“Global question”: why, after liberation from the Turkish yoke, Bulgaria moved away from Russia. Liberation from the Ottoman yoke Liberation of Bulgaria from the Turks
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 towards 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.
An article by Alexey Zotyev on the topic of not inviting Russia to the day of Bulgaria's liberation from the Turkish yoke.
There is one particularly memorable date in the history of the Slavic state of Bulgaria - March 3. It was on this day, in 1878, that the Russian-Turkish War ended, which became a liberation war for the people of Bulgaria. Captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1396, Bulgaria was under Turkish rule for many centuries and languished in captivity. But they did not have enough strength to throw off Ottoman oppression on their own. Europe did not help either, constantly calling on Turkey to guarantee Christians living in the Ottoman Empire the same rights as Muslims. The Turks verbally assured that no one was oppressing Christians, but in reality it turned out completely differently. Exhausted by constant oppression, the Bulgarians raised an uprising in 1876, which was brutally suppressed by the Turkish army. As a result of punitive measures, more than 30,000 Bulgarians died, among whom were women, old people and children.
The brutal suppression of the April uprising was the last straw - in 1877, Russia started a war with Turkey. Indignant at the killing of civilians, the Old World, and especially Great Britain, never entered the war. Bulgarian, Armenian and Georgian militias fought and died on the side of the Russian Empire. Serbian, Romanian and Montenegrin troops took an active part in the hostilities. The victory of the Russian army was swift and unconditional. Most of the territories forcibly annexed to the Ottoman Empire were liberated. Bulgaria became free for the first time in many centuries. Thanks to Russia...
Let me explain the need for another excursion into recent history, which I, in light of recent events, was forced to give you. More recently, the Bulgarians celebrated the anniversary of liberation from the Turkish yoke. The holiday is far from new for the country. I was surprised by the new approach of the Bulgarian leadership to covering the memorable date. The President of Bulgaria, speaking with a celebratory speech, forgot to say that the country celebrates the day of liberation from the Turkish yoke and did not mention the main author of this holiday - Russia. Moreover, those responsible for the celebration, the Ministerial Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, forgot to invite guests from Russia, the country of the liberator! The Prime Minister of the country did not mention Russia and its role in the liberation of Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian authorities and political elite paid special attention to the holiday message written by John Kerry and solemnly read out to the Bulgarian people. John Kerry, who like all Americans, representatives of a great nation, has the right to be stupid, also unfortunately does not know the history of this holiday. Kerry greatly rejuvenated the holiday by declaring that he was only 25 years old. In his message, John noted “the progress that Bulgaria has made since the declaration of independence and the victory of democracy more than two decades ago.” Kerry did not mention the Russian-Turkish War and the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke, most likely for the banal reason of ignorance of this part of history. All this, of course, Kerry wrote on behalf of President Obama. In conclusion, as usual, he hinted at the need to expand cooperation in the field of security and defense. Americans are boring, stupid and predictable...
In 2014, the Bulgarian government already played along with its strategic partner, the United States, by starting to blackmail Russia, which at that moment was pulling the next section of the South Stream gas pipeline through the country. By flexing their muscles, the Bulgarian father-commanders twice with their strong-willed decisions suspended the construction of the gas pipeline. Result - on December 1, 2014, Vladimir Putin announced the winding down of the South Stream project. Not only ordinary Bulgarians and local entrepreneurs were shocked, but also the Bulgarian government itself, which did not expect such treachery from Russia!
Currently, with their stupid antics, Bulgarian officials and their overseas patrons have achieved one thing - the Bulgarians are beginning to organize themselves and show their civic position. So, on March 3, 2015, on the day of celebration of liberation from the Ottoman yoke, non-governmental actions were held in the country, the main slogan of which was “Thank you Russia, we remember history!” One of the parties in the Bulgarian parliament, the Ataka political party, organized a National March on March 3, which was attended by tens of thousands of ordinary citizens, representatives of public and patriotic organizations and representatives of other left-wing parties. Guests from Russia were invited to the procession. Deputies Anatoly Karpov and Roman Khudyakov were present from the Russian State Duma. Greetings from Sergei Naryshkin and the leadership of the LDPR party were read out.
