Образът на „турчина“ – между Ренесанса и Просвещението

The author adduces examples from French travelogue books, as well as from novels and poetry, which reflect different contacts between Christians and Muslims in the Balkans. The presentation of the evil “Turk” is deduced against the background of the Christian virtues (16th-17th century) and the Western (Catholic in particular) interpretation of specific images. The evolution of France’s conceptions is followed about the Ottoman Empire and the image of “the Turk” related to it, which had acquired an enlightening colouring.