At the beginning of March, Bulgaria celebrates its liberation from the Ottoman yoke. For almost five centuries, the Christian country was under the yoke of Muslim laws and paid tribute to the Ottoman Empire not only in gold and food, but also in living goods. Every fifth boy from the family was taken to the barracks and raised as a Janissary. Temples and churches stopped being built; monasteries survived only in remote mountainous areas. The policy of Islamization, actively pursued by the Porte on the territory of the Bulgarian Principality and other Balkan countries, led to the establishment of Christianity as the main enemy of the occupiers. Many Orthodox Christians died, refusing to change the faith of their ancestors. In those days, accepting Islam meant treason.
Policy of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans
Tightening policies towards Christian countries and increasing taxes led to massive uprisings among the local population. But the more the Sublime Porte weakened, the more bloodily the popular unrest and riots were pacified. The uprisings in 1875-1876 in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Bulgaria were suppressed with such brutality that even Western countries, willingly providing military support to the Ottomans in the fight against Russia (Crimean War), tried to force Porto to equalize the rights of Christians with the Muslim population. However, this did not bring any results, all the signed decrees remained only on paper, and in fact the Orthodox residents remained as powerless as they were.
Preparation and entry of Russia into the war of 1876-1878
After such anti-Christian persecutions, public opinion in Western countries and especially in Russia was completely on the side of the Balkan Slavs. Alexander II and the government decided to start a war with Turkey in order to protect our Slavic brothers. Of course, the state hoped that the liberated countries would strengthen our influence in the international arena and allow us to resist the Western coalition of states. The military reform carried out made it possible to hope for revenge after the defeat in the Crimean War.
The company had to be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible, so that the West would not come to its senses and defect to the Porte. At this stage, Russia was supported in the international arena by Prussia, and the enemy, as usual, was Great Britain. Having refused to follow the recommendations of its Western partners, the Porte was unable to obtain support from the Western coalition at that time. This fatal mistake of the Ottoman Empire made it possible for Russia to begin and carry out a military campaign to liberate the Balkan peoples from the Muslim yoke.
Liberation of the Balkans
The progress of the offensive of the Russian troops was accompanied by examples of heroic behavior of soldiers and officers. Some of his contemporaries compared the crossing of the Balkans with Suvorov’s campaign through the Alps. The crossing of the Danube, the defense of Shipka, the capture of Plevna and the crossing of the Balkans are written in bloody letters in the history of Russia and the Balkan peoples.
And when complete victory was already close and our troops approached Erzurum, where the remnants of the Turkish army were hiding, Western partners woke up and imposed peace on us under the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano, where Turkey paid Russia a large indemnity in gold, recognized some territorial claims and gave independence Bulgaria, Romania and Montenegro. To ensure this peace and stop Russian soldiers from marching on Constantinople, the Western powers flooded the Mediterranean Sea with their warships.
The Russian-Turkish War of 1876-1878 gave independence to the Balkan peoples, sacrificing almost two hundred thousand Russian soldiers. Some Bulgarian historians call it the most honest and noble war, if such words are appropriate in relation to the war. After liberation, the Balkan countries rushed under the wing of the more developed countries of Europe, and Russia received only part of Bessarabia, although under the terms of the Treaty of San Stefano, territorial acquisitions were more extensive. But the Western coalition, extremely dissatisfied with the victory of such a strong enemy, convened the treacherous Berlin Congress, where many of the achievements of the San Stefano Treaty were canceled. But that is another story.
Celebration
"Bulgarian, kneel
in front of the Holy Tomb -
here lies the Russian Warrior,
who gave his life for our freedom"
The day of the conclusion of the Treaty of San Stefano is considered the day of the liberation of Bulgaria. This big national holiday is marked with a red day on the calendar. Holidays in Bulgaria are celebrated on a grand scale: on this day, mass processions are held, politicians congratulate residents, and events are held to introduce residents to the history of the country.
