other · Balkans and Hungary

Pashalik of Vidin

1794 CE – 1807 CE (approx.) · capital Vidin

Rebel domain of Osman Pazvantoğlu on the Danube, who defied the Ottoman sultan and let loose raiders across Bulgaria and Wallachia.

Origins

Osman Pazvantoğlu, a janissary from Vidin, opposed Sultan Selim III's military reforms and seized control of Vidin around 1794. He gathered disbanded janissaries and kardzhali bandits, and in 1798 defeated a large Ottoman army sent to besiege the town. Unable to remove him, the sultan pardoned him and appointed him pasha of Vidin.

Rule and society

Pazvantoğlu ruled as a warlord with his own army and treasury, and conducted his own diplomacy with Russia and France. His bands raided much of Bulgaria and crossed into Wallachia, burning Craiova in 1800. He backed the janissary dahije who seized power in the Pashalik of Belgrade, whose abuses helped provoke the Serbian uprising of 1804.

Decline and legacy

Pazvantoğlu died in 1807, and his successors soon returned Vidin to Ottoman control. His career showed the weakness of central authority under Selim III; Bulgarian memory recalls the kardzhali years as a time of terror.

Lineage

Ottoman Empire 1299 CE – 1922 CEPashalik of VidinOttoman Empire 1299 CE – 1922 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pashalik of Vidin. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pashalik-of-vidin
MLA
“Pashalik of Vidin.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pashalik-of-vidin. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pashalik of Vidin.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pashalik-of-vidin.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pashalik of Vidin’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pashalik-of-vidin (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