This is yet another of the already numerous examples of rape in world history, in which the United States has been so successful. By methodically driving into the minds of young Bulgarians lies about the root causes of celebrating Independence Day, they hope that in a few decades they will forget about Turkish aggression and the role of Russia in the liberation of Bulgaria. It was using this technique that for more than twenty years they disfigured the worldview of the inhabitants of Ukraine, thus dividing the once united people into Russians and Ukrainians. What came out of this we have the opportunity to observe with our own eyes - the war in Donbass is broadcast on all television channels and sometimes amazes with its cruelty and senselessness.
No matter what the Americans do, no matter how they try to split the world and set most countries against Russia, we must remember - whoever does not remember his past has no future! I am sincerely grateful to those Bulgarians who, not following the lead of official propaganda, on this day, March 3, took to the streets of Sofia and celebrated “National holiday March 3, the Day of the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke, a day of thanksgiving for fraternal Russia.” This is the act of people who remember their roots, who will not allow their history to be rewritten and themselves to be drawn into a new political adventure. In unity there is strength and victory!
P.S. For the sake of objectivity, I would like to add that the Americans also participated in the Russian-Turkish War, albeit indirectly. The Turkish army was armed with the latest American rifles, which in turn caused a lot of trouble for the Russian troops. It was from these weapons, produced at factories in the USA, today’s ally of Bulgaria, that in 1876 they killed local residents who rebelled against the Ottoman yoke...
Saved
Exactly 140 years ago - on March 3, 1878 - a peace treaty was signed in San Stefano between the Russian and Ottoman empires, putting an end to the Russian-Turkish war. The result was the appearance of new independent states on the world map - Bulgaria and Montenegro, and international navigation on the Danube was also opened. This date is extremely significant for a number of Balkan states: Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, but the most important anniversary of the signing of the document remains for Bulgarian society. In this state, March 3 is officially considered Independence Day and is a non-working day.
The Ottoman Empire controlled Bulgarian, Serbian, and a number of Montenegrin and Romanian territories since 1382. At the same time, severe restrictions on rights and freedoms were introduced for the Christian part of the population of these lands. Christians were subject to strict taxes, could not fully manage their property, and did not have the right to personal freedom.
In particular, the Turkish authorities could without hesitation take Christian children in infancy to work in the Ottoman Empire, while parents were then prohibited from seeing their sons and daughters. Moreover, at one time the Turks had the right of first night for Christian women who wanted to marry other Christians.
To top it all off, most cities in Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina banned Christians from living on certain lands.
This policy led to a series of protests against Turkish rule in the 19th century. At the end of that century, uprisings of Christian Serbs broke out simultaneously in Bosnia, as well as the April Uprising in Bulgaria in 1875-1876. All these protests were harshly suppressed by Turkey, and the Turks distinguished themselves with particular ruthlessness during the suppression of the April Uprising, when, according to documents, of the 30 thousand of the total number killed during the dispersal of the rebels, only 10 thousand were in one way or another involved in hostilities against the Ottoman Empire, the rest were either relatives or acquaintances of the rebels. In addition to murders, Turkish military and irregular forces were noted for mass looting of Bulgarian homes and rape of Bulgarian women. The painting of the Russian Itinerant artist “Bulgarian Martyrs,” painted in 1877, was dedicated to these events.
Events in the Balkans at that time caused outrage in society around the world. This was facilitated by the articles of the American war correspondent Januarius McGahan, who wrote for a series of reports about the crimes of the Turks against Bulgarians of both sexes.
A number of prominent politicians and creative figures of the late 19th century condemned the policies of Istanbul. Among them were the writers Oscar Wilde, the scientist, politician and revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi.