A prayer service is being served in memory of the fallen Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish slavery. The solemn funeral service is held in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, built in the 19th century. Throughout the country there are more than 400 monuments to Russian soldiers, to whom flowers and wreaths are laid on this day.
On March 3, wreaths are solemnly laid at the Freedom Monument, erected in honor of the Russian soldiers who defended Shipka. This memorial was erected on the highest mountain of the Shipka Pass, where a handful of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian partisans held many times superior enemy forces under constant artillery fire for a month so as not to allow Turkish troops to enter Northern Bulgaria. This mountain was named Stoletova in honor of the Russian general who led the defense.
No, in fact, no one invited Recep Tayyip Erdogan to celebrate the Day of Liberation from the Ottoman Yoke in Bulgaria, especially since they pointedly refused this honor to the Russian president. This information has already been refuted; the ceremony does not imply the presence of the first government officials at all; representatives of diplomatic missions are quite sufficient. Another thing is that this stuffing immediately caused exactly the effect that its creators were counting on. It caused a sharp reaction from both opponents of this format of celebrations and its supporters, therefore, such a situation was expected and did not cause surprise. The reason lies in the position taken by the Bulgarian government leadership towards Russia.
Public reaction in Bulgaria
The reaction might seem strange if not for the whole logic of the events occurring from 1991 to the present day. Some observers managed to find an explanation for Erdogan’s mythical visit to celebrate Bulgarian Independence Day, at least in the fact that Turkish soldiers died during the war of 1877-1878. more than Russians. Yes, the argument is strong, the Ottomans also fought for Bulgaria, however, they understood it in their own way... Other people, who still remembered the former friendship between the peoples, were lamented by this tactlessness or stupidity. Still others believed that the Russian leadership itself was to blame because it was pursuing a foreign and domestic policy that was not supported by the “civilized world” led by NATO and the United States. In general, despite the absurdity of the information dump, it revealed both friends and foes, and even played some positive role. It turned out that there are many people who sympathize with Russia in Bulgaria today. Otherwise there would simply be nothing to argue about.
Minister's article
A statement by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov, made on the eve of the holiday, caused a much greater resonance than the fake manipulations with the invitation to the celebrations on March 3. This official, who had previously leveled the dangers of Russia and the Islamic State, in his article (REGNUM news agency) reproached our country for some kind of “mentoring”. He even recalled the historical debt of the Russians, because it was the Bulgarians who gave them writing and Orthodoxy, and in gratitude they received not only liberation from the Turkish yoke (1878), but also the occupation of 1944. And the Bulgarian people remember this. And now, according to Mitov, Russia itself “persistently demands” gratitude “affecting independence.” And judging by the minister’s tone, it is unlikely that such a thing will happen.
Russian Intervention Commission
Such a sharp and impartial rebuke arose from the Russian Foreign Ministry’s criticism of the creation in the Bulgarian parliament of a commission to study interference in the country’s internal affairs. Which one? Russian. The very name of this body raised many questions from M. Zakharova, which she expressed on February 25 at a briefing. Is this a military campaign against the Ottoman Empire? Or maybe liberation from fascism can be called interference in the internal affairs of independent and proud Bulgaria? Or what other historical episodes exist, but the public does not know about them? So the Minister of Foreign Affairs answered.
"Zigzag" friendship
Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire for five hundred years (from 1396 to 1878), and this period is defined by historians of the country as a yoke. There is no need to even talk about state relations between the two countries during that period. Modern Turkey in Sofia today is not associated with the former powerful empire that was defeated and disintegrated, both at the level of high leadership (which is understandable according to diplomatic norms) and among the common people. Almost immediately after liberation, Bulgaria gained independence, and soon the Coburgs, a monarchical dynasty with German roots, came to power. Foreign policy became pro-German, and, accordingly, in both world wars the country took the side of Russia’s opponents. In 1914, the Bulgarian Tsar took the side of the Triple (aka Quadruple) Alliance, and in 1941 he supported Hitler. And although a clearly anti-fascist approach to the events of World War II has already been formed in the European Union, the liberation of 1944 is viewed differently by various political forces within the country.
