The medieval state of Bulgaria - founded in the 7th century - was conquered by the
Osmanli in 1396 and unlike some other conquered states, which continued to exist
as tributaries, it was simply annexed to their empire.
The conquered territory was divided into several Sandjaks, at first all part of
the Elayet Rumeli, but later regrouped into new Elayet or Vilayet and on the eve
of the Russian intervention in 1877, the Bulgarian territory was divided between
the three Vilayet of :
- Edirne
- Kosova
- Tuna
Following the crushing of the Bulgarian revolt of 1876 (1) Russian troops invaded
the Osmanli provinces in the Balkans and after a brief campaign terminated Osmanli
rule in the Bulgarian parts.
(1) Bulgarian resistance against Osmanli rule had actually never ceased.
But most revolts only had a local impact and it was only after the
Crimean War that organizations aiming at the total liberation of the
country appeared.
Central Bulgarian Revolutionary Committee
Founded in 1870 in Bucharest to coordinate all Bulgarian revolutionary
activities
Chairmen
1870 - 187. Lyuben Stoychev Karavelov 1837 - 1879
187. - 1875 Hristo Botev 1848 - 1876
1875 Panayot Khitov*
(After this no new chairman was elected)
Members
1875 - 187. -Dragoi Shopov
-Ivan Drasov
-Hristo Chobanov
-Dimitur Tsenovich
-Hristo Botev s.a.
Representatives in Bulgaria
(coordinated the activities of the different district-
committees in Bulgaria itself)
1871 - 1872 Vasil Ivanov Levski,
Chairman of the Lovech
Committee (also styled
Section I of the BRCC -
Bulgarian Provisional
Government) acted semi-
independently. 1837 - 1873
1873 Atanas Uzunov
1873 - 187. Stepan Nikolov Stambolov,
left Bulgaria in 1874 1854 - 1895
By the end of 1875 the Committee actually ceased to function.
Gyurgevo Bulgarian Revolutionary Committee
Founded in the Rumanian town of Gyurgevo as supreme coordinating
committee in 1875
Leaders
(Chairman ?)
1875 - 1876 -Georgi Apostolov
-Georgi Benkovski
-Ilarion Dragostinov 1852 - 1876
-Georgi Ikonomov
-Georgi Izmirliev
-Hristo Karaminkov
-Georgi Obretenov
-Nikola Obretenov
-Nikola Slavkov
-Stepan Nikolov Stambolov s.a.
-Panayot Volov 1847 - 1876
-Stoyan Zaimov
Representatives in Bulgaria ("Apostels")
(leaders of the regional committees and of the failed
revolts of apr 1876)
Plovdiv Region
1875 - 1876 Panayot Volov s.a.
Sliven Region
1875 - 1876 Ilarion Dragostinov s.a.
Turnovo Region
1875 - 1876 Stepan Nikolov Stambolov s.a.
Vratsa Region
1875 - 1876 Stoyan Zaimov s.a.
Bulgarian Central Charitable Society
Despite its name this society became the leading Bulgarian revolutionary
institution after the failed revolt of 1876.
Its main occupation was the recrutement of Bulgarian volunteers for the
Serbian army fighting the Osmanli.
It ceased to function after the outbreak of the war with Russia in 1877.
Chairman
1876 - 1877 Dragan Kiriakov Tsankov 1828 - 1911
The quelling of the Bulgarian revolt caused the intervention of the
Great Powers and at the Conference of Constantinople (1876 - 1877) it
was decided to divide the Bulgarian territories into two autonomous
Vilayet :
- Sofya (Bulg.: Sofija) : which would not only include the Valilik
of Sofya and part of the Tuna Vilayet but
also parts of the "Macedonian" Vilayet of
Monastir and Selanik.
- Tirnovo (Bulg.: Turnovo) : which would include most of the Tuna
Vilayet and part of the Edirne Vilayet.
The project seems never to have been implemented by the Osmanli.