However, the actions of the authorities of the Ottoman Empire were most indignant in Russian society, in which the issues of oppression of the Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula were traditionally perceived painfully.
The uprising in Bosnia and Bulgaria received widespread press coverage. Fundraising began in Russian Orthodox churches and newspaper editorial offices to help the rebels; public organizations helped accept Bulgarian refugees; in addition, dozens of volunteers went to the Balkans to take part in hostilities against the Ottomans. For some time they tried to abandon a direct war with Turkey, since military reform had not yet been completed in Russia, and the economic situation was not very favorable.
In December 1876, Russia, England, France and Turkey held a conference in Istanbul, where the Russian side demanded that the Turks recognize the autonomy of Bulgaria and Bosnia under the protectorate of the world community. The Ottoman Empire pointedly refused this. And in April of the following year, under pressure from public opinion and a number of politicians, Russia declared war on Turkey.
From the very beginning it was extremely difficult for Russia. With great difficulty, Russian troops crossed the Danube. In addition, Turkish supporters managed to raise an uprising in Abkhazia, Chechnya and Dagestan. As a result, almost the entire Black Sea coast on Abkhaz territory was taken by the Turks by the spring of 1877. To suppress these protests, the Russian authorities were forced to transfer reinforcements from the Far East.
In the Balkans, combat operations were also difficult for the Russian army: the lack of modern weapons and problems with supplying the army with food and medicine affected it. As a result, Russian troops managed to win the key battle of the war and take the city of Plevna only a few months after it began. Nevertheless, Russian troops, with the support of volunteers from among the Bulgarians, Romanians and Serbs, managed to liberate the entire territory of Bulgaria, part of Bosnia and Romania from Turkish rule. The general's units occupied Adrianople (modern Edirne) and came close to Istanbul. The commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, Osman Pasha, was captured by the Russians.
The war found a wide response in Russian society. Many people went to participate in hostilities voluntarily. Among them were famous people, including doctors, Sergei Botkin, writers and.
The commander of the 13th Narva Hussar Regiment of the Russian Army, the son of the great Russian poet and prose writer, also took part in the hostilities.
Stolen Victory
After a series of military failures, Turkey was forced to hastily make peace with Russia. It was signed in the western suburb of Istanbul San Stefano (now called Yeşilköy). On the Russian side, the agreement was signed by the former Russian ambassador to Turkey, Count and Head of the Diplomatic Chancellery of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in the Balkans, Alexander Nelidov. From Turkish - Foreign Minister Savfet Pasha and Ambassador to Germany Saadullah Pasha. The document proclaimed the creation of the independent state of Bulgaria, the principality of Montenegro, and a significant increase in the territories of Serbia and Romania. At the same time, Bulgaria received a number of Turkish territories where the Bulgarians lived before the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans: Bulgarian territory extended from the Black Sea to Lake Ohrid (modern Macedonia). In addition, Russia received a number of cities in Transcaucasia, and the autonomy of Bosnia and Albania was formed.
However, a number of European powers did not agree with the provisions of the document, primarily Great Britain. The English squadron approached Istanbul, and a serious threat of war between the United Kingdom and Russia arose. As a result, a new treaty was concluded in Berlin, called the Berlin Treaty. According to it, Bulgaria was divided into two parts, one proclaimed an independent state with its capital in Sofia, and the second proclaimed autonomy, but within the Ottoman Empire. Also, Serbia and Romania had to abandon some of the acquisitions of the San Stefano Treaty, and Russia was forced to return some of the Transcaucasian acquisitions. However, she retained the historically Armenian city of Kars, which was actively populated by Russian settlers.
Also, under the Berlin Agreement, Austria-Hungary received the right to establish a protectorate over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which eventually became one of the reasons for the First World War.
