bulgarian nationalist movement.

Most scholars agree, however, that hajdutin activities responded only to local misrule and their raids victimized both Christians and Muslims.

Whatever their motivation, hajdutin exploits will become a central theme of national folk culture.)