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RUSSIAN ADMINISTRATORS
Commander of the Russian troops in the Balkans
(only in charge of military operations)
1877 -1878 Veliky Knyaz Nikolay Nikolaevich
Romanov 1831 - 1891
Governors - Heads of the Civil Administration of Bulgaria
1877 Dmitry Gavrilovich Anuchin*
1877 - 1878 Knyaz Vladimir Aleksandrovich
Cherkasskiy 1824 - 1878
1878 Dmitry Gavrilovich Anuchin* (2x)
PRINCIPALITY OF BULGARIA
By the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878 - that followed their defeat against Russia -
the Osmanli agreed to allow the creation of an autonomous Bulgarian principality
out of their Balkan possessions.
The proposed frontiers for the new entity (most territories of the above mentioned
project of 1877, enlarged with some new parts of Edirne and Selanik) were however
not accepted by the other Great Powers and as a result of a Conference at Berlin,
the following new arrangements were made :
- creation of an autonmous Principality of Bulgaria out of most of the Vilayet of
Tuna (Tulca Sandjak becoming part of Rumania), the Sofya Sandjak (detached from
the Edirne Vilayet) and the Breznik area of the Shehirkoy Sandjak of the Kosova
Vilayet.
- creation of an autonmous Vilayet of East Rumelia out of parts of Edirne.
- retrocession of the other territories to the Osmanli.
CHIEF ADMINISTRATORSGovernors - Heads of the Civil Administration of Bulgaria
1878 Dmitry Gavrilovich Anuchin* s.a
1878 Knyaz Aleksandr Mikhailovich
Dondukov-Korsakov 1822 - 1883
Imperial Commissioner
1878 - 1879 Knyaz Aleksandr Mikhailovich
Dondukov-Korsakov s.a.
Head of the Chancellery of the Imperial Commissioner
(entrusted with diplomatic affairs)
1878 - 1879 Gen. Mikhail ... Domontovich
HEADS OF THE DEPARTMENTS
(acting as a kind of provisional ministers)
Head of the Department of War
1878 - 1879 Gen. ... Zolotarev
Head of the Department of Home Affairs
1878 - 1879 Gen. ... Gresser
Head of the Department of Justice
1878 - 1879 S. A. Lukyanov
Head of the Department of Finances
1878 - 1879 Konstantin Buch
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Osmanli Imperial Commissioners
(Possibly incomplete. No commissioners seem to have been appointed before 1887)
18.. - 189. Najib Bey*
189. - 1897 Niazi Bey
1897 - 1902 Najib Effendi Melhame
1902 - 1904 Ali Faruh Bey
1904 - 1908 Gen. Sadiq Pasha
1908 Vasiq Bey*
Russian Diplomatic Representatives
(Russian presence and influence remained very important until the events of 1886
and on several occasions Russians were appointed to important departments)
Diplomatic Agents
1878 - 1879 Aleksandr Petrovich Davydov 1838 - 1885
1880 - 1881 Aleksey Mikhailovich Kumani 1832 -
1881 - 1883 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Chitrovo 1837 - 1906
1883 - 1884 Aleksandr Semenovich Yonin 1837 - 1900
1884 - 1886 Aleksandr Ivanovich Kojander 1847 - 1910
1886 Gen. Nikolay (Vasilyevich)
Baron von Kaulbars 1842 - 1905
In 1886 diplomatic relations were broken off until 1896.
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Princes
Also Governors General of East Rumelia 1886 - 1908
House of Battenberg
1879 - 1886 Aleksandur, (Alexander Joseph,
Prinz von Battenberg), abdicated (1) 1857 - 1893
1886 - 1887 interregnum (2)
Regency Council during the interregnum
1886 - 1887 -Stepan Nikolov Stambolov s.a.