“The liberation war of 1877-78 is considered by a number of historians to be the fairest, since after the brutal suppression of the April Uprising it was the all-Slavic upsurge that became its driving force. This liberation war was essentially started by the people, and they won it. And the Treaty of San Stefano fixed the independence of Bulgaria within its historical borders. However, Russia’s military victory then turned into a diplomatic defeat for both the Russian Empire and Bulgaria,” he says in a conversation with Gazeta. Ru” Ambassador of Bulgaria to Russia Boyko Kotsev.
According to him, this was due, among other things, to the fact that the Peace of San Stefano was developed by some people, first of all, Count Ignatiev, and another delegation was sent to Berlin for negotiations - led by Count Mikhail Gorchakov. “Being of an advanced age and lacking information from his ambassadors, some of whom were engaged not so much in state affairs as in personal affairs, he was unable to protect the interests of Russia, as a result of which it lost a number of achievements of the war. This also affected Bulgaria, which lost some of its historical lands as a result of the Berlin dictatorship, as we called it, forever. However, we remember those who made their invaluable contribution to the formation of the Bulgarian state, and since then Count Ignatiev, who developed the draft San Stefano Agreement, is considered a national hero of Bulgaria,” concluded Kotsev.
Some historians believe that the reason St. Petersburg signed the Berlin Agreement was Russia's unwillingness to fight with England. As a result of the battles of the war of 1877-1878, 15.5 thousand Russian soldiers and officers, about 3.5 thousand Bulgarian volunteers were killed, in addition, 2.5 thousand militiamen from Serbia and Montenegro were killed.
Bulgarians think differently
Despite the fact that the date of the Treaty of San Stefano is one of the main national holidays in Bulgaria, now people have appeared in the intellectual and political elite of the country who have begun to advocate the removal of references to this event from Bulgarian history textbooks. “In Bulgaria there is a certain layer of people who advocate the broadest cooperation with a number of European countries and the United States, but they prefer to forget about the role of Russia.
I remember well my conversation with one activist. In front of me, she was indignant that in Bulgaria they even dared to erect monuments to Russian soldiers; they, they say, were occupiers and killed Bulgarians, and did not protect them. And when the Russian Patriarch came to Bulgaria, she was literally shaking with anger, shouting: “Kakva is impudent! Kakva impudence!!!" (What impudence - Bulgarian). It turns out that the Patriarch had the “arrogance” to call Russians and Bulgarians a single people.
“They, these Russians, want to occupy Bulgaria again through the church!” she almost shouted. I dared to object that he meant the Slavic brotherhood, and she replied that it doesn’t matter,” traveler and Balkanist Danko Malinovsky, who has Russian and Macedonian roots, told Gazeta.Ru.
Some Bulgarian public figures admit that there are people in the country who do not recognize the significance of the Treaty of San Stefano in Bulgarian history, but emphasize that they are in the minority.
“There are people in Bulgaria, this is about 4% of our society, who are trying to give this event a political and economic flavor, trying to show that Russia then pursued the goal of reaching the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, and was not interested in the liberation of the Bulgarians,” says “ Gazeta.Ru” Chairman of the Bulgarian National Movement “Russophiles” Nikolai Malinov. He emphasized that the vast majority of Bulgarians have a completely different position on this matter. “Let’s not forget that after the liberation of Bulgaria, Russia actually created the Bulgarian fleet and army, created the constitution of our country and laid the foundations of our statehood. Two years after the end of the war of 1877-1878, the Russians left all this to us and simply left without demanding anything in return. And, of course, we have not forgotten this. Today, up to 100 thousand people will come to the Shipka Pass, where one of the key battles of that war took place, to honor the memory of the fallen Russian soldiers and officers, as well as the Bulgarian militia. It is expected that the memorial on Shipka will also be visited,” Malinov added.
Do you see this “shoe” written in Arabic script? Second half of the 14th century. Soon almost all of Europe will be under this boot. This is the autograph of a man who can easily be called a barbarian, a vandal, a monster, but is unlikely to be called a scoundrel or an illiterate nomad. No matter how sad it is for the peoples enslaved by this conqueror, Orhan is considered the second of the three founders of the Ottoman Empire, under him the small Turkic tribe finally turned into a strong state with a modern army.
