History of Bulgaria
The Republic of Bulgaria is situated in the middle of the Balkan Peninsula
on a busy crossroad of different cultures. According to the statistics
the country ranks third only after Greece and Italy for the number
of its archaeological monuments. During the Palaeolithic Age different
tribes inhabited the territory of present day Bulgaria. The Karanovska
mound near the town of Nova Zagora reveals exceptionally interesting
findings from that period. We can distinguish cultural layers dating
back almost 40,000 years - from the Late Palaeolithic and Early
Neolithic Age. Traces from the Glacial Epoch have been preserved
in many caves, the most interesting of which can be found in the
Magura Cave. It is famous for its cave drawings depicting hunting
scenes, dances, animistic, totemic, and pantheistic cult figures.
The world-famous culture of the Thracians developed on the territory
of today's Bulgaria during pre-historic and ancient times. The oldest
gold in the world, dated 8,000 years back, is of Thracian origin.
It was skillfully wrought and was meant to be used by aristocrats
and for priests' rituals.
The period after 3,000 B.C. is very rich in archaeological findings.
The culture of the Thracians thrived at the same time as the culture
of the Ancient Egyptian Kingdom. The Thracians also made a profound
impact on world culture due to their contacts with the civilizations
of Ancient Greece. Herodotus mentioned the Thracians as the second
biggest tribe in the Ancient world. Homer describes them as allies
of the Trojans during the 8th century B.C. Eschilles, Euripides
and Aristophanes also wrote about the ancient Thracians. The most
people born in ancient Thrace were Orpheus and Spartacus. Orpheus
is known to have lived a little before the Trojan War. He was born
near today's village of Guela in the Rhodope Mountains and took
part in the quest of the Argonauts together with Jason and Heracles.
Some of the hymns sung by Orpheus have reached us through their
translations into Old Greek and the short descriptions of Orpheus'
mysteries. The ancient esoteric societies of the Mediterranean used
them to initiate their young members. There are three most famous
legends about Orpheus. According to the first one he was the greatest
singer of all time and even the wild animals stopped to listen to
his music. The second one tells the story of how he went down to
hell to look for his deceased wife Euridice and how he broke his
vow not to look at her while they were in the nether world and eventually
completely lost her. The third legend tells about his death caused
by the entranced Bachantes who tore him into pieces. It is considered
that Spartacus was born on the territory of present day town Sandanski,
at the foot of the Pirin Mountain. As an adolescent they sold him
into slavery in Rome. There he became a gladiator and later a leader
of the biggest slave uprising in Antiquity.
The Thracians have left us numerous historical monuments. The most well
known of these are the tombs in the town of Kazanlak and near the
village of Sveshtari; the sanctuary of Orpheus and a multitude of
gold and silver treasures often exhibited in the biggest museums
of the world.
The Thracians were polytheists and later the Greeks borrowed part of
their pantheon. Their cult of Dionissius is very interesting from
a cultural point of view, since it simultaneously contradicts and
intertwines with the cult to Orpheus.
The Thracians waged constant wars with neighboring Greece to the south
and Persia to the southeast. In times of peace they traded with
their ex-enemies, the Dacians to the North and the Macedonians and
the Ilyrians to the west. In 346 B.C. Thrace was conquered and for
a period of 50 years was the possession of Philip of Macedonia and
Alexander the Great. It became part of the Roman Empire in 46 A.D.
after continuous wars. Antiquity is considered to have come to an
end in the territory of contemporary Bulgaria at the end of 3rd
century A.D. with the establishment of the Byzantine Empire as an
independent state, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire. Numerous
remains have been preserved from that period, among which ruins
of whole cities, amphitheatres, foundations of public and religious
buildings, magnificent mosaics, sculptures and objects from the
everyday and cultural life.
The ancient Bulgarians were the basic ethnic components in the structure
of the Medieval Bulgarian State. Their original homeland was in
Central Asia, in the mountainous region of Pamir and Hindukush.
In Antiquity the ancient Bulgars founded two famous states called
BULGAR and BULHARA according to some sources. As a highly developed
civilization, the Bulgars had culturally dominated the territories
of Central Asia for a long time. They have left the world a rich
cultural heritage in the field of the philosophic understanding
of the world as well as in state administration, social structure,
military art, writing, linguistic culture, construction, astronomy
and mathematics.