War
Bulgaria, of course, was considered an ally of Nazi Germany, but did not send troops to the eastern front, and the Germans did not particularly insist on this, realizing that due to long-standing historical sympathies they could not count on high combat effectiveness in this case. This satellite turned out to be even worse for Hitler than Romania; at least there was oil there. When Soviet troops entered Bulgaria in 1944, there was practically no one to resist them. The Tsar was overthrown, the Nazis no longer had the strength to fully occupy the country, and its territory did not have much strategic importance. In general, the liberation of Bulgaria, compared to other countries, cost relatively little bloodshed. Soviet soldiers were greeted with joy by everyone who was not involved in crimes against their own people. Of course, the owners of enterprises and large landowners found themselves in a sad situation; their property was nationalized. However, the new communist authorities in Bulgaria did not commit such collective farm disgrace as in the USSR; the share of private farms remained high during the period of “Soviet occupation,” which explains the relative abundance of food.
A look at the socialist past
Of course, as in other CMEA countries, in Bulgaria there were the same problems of shortages, queues, party excesses, ideological oppression, personal lack of freedom and many others associated with communist rule. However, one cannot deny the fact that the “big brother” of the USSR was not concerned about robbing its “vassals,” but rather about their integration into the economic space that emerged in Eastern Europe after the Second World War. To this end, high-tech production cycles were deployed in the initially poor agricultural country, including factories for the production of electronic equipment and components. As for the agricultural sector, it was guaranteed an immense sales market. Fruits, vegetables, canned goods, wines, cigarettes were sold in all stores in the USSR and other socialist countries; the mass buyer was accustomed to them and was very loyal to them. Today we can only remember all this. The industry fell into decline, and so did agriculture. The EU has strict quotas regulating both production and sales, supermarket shelves are dominated by imported products, and even that same bell pepper is not so easy to purchase.
Resentment for South Stream
In fact, Bulgaria itself abandoned this project, and therefore Russia had to turn to Turkey. However, its sudden cancellation and immediate reorientation has caused some concern. Obviously, it seemed to the country's leadership that they would now begin to persuade, cajole and seduce him like a capricious bride, but all this did not happen. But there was an opportunity to become a transit country and receive a good guaranteed income without much difficulty... Gazprom, of course, turned out to be to blame for not showing proper persistence, at least this is how many ordinary Bulgarians psychologically perceive the situation.
Will there be friendship?
If there really was a conflict due to the absence or presence of some invitations to a holiday in honor of the 138th Day of Liberation from the Ottoman yoke, then asking the Bulgarian senior officials who made this or that decision should not be “why?” or “for what?”, but rather “for what reasons?” Friendship between Russia and Bulgaria is quite possible, but exclusively pragmatic. It continues to develop “zigzag”, going up during the implementation of mutually beneficial projects (the Burgas-Alexandropoulos oil pipeline, the construction of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant, etc.) or down if someone offers something more interesting. Bulgaria integrated into European structures, although it received few dividends from them (if anything at all). But these are already internal affairs, Russia does not interfere in them on principle.
On March 3, 2018, Bulgaria celebrated the 140th anniversary of its liberation from the Ottoman yoke. It was on this day in 1878 that Russia and Turkey signed the Treaty of San Stefano, according to which Bulgarian statehood was restored after 500 years of foreign rule. Despite the decisive contribution of Russian troops to the liberation of Bulgaria, over the past century and a half, relations between Moscow and Sofia have not been easy.
Celebrating the Day of Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke Gettyimages.ru © Contributor
Made in San Stefano
On March 3, Bulgaria celebrates Liberation Day from the Ottoman yoke. This is one of the main national holidays of the country, established in honor of the end of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. On March 3, 1878, in the suburb of Constantinople San Stefano (now Yeşilköy), where Russian troops advancing towards the capital of the Ottoman Empire stopped, representatives of Russia and Turkey signed a peace treaty. One of his conditions was the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state.