If anyone today doubts that Bulgaria did not give a worthy rebuff to the occupier, they are greatly mistaken. This figure was very educated, well-read, smart and, as befits a traditionally far-sighted, cunning politician of the Eastern style - a wise villain. That's who conquered Bulgaria. It is not possible to accuse the then Bulgarian rulers and people of negligence and weakness, given this balance of power and historical unfavorable circumstances, of frivolously falling under the yoke. History has no subjunctive mood, so what happened, happened.
Here is a rough chronology of events
Sultan Orhan (1324 - 1359) became the ruler of the entire northwestern part of Anatolia: from the Aegean Sea and the Dardanelles to the Black Sea and the Bosphorus. He managed to gain a foothold in continental Europe. In 1352, the Turks crossed the Dardanelles and took the fortress of Tsimpe, and in 1354 they captured the entire Gallipoli Peninsula. In 1359, the Ottomans made an unsuccessful attempt to storm Constantinople.
In 1359, Orhan's son, Murad I (1359–1389), came to power in the Ottoman state, who, having strengthened his dominance in Asia Minor, began to conquer Europe.
In 1362, the Turks defeated the Byzantines on the outskirts of Andrianople and captured the city. Murad I moved the capital of the newly formed Ottoman state to Andrianople in 1365, renaming it Edirne.
In 1362, the rich Bulgarian city of Plovdiv (Philippopolis) came under the rule of the Turks, and two years later the Bulgarian Tsar Shishman was forced to recognize himself as a tributary of the Sultan and give his sister to his harem. After these victories, a stream of Turkic settlers poured from Asia to Europe.
Byzantium turned into a city-state cut off from the outside world without any dependent territories, and also deprived of its previous sources of income and food. In 1373, the Byzantine Emperor John V recognized himself as a vassal of Murad I. The Emperor was forced to sign a humiliating treaty with the Turks, according to which he refused to make up for the losses suffered in Thrace, and to provide assistance to the Serbs and Bulgarians in resisting the Ottoman conquest, and he was also obliged to provide assistance to the Ottomans support in the fight against their rivals in Asia Minor.
Continuing their expansion in the Balkans, the Turks attacked Serbia in 1382 and took the Tsatelitsa fortress, and in 1385 they conquered the Bulgarian city of Serdika (Sofia).
In 1389, a Turkish army under the command of Murad I and his son Bayezid defeated a coalition of Serbian and Bosnian rulers at the Battle of Kosovo. Before the battle on the Kosovo field, Murad I was mortally wounded by the Serbian prince and soon died; power in the Ottoman state passed to his son Bayazid I (1389-1402). After the victory over the Serbian army, many Serbian commanders were killed on the Kosovo field in front of the dying Murad I.
In 1393, the Ottomans captured Macedonia, then the Bulgarian capital Tarnovo. In 1395, Bulgaria was completely conquered by the Ottomans and became part of the Ottoman state. Bulgaria became a transit interest of the Ottomans. Next in line was Constantinople, the citadel of the Byzantine Empire. That's the whole story of how Bulgaria came under the Turkish-Ottoman yoke. The yoke that existed before the liberation of Bulgaria by Russian Tsar Alexander II.
JANUARY 5 – LIBERATION OF THE CAPITAL OF BULGARIA FROM THE TURKS
Notice, by chance, on Easter Eve?
At the end of November 1877, the victory of the Russian army in the Battle of Plevna marked the beginning of the liberation of Bulgaria. A month later, in the brutal winter of 1878, Russian troops under the command of General Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko made a difficult trek through the snow-covered Balkan Mountains. Later, historians compared this campaign of the Russian army with the campaigns of Hannibal and Suvorov, while some added that it was easier for Hannibal, because he did not have artillery.