-Petko Stoychev Karavelov 1840 - 1903
(to oct 27 1886)
-Georgi Atanasov Zhivkov 1844 - 1899
(from nov 13 1886)
-Col. Sava Atanasov Mutkurov 1852 - 1891
House of Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha
(Act. : House of Wettin - Ernestine Line - Branch of Gotha - Subbranch of Sachsen-
Coburg und Gotha)
1887 - 1908 Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian
Karl Leopold, Prinz von Sachsen-
Coburg und Gotha, Herzog von Sachsen)
recognized by the Osmanli government
in 1896 (and granted the rank of
FieldMarsh. in the Osmanli Army) 1861 - 1948
(1) Events of 1886 leading to the abdication of Alexandur :
Aug 21 : a group of (pro Russian?) offiers kidnapped Prince Aleksandur
and forced him to sign his abdication. A Provisional Regency
was installed.
-Kliment, Metropolitan of Turnovo
(Chairman) 1841 - 1903
-Maj. ... Gruev
-Dragan Kiriakov Tsankov s.a.
Aug 24 : counterrevolution supported by loyal troops in the southern
parts of the country and East Rumelia.
A pro-Aleksandur government assumed power.
-Petko Stoychev Karavelov (Chairman) s.a.
-Konstantin Stoilov 1853 - 1901
-Vasil Hristov Radoslavov 1854 - 1929
-G. Oroshakov
-Ivan Evstratiev Geshov 1849 - 1924
-Todor Ivanchov 1858 - 1905
-Olimpy Panov
-P. Popov
Aug 28 : a pro-Aleksandur Princely Administration was installed. The
conspirators of aug 21 were arrested
-Stepan Nikolov Stambolov (Chairman) s.a.
-Petko Rachev Slaveykov 1827 - 1895
-Georgi Ivanov Stranski 1848 -
Aug 29 : Prince Aleksandur returned to the throne.
Sep 07 : final abdication of Prince Aleksandur.
(2) In nov 1886 Prince Waldemar of Denmark (1858 - 1939) was elected
Prince, bur he declined.
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The autonomous Vilayet of East Rumelia (Turk.: Rumeli Sharki) was created in 1878
out of the Sandjaks Filibe (Bulg.: Plovdiv) and Islimiye (Bulg. Sliven) of Edirne
Vilayet.
It was under Russian rule until 1879, when the first Christian Governor General
was appointed.
In 1885 a revolt in favour of the union with Bulgaria broke out and the territory
- renamed South Bulgaria - was incorporated into the principality.
The following year East Rumelia again became an autonomous Vilayet of the Empire
only linked to Bulgaria by a personal union, the Bulgarian Prince now becoming its
Governor General. (1)
(1) De facto it was however administered as a part of Bulgaria :
It was divided into 5 Bulgarian departments (Burgos, Haskovo, Plovdiv,
Sliven and Stara-Zagora), Sliven was the seat of a Bulgarian Court of
Appeal, the territory was divided into 2 Bulgarian military districts,
...
__________________________________________________________________________________
CHIEF ADMINISTRATORS
Russian Civil Administrator
1878 - 1879 Arkady Dmitrievich Stolypin 1821 - 1899
Governors General
(possibly with the Osmanli style Vali)
1879 - 1884 Aleksandur Stepanov Bogoridi
(Alexandros Stephanou Vogoridis)
"Aleko Pasha" 1823 - 1910
1884 - 1885 Gavril Baev Krustevich "Gavril
Pasha", deposed after a pro-Bulgarian
revolt 1820 - 1898
Chairman of the Provisional Government
1885 Georgi Ivanov Stranski s.a.
Bulgarian Commissioner for South Bulgaria
1885 - 1886 Georgi Ivanov Stranski s.a.
Governors General
1886 - 1908 the Princes of Bulgaria s.a.
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In 1908 the Principality of Bulgaria and the Autonomous Vilayet of East Rumelia were
formally merged into the Kingdom of Bulgaria, which declared its full independence
of the Osmanli Empire. (1)
(1) The new situation was recognized by the Empire in 1909 by the Convention
of Constantinople.
Bulgarian expansion 1912 - 1944
1912 - 1913 : in the course of the Balkan Wars, the Bulgarians occupied
large parts of the Osmanli Vilayet of Monastir and Selanik
and nearly all of the Vilayet of Edirne.