In addition, Turkey was forced to recognize the independence of Serbia, the United Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia (the future Romania) and Montenegro, which were allies of Russia in that war.
As Associate Professor of Nizhny Novgorod State University noted in an interview with RT. N.I. Lobachevsky Maxim Medovarov, the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the San Stefano Peace Treaty “awakened the Balkans,” influencing not only the processes in Bulgaria.
"Both the Albanian and Macedonian problems were first identified in San Stefano." , - notes the expert.
It was in 1878, Medovarov emphasizes, with the formation of the Albanian League of Prizren that the movement for the creation of an Albanian state began.
Signing of the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878 © Wikimedia Commons
Macedonia, which, according to the San Stefano Peace Treaty, was supposed to become part of Bulgaria, according to the results of the Berlin Congress that followed this treaty, remained part of Ottoman Turkey. The result was the growth of a national movement in a radical form and the creation in 1896 of the Internal Macedonian-Odrinian Revolutionary Organization, which began a guerrilla war against the Turks, and after the annexation of Macedonia to Serbia in 1913, against the Serbs. The most famous victim of the Macedonian militants was the King of Yugoslavia, Alexander I Karadjordjevic, who was killed in Marseille in 1934. The Abwehr and Croatian Ustashes actively helped the Macedonians in organizing this assassination attempt.
As a result of the Berlin Congress, imposed on Russia by the European powers, Bulgaria itself was also affected, its territory being reduced by more than half compared to the terms of the San Stefano Peace Treaty. However, already in the 1880s, the country reoriented its policy from the Russian Empire to the states of Europe.
As Medovarov noted, the social base on which the Bulgarian political elite was created played a key role in this process.
"Bulgaria was, in fact, created in San Stefano, and the entire Bulgarian political class was created from the intelligentsia or lower-class merchants, there was simply no one else,"- notes the expert. - “They all received their education either in the West or in Russia among Russian nihilistic revolutionaries.” .
A striking example is the Prime Minister and Regent of Bulgaria Stefan Stambolov, expelled from the Odessa Theological Seminary in 1873 for his connections with revolutionaries. It was this former Russian seminarian who most actively fought against Russian influence in the country.
Paradoxically, the Russian Empire itself also contributed to the distance between Bulgaria and Russia.
« After San Stefano, the Russian authorities imposed on Bulgaria in 1879 the liberal so-called Tarnovo Constitution, which removed the Orthodox clergy from the levers of government - that part of the educated population that could be our support. All power passed into the hands of revolutionary intellectuals and their parties “- states Medovarov.
According to him, this constitution played a fatal role in the formation of the pro-Western orientation of the Bulgarian political class. Under the first prince of Bulgaria, Alexander I of Battenberg, the Bulgarian politician favored an alliance with Great Britain, and after the accession of Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to the Bulgarian throne in 1897 - with Germany and Austria.
The people are silent
« Many Bulgarians accused Russia of not conquering Macedonia and other lands for them, Medovarov notes another reason for the cooling of the Bulgarian elite towards Russia. - Our country was accused of insufficiently defending Bulgarian interests at the Berlin Congress of 1879 ».
The fact that Russia did not support Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War of 1913, when the country was attacked by Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey, according to the historian, finally brought Bulgaria into the camp of countries allied with Germany. Later, in two world wars, Sofia tried to regain control over Macedonia lost after the Second Balkan War. After Soviet troops liberated Bulgaria, a communist regime was established in the country. Now this is another reason for criticism of Russia by pro-Western liberals.
“Resentments accumulated, but these were grievances on the part of a certain part of the Bulgarian political class,” Medovarov emphasizes, “The people have always been on the side of Russia. The masses have always been pro-Russian, but had no voice in politics.”
This is confirmed, according to the historian, by the fact that reviews of Russia from the peasants who made up the majority of the Bulgarian population, as well as priests, were positive at the end of the 19th century, although the authorities in Sofia were already oriented toward the West. And now, according to a study by the American sociological center Pew Research Center, conducted in May 2017, 56% of Bulgarians believe that a strong Russia is necessary in order to resist the West.
