Cyrillic Letters and the Slavonic Tongue in the service of the Ottomans (About Attempts at Labelling the Script and the Language in 15th–16th Centuries)

Despite the fact that three main official languages were used in the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, Persian), in the 15th–16th centuries, the Ottomans also used Slavonic tongue and Cyrillic letters in pragmatic literacy (letters, edicts, charters), diplomacy, and communication with their vassal states and neighbouring countries. However, the language and the script were labelled with different names by 15th–16th-century authors. The main aim of the work is to present, compare, and analyse some terms (used as glossonyms and/or graphonyms) found in medieval and early modern sources created in various European states. Additionally, the article tries to consider why the Ottomans decided to use the language and the script. Moreover, it sheds light on a Slavonic and Cyrillic network, formed and developed by the Ottomans in reference to former (Christian and South Slavic) patterns, employed in Slavonic chanceries of medieval Balkan states.