The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria thousands of years ago to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin.

Bulgaria as a nation exists in history books since 681 when the First Bulgarian Empire was founded.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF BULGARIA The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. Bulgaria as a nation exists in history books since 681 when the First Bulgarian Empire was founded.THE THRACIANS Around 3,500 B.C. Thracians lived in what is today Bulgarian land, they also left their mark on this place. They are the first who settled on those who have historical records.The Greek Colonization In the seventh century B.C. the Greeks, began to colonize the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. There they founded many cities that still exist today: Varna (Odesos), Nesebar (Mesembria ), Sozopol (Apollonia), etc. 347–342 BC emerged Philippopolis, The Thracian town was conquered by Philip II of Macedon who named it Philippopolis, and the Odrysian king was deposed in 342 BCE. Ten years after the Macedonian invasion, the Thracian kings started to exercise power again after the Odrysian Seuthes III had re-established their kingdom under Macedonian suzerainty as a result of a successful revolt against Alexander the Great’s rule resulting in a stalemate. Roman Period 1st century BCE The Romans fortified many of the Thracian settlements and build many new towns and cities. Modern-day Stara Zagora (Augusta Traiana) and modern-day Devnya (Marcianopolis) date back to that period.

Emperor Mark Ulpius Traianus found the Thracian city of Serdica (modern-day Sofia) became Ulpia Serdica in his honor. PROTO BULGARIANS The semi-nomadic riders arrived in the territory of today’s Bulgaria from the North, led by their Khan Asparuh, and determined to settle permanently. And settle they did. The state they founded at the end of the 7th century AD continues to exist today. FIRST BULGARIAN KINGDOM (681 – 1018) After receiving official recognition in 681 AD, the Bulgarian Kingdom continued carving out territory from the Byzantine Empire under Khan Krum, adopted Christianity as a state religion under Kniaz Boris I, and reached its cultural and commercial golden age under Tsar Simeon the Great. By the end of the 10th century, the weakened state was under constant attack and fell under Byzantine rule in the early 11th century. KNYAZ BORIS I ADOPTION OF CHRISTIANITY He realizes that the country until then split along ethnic and religious differences needed a new state religion as a unifying force. After evaluating offers from both Rome and Constantinople, the Knyaz settled on Eastern Orthodoxy, though not before carefully using the tensions between the West and the East to secure an independent Bulgarian church. THE GOLDEN AGE: SIMEON I THE GREAT Simeon proved to be a successful, intelligent, and energetic leader who led the Bulgarian state to great territorial expansion and unrivaled cultural heights. Simeon’s longest-lasting achievement, however, is the wide adoption of the new Cyrillic alphabet and the unprecedented cultural and literary peak reached during his reign. BYZANTINE CONQUEST OF BULGARIA Bulgaria remained subject to Byzantium for more than a century and a half, until 1185.

Its western part was transformed into one of the Byzantine provinces, which was ruled by a governor appointed by the Emperor. The Bulgarian church fell under the domination of Greek ecclesiastics. SECOND BULGARIAN KINGDOM (1185 – 1396) The kingdom existed for 200 years with Veliko Tarnovo as capital.it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II. Bulgaria spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea and the economy flourished. In the late 13th century, however, the Empire declined under constant invasions by Mongols, Byzantines, Hungarians, and Serbs, as well as internal unrest and revolts. OTTOMAN RULE IN BULGARIA (1396-1878) In 1393, the Bulgarian capital Tarnovo fell. This essentially put an end to the Bulgarian state and independent church. Three years later the quasi-independent Vidin Kingdom was also conquered. Almost overnight, the Bulgarians turned into an ethnic and religious minority. Their state and church ceased to exist, and the Bulgarian aristocracy and literary elite were extinguished. BULGARIAN REVIVAL (1762 – 1878) The revival’s leaders – philosophers, poets, and revolutionaries. They preached about the new dream of an independent church and state. The Bulgarian effort for liberation culminated with the April uprising in 1876. Just days later, the uprising was brutally suppressed by irregular Turkish forces known as bashibazouk. Massacres of civilians followed, most notably in Batak were 3,000 to 5,000 civilians lost their lives. THE TREATY OF SAN STEFANO, SIGNED ON MARCH 3, 1878. The Ottoman Empire was debilitated. Russia declared yet another war. Apart from geopolitical ambitions, it was responding to a mass sympathy for the Bulgarians fueled by their common religion and Slavic origin. Soon the Russian armies crossed the Danube and, supported by the exalted locals, pushed the Ottomans all the way to Istanbul. PRINCIPALITY OF BULGARIA (1878 – 1908 ) Was a de facto independent, and de jure vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria only acknowledged the authority of the Sublime Porte in a formal way. It had its own Constitution, flag and anthem, and conducted its own foreign policy. In 1885, a bloodless revolution resulted in Eastern Rumelia being de facto annexed by Bulgaria, which the Ottoman Empire accepted with the Tophane Agreement. On 5 October 1908, KINGDOM OF BULGARIA (1908- 1946) The Bulgarian state was raised from a principality to a kingdom.

Ferdinand I was crowned a Tsar at the Declaration of Independence, because of his military plans and for seeking options for unification of all lands in the Balkans region with an ethnic Bulgarian majority. In September 1946, the monarchy was abolished by plebiscite, and young Tsar Simeon was sent into exile. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA (1946-1990) In 1946 the Communists took power, with Vasil Kolarov becoming President and Dimitrov becoming Prime Minister. Bulgaria was part of Comecon and a member of the Warsaw Pact and was closely allied with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Todor Zhivkov was a Bulgarian politician who served as leader of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 as General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party. TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY (1990) The transition to democracy in Bulgaria is commonly defined as a coup d’état carried out by the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) elites against the long-standing dictator Todor Zhivkov.

The Bulgarian transition to democracy was a direct by-product of the economic and political collapse of the USSR. The transition was peaceful and elite-led. Zhelyu Zhelev the first democratically elected President of Bulgaria. BULGARIAN DEMOCRACY (1990 TO TODAY) Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic, the government and its leader – the Prime Minister, have more political influence and significance than the President. Thus, the parliamentary elections set the short-term social and political environment in the country since the cabinet (chosen by the Prime Minister and approved by the parliament) decides how the country is governed BULGARIA ACCESSION TO EUROPEAN UNION Bulgaria became a member of NATO in 2004. After several years of reforms it joined the European Union and single market in 2007.

Bulgaria hosted the 2018 Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.The Bulgarian lands have rich and most diverse cultural heritage.

Their location on a crossroads explains the intertwining, mixing, the mutual influences of the culture, mores, and religions of tribes and peoples, having lived and crisscrossed the region. Invaluable is the cultural and historical heritage of ancient Thracian, Greeks, Romans, of generations of Bulgarians leaving through their achievements intriguing and useful information about their lifestyle, traditions and their spiritual enlightenment.