- Residents of Sofia meet Soviet soldiers, 1944 RIA Novosti
Medovarov recalls that in 1940, a mass movement developed in Bulgaria to conclude a non-aggression pact with Soviet Russia - after the pro-German government came to power.
« Almost half the country signed up for an alliance with the USSR, but the authorities completely ignored it "- notes the expert.
As Bulgarian political scientist Plamen Miletkov, chairman of the board of the Eurasian Institute of Geopolitics and Economics, said in an interview with RT, a similar situation is observed to this day.
« Ordinary people - they are with Russia, - notes the expert. - But politicians sometimes say one thing and do another. They fulfill American orders in Bulgaria and the Balkans. You will now see how Bulgaria will work with Macedonia, with Kosovo, with Greece, so that Bulgaria becomes a leader in the Balkans, but this is the wrong course ».
According to the expert, the main goal of the Bulgarian policy to draw Macedonia into the EU and NATO is to create obstacles to plans to carry out the European part of the Turkish Stream through this country to the Balkans. However, this, like Sofia’s refusal from South Stream, is in the interests not of Bulgaria, but of the United States.
« Now in Bulgaria there is American propaganda that Russia did not liberate Bulgaria and did nothing, and there was no war at all"- notes the expert.
Hopes for change
Bulgaria is celebrating the 140th anniversary of the restoration of statehood today as a member of NATO, a military-political bloc that is now in power. However, for the first time since 2003, the country's leadership invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to celebrate the anniversary of the country's liberation from the Ottoman yoke. This was done by President Rumen Radev, elected in November 2016, who advocates establishing friendly ties with Russia.
And although the President of the Russian Federation will not come to Bulgaria this year on March 3, as noted by the Russian Ambassador in Sofia Anatoly Makarov, it is quite possible that he will visit this country within a year. Makarov himself will represent Russia at the festive events. The day before, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' arrived in the country on a special visit.
Although President Radev constantly talks about the need to lift the sanctions that Bulgaria, like other EU countries, have imposed against Russia, the government, which holds the real power, is in no hurry to raise this issue. In September 2017, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that he could not agree with the thesis that Russia is not an enemy of Bulgaria.
- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev Reuters © Tony Gentile
« How can one say in military doctrine that Russia is not our enemy and still remain a member of NATO? - the Prime Minister said on local television. - This is a contradiction. Our doctrine says that if war breaks out, we will fight on the side of NATO».
At the same time, the prime minister emphasized that he is against the strengthening in the Black Sea and for cooperation with Russia in the tourism and energy fields.
« Boyko Borisov wants to work with Russia, but does what the American ambassador orders “- notes Miletkov.
According to the expert, the United States may have dirt on the Bulgarian leader. In the early 1990s, he headed a security agency that was suspected of having ties to the underworld. A CIA cable published by WikiLeaks dated May 9, 2006, alleged that Borisov may be involved in drug trafficking. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria himself denies this information.
- Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov Reuters © Yves Herman
However, according to the Bulgarian expert, it is likely that in 2018 there will be a change in power in Bulgaria. Currently, Borisov’s government relies on a shaky coalition between his GERB party (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) and the nationalist United Patriots bloc, which, in turn, has disagreements regarding relations with Russia.
« I think that at the end of the year, in November-December, the government will change, there will be new elections and we will work normally with Russia"- states Miletkov.
« For us now the situation is favorable in the sense that, at least, the people are loyal to us, and these people have shown their abilities by electing an adequate president "- says Medovarov.
According to the expert, Bulgaria’s exit from US influence is “not only a Balkan, but a global issue.”
« If the American grip begins to really weaken around the world, then we will have more opportunities in the Balkans ", says the political scientist.