Eloquent proof of this is their calendar based on the sun cycles, which is
perfect from astronomical and mathematical point of view. Its structure
consists of an original 12 months calendar and an excellent 12-year
cycle calendar. The constellations in this masterpiece of ancient
Bulgarians' thought bear the names of animals. UNESCO has recognized
it as one of the most accurate ancient calendars known so far.
The "Name List of the Bulgarian Khans" dated back in 165 A.D. shows
signs of the European presence in the state structure of the ancient
Bulgars. Their powerful state union, known to history under the
name of Great Old Bulgaria, existed until the middle of the 7th
century when it broke down into new states - Volga Bulgaria and
Danubean Bulgaria. One of the main contributions of the Bulgarians
is their resisting and stopping the invasion of Europe by the Muslim
Armies, of the Arabs, the Tatars, and the Mongolian tribes as well
as the Ottoman Turks. Defending Europe many Bulgars sacrificed their
lives. The mighty Bulgarian Empire with Khan Asparuh at its head
united the ancient Thracian nation and the Slavic tribes. This is
how the Third Empire in Europe appeared, the so-called Danubean
Bulgaria, on the crossroad with Asia and Africa. Its capital was
called Pliska.
Khan Tervel (700-721) was at the head of the powerful Bulgarian Empire
and stopped the Arabian Invasion thus saving Europe from the Islamic
armies advancing from the southeast. Khan Krum (802-814) passed
a new type of legislature establishing Bulgaria as an organized
and modern state for that time. Byzantium attacked the Bulgarian
Empire in 811 and burned down the capital Pliska. The Bulgarians
immediately counterattacked - the warriors of Khan Krum, also called
"the Horrible", and defeated the Byzantine Army. Emperor Nikiphorus
I was killed in the battle. Khan Boris I (852-889) converted the
Bulgarians to Christianity after long diplomatic negotiations, almost
two centuries after the foundation of the Bulgarian Empire on the
Balkans. He used to call himself "knyaz" which was derived from
the ancient Bulgarian word "kanas" (meaning "khan"), and accepted
the canonic name of Mikhail. Bulgaria has been considered a Christian
Orthodox country since 865. The creation and the establishment of
the Bulgarian - Slavic writing by Cyril and Methodius - two monk
brothers of Bulgarian origin - is especially important in both cultural
and historic terms. Pope John Paul II announced them patrons of
civilized Europe. The alphabet created by them was adopted by other
nations through the Christian religion. Nowadays it is used in Russia,
Macedonia, Ukraine, Belarus, Yugoslavia, and Mongolia.
Tsar Simeon (893-927) inherited the throne from his father Boris Mikhail.
Simeon received a brilliant education in Constantinople and had
the talent of a writer and the exceptional qualities of a statesman.
He organized the translation of a number of Christian Orthodox books
from Greek into Bulgarian and is considered o be the father of literary
language. He moved the capital from Pliska to Preslav and expanded
almost twofold the territory of Bulgaria. A connoisseur of the Byzantine
culture, he transformed the Bulgarian Empire into a mighty power
with a great impact on the then existing world. The period of his
reign is known as the First Golden Age. Bulgaria bordered four seas
- the Adriatic, the Aegean, the Marble, and the Black Sea. The rise
of the Bogomil heresy is an interesting issue in both social and
religious aspect. It is believed that Bogomil was a priest who was
the first to spread the dualistic heresy of the faith in the Good
Lord and the rejection of the sinful nature of the visible world.
The Bogomils hoped that "the younger Son of God - Jesus Christ"
would save the people from the clergy, the holy secrets, the icons,
and the cross, which contradicted the original status of God's goodness.
The Bogomil heresy conveyed the pathos of its resistance far to
the west. As early as the 12th century their teaching penetrated
Serbia, Croatia, and even the mountains of Bosnia where the local
church was inclined to follow it. At the same time Bogomil heresy
started to influence the movements, their principles and the secret
organizations of the Catars, Albigoyians, and Bugres in Italy and
Southern France. From cultural and human point of view, however,
they were the heralds of the European Renaissance.