During bloody battles with the Turkish units of Shukri Pasha, Russian troops liberated Sofia. On January 4, the Kuban Cossacks from the hundred yasaul Tishchenko threw down the Turkish banner from the council. On January 5, all of Sofia was occupied, and the Turkish troops remaining there hastily retreated to the south. As historians write, Russian troops were greeted by the local population on the outskirts of the city with music and flowers. Prince Alexander Dondukov - Korsukov reported to Emperor Alexander II: “The genuine feelings of the Bulgarians towards Russia and the Russian troops are touching.”
And General Gurko noted in the order for the troops: “The capture of Sofia ended the brilliant period of the current war - the transition through the Balkans, in which you don’t know what else to be surprised at: your courage, your heroism in battles with the enemy, or the endurance and patience with which you endured difficult adversity in the fight against mountains, cold and deep snow... Years will pass, and our descendants, who visit these harsh mountains, will solemnly and proudly say: the Russian army passed here, resurrecting the glory of Suvorov and Rumyantsev’s miracle heroes.”
Then the townspeople decided that this January day would become an annual national holiday. Over the years, the decision was forgotten, but in 2005 the Sofia City Hall decided to revive the former tradition in connection with the 125th anniversary of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke.
Ottoman yoke
The Ottoman yoke lasted almost five hundred years. As a result of the successful Russian-Turkish wars and the uprising of the Bulgarian people, this rule was overthrown in 1878. The yoke is a yoke, but still the country did not freeze, it lived, developed, but not, of course, in the same way as a sovereign state lives and develops.
However, was there, in fact, a yoke or was it a natural movement of history? From the point of view of faith, perhaps, it was precisely the yoke, however, even under the Turks, there were monasteries in Bulgaria. They, of course, did not dominate culturally, but the rulers of Istanbul did not completely ban Christianity, although Christians were still oppressed. For example, every fifth male child in a Bulgarian family joined the army and became a Janissary.
Also, Ottoman rule put an end to the development of Christian temple architecture. Few churches were built, and the few temples erected in the country during this period were small and insignificant. But luxurious mosques were built throughout the country, mainly in the traditional Ottoman style, the characteristic feature of which is a large dome over the prayer hall and an elegant pointed minaret. In parallel, there was a campaign of seizure of fertile lands in favor of Turkish colonists and the Islamization of the population.
On the other hand, Bulgaria lived quite calmly as the “rear” of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the religious and economic pressure, Slavs, Greeks and Armenians lived quite harmoniously there. Over time, the Turks associated themselves less and less with the Turks, and more and more with the Ottomans. As, indeed, are national minorities. More or less, some kind of comparative stability reigned in occupied Bulgaria in the 17th-18th centuries.
During the period of Ottoman rule, Bulgarian cities acquired “oriental” features: in addition to mosques, Turkish baths and shopping arcades appeared in them. Ottoman architecture also influenced the appearance of residential buildings. Thus, thanks to her, an attic, an open veranda and a “minder”, a wooden elevation - a couch on the veranda, so characteristic of Bulgarian residential buildings, appeared.
Since ancient times, Bulgaria and Russia have been connected by common Slavic origins, a common religion and writing, as well as many other factors. And it is not surprising that the Bulgarians, who for centuries dreamed of liberation from Turkish rule, turned their attention to fraternal Orthodox Russia. Moreover, the Sultan established a political balance with the West, and had constant friction only with Russia. In addition, the Ottoman Empire was noticeably weakening, and in 1810 Russian troops appeared in Bulgaria for the first time. In 1828-1829 they went further and stayed longer. The era of five centuries of shame of slavery was ending.
Here are three historical figures of these events:
Captor and liberator with his wife. Maria Alexandrovna is the wife of the Russian Emperor Alexander II. “Emperor Alexander II was a sensitive person, he knew and loved the Bulgarians, and was interested in their past and present. But I was afraid of the Crimean syndrome,” noted Prof. Todev. Prince Gorchakov, chancellor and minister of foreign affairs, had great influence in determining Russian policy. He was for a peaceful solution, for conferences, for actions within the framework of the “European concert”. But the queen, for example, was categorically “in favor of waging war”!!! First ladies are sometimes more decisive and far-sighted than their spouses. Maybe it would be more correct to mention the Tsar-Liberator and the Queen-Liberator? It will be more honest!
