Macedonians in Middle Ages Life in the Ottoman era Macedonia - Cultures, Dialects, Folklore. General Introduction Life during Medieval era Macedonia was not easy for the majority of peasants inhabiting the region, it certainly wasn't easy for the peasantry population, most of the peasants worked on farms, previously having been controlled by the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire, Macedonia was subject to a lot of instability but it also experienced cultural influence, mostly when it comes to architecture, which can still be seen through the houses that peasants built up until mid 20th century (with relative change, of course.) Treskavec Monastery, Prilep ( 12th Century)