By the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 Bulgaria however only
retained some parts of Selanik (part of the Sandjak Drama)
and of Edirne (Sandjaks of Dedeagach, of Dimehoka and of
Gümülgine), forming so called West Thracia
By the same treaty it was also forced to cede so called
Southern Dobruja to Rumania.
1915 - 1918 : occupation and annexation of large parts of Serbia and
brief intervention in Albanian affairs in 1915 - 1916
1919 : by the Treaty of Neuilly Bulgaria was forced to surrender
most of its conquests since 1913.
1940 : by the Treaty of Craiova Southern Dobruja was returned to
Bulgaria.
1941 - 1944 : for the duration of the war, Bulgaria occupied and annexed
parts of Yugoslavia (Macedonia) and of Greece (Macedonia
and West Thracia).
It also participated in the occupation of Serbia.
See here for Bulgaria during WWII
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Kings
Tsars
Full Style : King of the Bulgarians
House of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha
1908 - 1918 Ferdinand I, abdicated after the
Bulgarian defeat in WWI (2) s.a.
1918 - 1943 Boris III (Boris Klemens Robert Maria
Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver), son 1894 - 1943
1943 - 1946 Simeon II, son 1937 -
Regents during the minority of the King
1943 Bogdan Dimitrov Filov
(until sep 14) 1883 - 1945
1943 Dobri Bozhilov Khadzhiyanakev
(until sep 21) 1884 - 1945
Regency Councils during the minority of the King
1943 - 1944 -Prince Kirill (Kyril
Heinrich Franz Ludwig
Anton Karl Philipp),
Prince of Preslav, uncle
of the King 1895 - 1945
-Bogdan Dimitrov Filov s.a.
-Gen. Nikola Mihov 1891 - 1945
1944 - 1946 -Venelin Ganev 1880 -
-Todor Dimitrov Pavlov 1890 - 1977
-Tsvetko Boboshevski
(2) The end of WWI was followed by a brief allied occupation by forces of
the Army of the Orient and by some revolutionary agitation
- the Radomir republican movement of 1918.
On sep 25 1918 retreating Bulgarian soldiers mutined and seized the
headquarters in Radomir.
The royal government dispatched two leaders of the Agrarian Party to
negociate with the mutineers, but they rallied to them and on sep 27
proclaimed both the King and the government deposed and proclaimed a
republican regime.
They then marched on Sofia, but were defeated on sep 30 by loyal and
German troops. The last revoltees surrendered on oct 02.
President of the Provisional Government
1918 Aleksandur Stroymenov Stamboliyski 1879 - 1923
Commander in Chief
1918 Rayko Ivanov Daskalov 1886 - 1923
- the Communist revolt of 1923.
In 1923 the murder of the Agrarian prime minister Stamboliyski (s.a.)
and the appointment of the new rightist government Tsankov (see below)
were followed by some agitation which was at its highest in september,
when a Communist led uprising toke place in North-Western Bulgaria
(sep 23 -sep 29).
Supreme Military Revolution Committee
1923 - 1923 -Georgi Mihailov Dimitrov 1882 - 1949
-Gavril Genov
-Vasil Petrov Kolarov 1877 - 1950
See here for more on the Bulgarian Communist Party.
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In 1941 Bulgaria became an ally of the German Empire.
Compared to some other allies of Germany of this period, it always maintained a
very large degree of independence and did for instance never declare war on the
U.S.S.R. (3) and never fully implemented anti Jewish laws as the Germans asked,
at least not as far as Bulgaria proper was concerned.
In 1944, at the approach of the Soviet army, the Fatherland Front seized power and
proclaimed Bulgarias' neutrality. (4)
This didn't however prevent the countrys' occupation by allied (=Soviet) forces
for some three years.
(3) To the great discontent of the Germans, the Soviet Embassy was never
closed, even not after their invasion in the U.S.S.R.