Shipka
There have been, are and will be wars in the history of mankind. War is like a book. There is a title, a prologue, a narrative and an epilogue. But in these books there are pages without which the essence of war, this bloodshed, becomes somehow irrational, insufficient for understanding. These pages are about the culmination of the war. All wars have their own pages about the main, decisive battle. There is such a page in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. This is the Battle of Shipka Pass.
The Thracians inhabited this place in ancient times. Many archaeological remains (tombs, weapons, armor, coins) of that period were found in the vicinity of the towns of Shipka and Kazanlak. In the 1st century BC e. the city was conquered by the Romans. When the Turks captured Bulgaria in 1396, they created a garrison in the city of Shipka to guard and control the Shipka Pass. In the vicinity of Shipka and Sheinovo, some of the bloodiest battles were fought in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 (defense of Shipka in the war for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke). The Freedom Monument on Mount Shipka (Stoletov Peak) is dedicated to the memory of the fallen. This is how a locality, having existed for millennia, by the will of history, suddenly becomes not a locality, but a symbol of courage, spirit, and determination. Unfortunately, such glory comes to an area only after it has absorbed the sea of blood of a reasonable person. But as they say - “in war, like in war.”
P.S.
Bulgaria is a small, picturesque Balkan state with a population of nearly eight million and a tragic history. Bulgarians still dream about the ancient Bulgarian kingdom, which once reigned supreme over the Balkan Peninsula. Then there were almost two centuries of Byzantine slavery and five centuries of Turkish yoke. Bulgaria as a state disappeared from the world map for seven hundred years. Russia saved its Orthodox brothers from Muslim slavery at the cost of the lives of almost two hundred thousand of its soldiers. The Russian-Turkish War of 1877 – 1878 is etched in history in golden letters. “There is only one state to which the Bulgarians are indebted for all time, and that is Russia,” says the famous Bulgarian journalist and former Bulgarian ambassador to the Balkans Velizar Yenchev. This is now an unpopular opinion among our political elite, who do not want to admit: for the rest of our lives we must thank Russia for liberating us from the Turks. We were the last in the Balkans to gain freedom. If it were not for the Russian imperial army, we would now be like Kurds and would not even have the right to speak our native language. We have seen only good things from you and are indebted to you to the end of our lives.”
“It was the most emotional war in European history,” says Sofia University history professor Andrei Pantev. - The most honest war, romantic and noble. Russia did not gain anything good from our liberation. The Russians boarded their ships and left for home. All Balkan countries, after liberation from Turkish slavery with the help of Russia, turned AGAINST Russia towards the West. It looks like a parable about a beautiful princess who was saved from a dragon by one knight and kissed by another. At the end of the 19th century, there was even an opinion in Russia: why the hell should we quarrel with the West over these ungrateful Slavs?
Bulgaria has always suffered from the “sunflower syndrome”, always looking for a strong patron and often making mistakes. In two world wars, Bulgaria sided with Germany against Russia. “Over the entire twentieth century, we were declared aggressors three times,” says historian Andrei Pantev. — First in 1913 (the so-called Inter-Allied Balkan War), then in 1919 and 1945. During the First World War, Bulgaria fought in one way or another against three states that participated in the war of liberation against the Turks: Russia, Romania and Serbia. This is a big mistake. What seems pragmatic at the current political moment often turns out to be simply disgusting in the court of history.”
Despite past differences, Bulgaria is our closest sister country. The tree of our friendship has bore bitter fruit more than once, but we have a common written language, a common religion and culture, and a common Slavic blood. And blood, as you know, is not water. For deep reasons, classical memories and heroic legends, the Bulgarians will forever remain our brothers - the last brothers in Eastern Europe.
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 began. 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.