During the reign of Tsar Samuil (997-1014) the capital of Bulgaria was
moved to Ohrid, in present day Macedonia. In 1014 the troops of
Samuil were defeated and the Byzantine emperor Basil II captured
15,000 Bulgarian soldiers. He ordered that 99 out of 100 be blinded
and leave the 100th one-eyed so that he could lead them. Such was
the barbarism and the national catastrophe that put an end to the
first period in the history of Danubean Bulgaria. Bulgaria fell
under the Byzantine oppression for almost 170 years. In 1185, after
a number of more or less powerful uprisings, the noble brothers
Asen and Peter managed to unite the Bulgarians and to gain back
the independence of their country from Byzantium. Veliko Turnovo
became the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
The
reign of Tsar Kaloyan (1197-1207) and that of Ivan Asen II (1218-1241),
who were great army leaders and exceptionally good diplomats, was
a very fruitful period for the Bulgarian nation. They made a multitude
of brilliant moves, striking war actions, and tactful peace treaties,
which eventually expanded the boundaries of Bulgaria and brought
permanent peace and welfare to the Bulgarians.
Tsar
Ivan Asen II's reign was called "The Second Golden Age". Bulgaria
became a world power for the second time during the reign of Ivan
Alexander (1331-1371). The Bulgarian arts and culture from that
period were akin to the pre-Renaissance in Western Europe. The Tarnovo
School had a strong civilizing influence on the whole Slavic world.
But
the days of the free Bulgarian Empire were numbered because of the
advancement of the Muslim wave from the southeast. In 1396 Bulgaria
fell under the domination of the Ottoman Turks. The Turkish Ottoman
Empire conducted a policy of assimilation during those hard times
for the Bulgarian nation. An expression of the Bulgarian spirit
for liberty and independence were over 400 mutinies and uprisings.
As
a result of the Ottoman Turkish invasion many mosques were built,
the Arabic alphabet was introduced for official and religious documents
and many Orthodox Christian sanctuaries were demolished and turned
into Muslim shrines. Many Turks, mainly soldiers, who observed the
rules of the Empire and later some civilians, settled on the territory
of contemporary Bulgaria. The Bulgarians suffered heavy taxes, duties,
and the so-called "blood tax". Blood tax required that a boy from
the family be taken to Asia Minor where he would be converted into
the Islam religion and was trained for a janissar - a warrior with
no knowledge of parents and fatherland. These very janissars as
well as the Turkish civil army - the bashibozuk - were the real
ruthless masters in command in Bulgaria.
The
Bulgarian population started to organize self-defense movements.
First appeared the hajduti (outlaw rebels) who protected the Orthodox
Christian population. They united in "cheti" (detachments), which
later on grew into organized movement for the liberation of Bulgaria.
The
new Bulgarian National Revival began in the middle of the 18th century.
The struggle for independent church and freedom of religious belonging,
the publishing of books, and later of Bulgarian press release, the
establishment of Bulgarian secular schools as well as the official
establishment of the Bulgarian language and culture, were some of
the steps taken towards the revival of the nation.
The
writing of the History of the Bulgarians by Father Paisii of Hilendar
and its later spreading in manuscript form marks an important moment
in our history. Some cultural centers ("chitalishta") were created
in the aims of preserving and elating the national spirit and giving
the chance to many young Bulgarians to get in touch with the treasures
of the European culture. Bulgaria was also strongly influenced by
the Russo-Turkish wars waged in the 19th century. The myth about
Grandpa Ivan was created then - it was the story about the strong
Russian hero who would come from the north and would liberate his
Christian Orthodox brothers living on the Balkans. Russia also nurtured
this faith because of its expansion interests for permanent influence
on the Balkan Peninsula. Some Bulgarian volunteers also took part
in those wars, especially in the Crimean war during the 1853-1866,
which for the Russians was a good cause for declaring a war. So
they started planning and organizing the liberation of Bulgaria
from the Ottoman Turks.
The
situation on the Balkans was more than favorable for that. Romania,
Serbia and Greece had managed to overthrow the Ottoman domination.
In 1862 Georgi Sava Rakovski, the ideologist of the Bulgarian National
Revolution, organized the First Bulgarian Armed Legion in Belgrade.