SOFIA, March 3. /TASS/. Bulgaria solemnly celebrated on Saturday the 140th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Ottoman yoke in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The culmination of the holiday was the solemn military ritual and fireworks, which took place in the center of Sofia on the People's Assembly Square near the monument to Tsar-Liberator Alexander II. As a TASS correspondent reports from the scene, the participants in the ceremony were the President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva, Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria and the church delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church led by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', leaders of political parties and public associations, heads of diplomatic missions and hundreds of citizens.
“140 years ago, the San Stefano Peace Treaty was signed and the dream of our revivalists came true that all Bulgarians could live in one free state. But this agreement lived only for a few months. It was buried by the Berlin Congress. And the romantic aspirations of 19th-century Europe died in dramatic twentieth century,” recalled Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.
“However, the memory of the spring of 1878 will always inspire Bulgaria, as will the memory of the daring people who, at the cost of their lives, returned the Bulgarian issue to the sphere of European interests,” he continued.
The head of state recalled the manifesto of Tsar-Liberator Alexander II, who declared war on the Ottoman Empire “in the name of justice and self-esteem.”
“Dostoevsky wrote that the people of Russia themselves, led by the Tsar, rose up to fight this war.<...>And these deep feelings are not subject to self-serving political interpretations. Many soldiers of different nationalities died in this war, for all of them Bulgaria became their last home, and we honor them as our heroes. 140 years later, we must remember our history,” Radev said.
“Our Bulgarian historical energy is not nostalgia for past greatness, but an awareness of the value of freedom as our debt to the martyrs who paid for the ideal of a pure and holy republic,” the president concluded.
Holiday on Shipka
The memory of the heroes was honored on Saturday at the top of Shipka, where a solemn event dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria was held at the foot of the Freedom Monument.
President Radev, Patriarch Neophyte and Patriarch Kirill, official guests and tens of thousands of Bulgarians, most of whom traveled many kilometers on foot, went to the top to bow to the liberators.
“140 years separate us from the Shipka epic, but the images of the liberating soldiers do not fade in the people’s memory. Each subsequent generation of Orthodox Christians, with lively attention and genuine interest, rediscover the history of the liberation war. The reason for this is the unique sacrificial nature of this war for the freedom of the oppressed brothers,” said Patriarch Kirill before the participants of the holiday. “Thousands of soldiers and officers of the Russian army gave their lives to save people connected with them by a common Orthodox faith,” he recalled.
The Patriarch performed a funeral litany at the foot of the monument to the choral singing of the Moscow Synodal Choir. And wreaths and flowers were laid at the Freedom Monument.
Victory story
Russia decided to defend Bulgaria and start a war with the Turks after they brutally suppressed the April Uprising of 1876, and the Constantinople Conference of the Great Powers, which proposed a draft peaceful solution to the Eastern Question (held from December 23, 1876 to January 20, 1877) , ended without result.
In April 1877, Russia declared war on Turkey. Russian troops managed to successfully cross the Danube, capture the Shipka Pass and, after a five-month siege, force the army of Osman Pasha in Plevna to capitulate. This was followed by the defeat of the Turkish troops covering Constantinople (Istanbul). The losses of the Russian army in this military campaign, according to various sources, ranged from 20 to 35 thousand people.
The Treaty of San Stefano was signed by the Russian ambassador in Constantinople, Count Nikolai Ignatiev and his fellow diplomat Alexander Nelidov, on the one hand, and the Turkish Foreign Minister Savfet Pasha, as well as the ambassador to Germany, Saadullah Bey, on the other. This document took into account the interests of Bulgaria as much as possible. The country became the largest state in the Balkans, its total area was more than 170 thousand square kilometers.
The main disadvantage of this treaty was the fact that it was subject to approval by Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Representatives of these powers considered that Bulgaria received more than it deserved, and the country’s borders were reduced.
Nevertheless, the main thing was done - Bulgaria, a country with a population of 4.8 million people, received the status of an independent state, and the date March 3 became the Day of the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. Celebrations dedicated to this holiday took place on Saturday in all Bulgarian cities.