(4) The Fatherland Front (OF-Otechestven Front) was founded in 1942 as an
umbrella organization of four political parties opposed to the royal
regime and its alliance with the Germans : the Bulgarian Communist Party
(BKP-Bulgarska Komunisticheska Partija), the Bulgarian Peasants Peoples
League (BZNS-Bulgarski Zemedelski Naroden Sajuz), the Social Democratic
Party (SDP-Socialdemokraticheska Partija) and the Zveno Peoples' League
(NSZ-Naroden Sujuz Zveno),
The BKP was founded in 1919 as a split of the Bulgarian Workers' Social
Democatic Party, itself founded in 1891.
After the failed uprising of sep 1923 (s.a) it was outlawed in 1924 and
most of its leaders went into exile in the Soviet Union.
The party re-emerged after the German invasion in the U.S.S.R. in 1941
and established the first armed partizan groups (cheti)
In 1942 it became the de facto leading force of the resistance and of the
Fatherland Front government that came to power after the entry of Soviet
forces in Bulgaria in 1944.
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GERMAN DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATIVES
(in charge of all relations with the Bulgarian authorities)
Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary
Ausserordentlicher Gesandter und Bevollmachtiger Minister
1939 - 1941 Herbert Freiherr von Richthofen 1879 - 1952
1941 - 1944 SA Gruppenführer Adolf Heinz
Beckerle 1902 - 1976
Head of the Bureau of the Office of Foreign Affairs for Bulgaria and Rumania
Chef der Dienststelle des Auswärtigen Amts für Bulgarien und Rumänien
1944 - 1945 Günther Altenburg 1894 - 1984
NATIONAL BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT IN GERMANY
After the Soviet invasion, hardliners of collaboration with Germany, withdrew to
Berlin and established a National Government that lasted until may 1945.
Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finances
1944 - 1945 Aleksandur Tsolov Tsankov s.a.
ALLIED COMMANDERS AND REPRESENTATIVESCommander of the Allied troops operating in Bulgaria
Commander of the Third Ukrainian Army Group
1944 - 1945 Marsh. Fëdor Ivanovich Tolbukhin 1894 - 1949
Political Commissars
1943 - 1945 -ColGen. Aleksej Sergeevich Sheltov
-MajGen. Vladimir Makarovich Layoli
Chairmen of the Allied Control Council
1944 - 1945 ...
1945 - 1947 Gen. Sergey Semënovich Biriuzov 1904 - 1964
Christianism was introduced - or rather re-introduced, as there had already existed
communities in the region in Roman times - in what was to become Bulgaria in the
9th century.
Although there were some attempts to introduce the Latin rite and although some
some groups later indeed joined the Roman Catholic Church, most believers adhered
to the Orthodox Church.
In 911 a first Bulgarian Patriarchate was created.
It survived with some interruptions until 1393 when Bulgaria was conquered by the
Osmanli.
Thereafter the Bulgarian Orthodox community was integrated into the Patriarchate
of Constantinople and became dominated by the Greek clergy.
This situation lasted until 1870 when the community unilaterally established an
autocephalous Exarchate. (1)
(1) Autochephalous = fully independent as far as the organization was
concerned but in full communion with the other Orthodox Churches as
far as religious matters were concerned.
Unilke the Patriarchs of Constantinople, who didn't recognize the new
jurisdiction before 1945, the Osmanli authorities did and even made the
Exarchs heads of all Bulgarian believers in the whole Empire.
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HEADS OF THE COMMUNITY
Exarchs of the Bulgarians(2)
1870 - 1872 Hilarion 1... - 1884
1872 - 1877 Anthimus 1... - 1878
1877 - 1915 Iosif 1... - 1915
1915 - 1945 vacant
Metropolitans of Sofia
(During the vacancy the Church was ruled by a Holy Synode of
Metropolitans, the most important of these being those of
Sofia)
18.. - 191. Parteni
19.. - 1922 Vasil, Archbishop of
Ruse*
1922 - 1948 Stepan 1878 - 1957
1945 - 1948 Stepan s.a.
(2) The Exarchs resided in Constantinople until 1913, when they moved to
Sofia.
See also here for the quarrel over Macedonia with the Serbian Orthodox
Church and here for the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the U.S.
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