Young people were trained in the military art in the aims of organizing
an uprising. A great number of Bulgarian emigrants received an excellent
military education abroad, while some others took prominent positions
in the Ottoman Empire and were seeking diplomatic ways for achieving
the independence of Bulgaria. The Central Bulgarian Revolutionary
Committee was started in Romania, from where Bulgarian revolutionaries
in exile organized the preparation for the uprising. A key figure
among them was Vasil Levski (1837-1873). He managed to create an
intricate network of secret revolutionary committees in Bulgaria
and to train a lot of his assistants and followers. Eventually he
was captured by the Turks, tried and hanged in Sofia. The Bulgarian
people worship him and consider him to be a saint and the dearest
victim of Bulgaria. The April Uprising from 1876 was a turning point
in the movement for the national liberation of Bulgaria. Numberless
innocent people as well as revolutionaries fell victim of it, including
the poet Hristo Botev. All the European countries and Russia voiced
their protest in defense of Bulgaria. The Russia Emperor Alexander
II declared war on Turkey in 1877. Some Finns, Romanians and numerous
Bulgarian volunteers also took part in it. After cruel and epical
battles fought for about a year, Turkey was forced to sign the San
Stefano peace treaty in front of the walls of Istanbul. That was
how Bulgaria gained back its independence on March 3, 1878. In July
of 1878 the Berlin Congress revised the San Stefano peace treaty
and European Powers divided the Bulgarian country into two parts.
An independent Principality of Bulgaria subject to the Sultan was
established on the territory north of the Balkan Mountains, including
the region of Sofia. Southern Bulgaria became Eastern Rumelia under
the political and military domination of the Turkish Government
even though it had administrative independence. Macedonia and the
region of Odrin remained a Turkish possession; Northern Dobrudha
was given to Romania and the Moravian region to Serbia.
The
first Prince of liberated Bulgaria was Alexander Ist of Batenberg
(1879-1886). He ruled the people who managed on their own to unite
the two separate territories of Bulgaria in 1885 against the will
of all the Great Powers. The next to rule the country was Stefan
Stambolov (1887-1894). A prominent politician and statesman, he
was called "the Bulgarian Bismark". During his regency Bulgaria
was recognized as a European country, its international recognition
being supported by the King's institution.
King
Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1887-1918) and his son Boris III
(1918-1943) were monarchs whose names are associated with the battles
won and lost in the first half of the 20th century. After them the
territory of Bulgaria was reduced to its present state. Both of
them made successful efforts to modernize all the branches of the
national economy, to support scientific research as well as the
education and the arts. They also attempted to revive the diplomatic
alliance of Bulgaria.
The
heroism of the Bulgarian army was in vain after several futile battles
to liberate Macedonia and join it to Bulgaria. The national catastrophe
deepened after concluding a treaty in one of the suburbs of Paris
- Neouin 1919. Alexander Stamboliiski (1919-1923) was the Prime
Minister at the time and an ideological leader of the Bulgarian
Agrarian Union. He proved to be a brilliant statesman when after
the war he passed some reforms and stabilized the national economy
and army.
The
name of King Boris III (1918-1943) is traditionally connected with
the unprecedented salvation of the Bulgarian Jews from the German
concentration camps during World War II. 50,000 Jews were saved
then and did not leave the country to die in Germany. Thanks to
his perspicacity Bulgaria didn't send any troops to the East Front
to fight as an ally of the Fascist Germans.
Georgi
Dimitrov, also known as "the victor of the trial of the 20th century",
was accused by the Germans with three more Bulgarians of burning
of the Reichstag and returned to the country as a victor in 1945
from Moscow. He was elected Prime Minister by the National Assembly
and was at the same time Secretary General of the Bulgarian Communist
Party. The period, when at the head of the Bulgarian state was Vulko
Chervenkov (1950-1956), was marked by the so-called "cult of personality",
which is another name for dictatorship. The long period of totalitarism
during the administration of Todor Zhivkov (1950-1989) was the time
when political government and party interests completely merged.
The national economy stabilized during the 70s but was soon after
that on the decline due to the exhausted resources of the socialism
of communist character.
Bulgaria
has finally entered the period of democracy after a long and painful
waiting. In the new situation of real parliamentary democracy, the
Bulgarian people have chosen their leaders - Presidents Zhelyo Zhelev,
Peter Stoyanov and Georgi Purvanov, and Prime Ministers Andrey Loukanov,
Dimitar Popov, Philip Dimitrov. Lyuben Berov, Zhan Videnov, Ivan
Kostov and Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, son of King Boris III. There
are historical and cultural grounds for the leaders of the Bulgarian
democracy to meet with dignity and worldly wisdom the challenges
of the future.
|