From the beginning of the 19th century, the process of national revival began actively in Bulgaria. The Bulgarians suddenly realized that they were Bulgarians, they began to actively build churches, paint icons, study in their native language, and so on. All this became possible thanks to the fact that the Ottoman Empire inexorably continued its progressive downward movement.
The idea of national revival was reflected in the fine arts. In the middle of the 18th century. In Bulgaria, several schools of painting developed, which were a purely folk phenomenon. Family traditions played a large role in their formation: often several generations of the same family were engaged in painting. So, for example, the Zograf family from the village of Dospei, not far from the city of Samokov, gave Bulgaria a whole galaxy of folk artists, who began to be called “Dospei”. Only one of them, Stanislav Dospevsky, received professional education in Russia, at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Another “dospei” was the outstanding Bulgarian artist Zakhary Zograf.
Simultaneously with the growth of national self-awareness in Bulgaria, the movement for liberation from the Ottoman yoke expanded. In 1876, the April Uprising broke out in Bulgaria, which was suppressed by the Bashi-Bazouks with particular cruelty in the form of cutting out entire villages, etc. After this, Russia received an excellent pretext for a new war against the Ottoman Empire.
On April 12, 1877, Russia declared war on Turkey. On the same day, the Bulgarian Central Revolutionary Committee in Bucharest issued an appeal to the Bulgarian people: “Brothers! The Russians are coming to us as brothers to protect us. The great and holy hour has struck, in which we must all stand as one alongside the Russian soldiers in the fight against the enemy.” The campaign of the Russian army across the Danube, unparalleled in difficulty and heroism, forever covering Russian weapons with the glory of Plevna and Sheinov, Shipka and Phillipol, lasted 314 days and nights. More than 50 thousand Russian soldiers died in the battles for the liberation of Bulgaria.
A brilliant denouement came at the end of 1877, when Russian troops crossed the Danube and captured Plevna. Türkiye quickly agreed to negotiations, peace and the formation of a semi-independent Bulgarian principality.
So in 1879, Bulgaria became an autonomous principality - a vassal of Turkey. In 1908 - an independent kingdom.
Photos for the article
Golden treasure from Panagyurishte
The ancient land of Bulgaria has preserved many rich treasures. In addition to gold and silver coins - antique, Byzantine, ancient Bulgarian - they contain magnificent artistic treasures - minted silver and gold items. Many of the jewelry found in the Bulgarian land became world famous and were exhibited in the largest museums in Europe.
Second Bulgarian Kingdom
In 1185, a massive popular uprising against Byzantine rule began in Bulgaria, led by the boyars brothers Asen and Peter. The uprising was a complete success.
Thracians
Bulgaria is very close to one of the cradles of civilization - the Eastern Mediterranean. In fact, this was the northern outskirts of Ancient Greece. The Greeks, in fact, were the first civilized inhabitants of the Bulgarian Black Sea region. And the targeted development of Bulgarian lands began in the 6th century BC. e.
Bulgarian Revival Courtyards
During the period of the Bulgarian Renaissance, in the area along the upper reaches of the Luda-Kamchia River, a special type of architectural creativity arose, which was reflected in the history of national architecture, as the Kotlen or Zheraven folk house. The main role in the economic and cultural life of the region was then played by the rich village of Kotel, famous for its artisans, which became the center of the entire region. The economic and cultural upsurge also spread to the neighboring villages - Zheravna, Gradets, Medven, Ichera, Kanuniste - where intensive construction also took place. In many places, to this day you can see residential buildings preserved in relatively good condition, dating from both Renaissance and earlier times. Thanks to them, it is possible to recreate a more or less accurate picture of the state of housing architecture and the appearance of courtyards.
Proto-Bulgarians
Proto-Bulgarians are essentially Turks. They once roamed from Central Asia to the Volga steppes, i.e. right across the territory of the current Russian Federation. Very little is known about them due to their lack of advancement and reluctance to found cities and live like all normal people. After they migrated to their place of permanent deployment, they were replaced by famous assholes - the Pechenegs, who drank a lot of Slavic blood.
