Bulgarian crisis
The Bulgarian Crisis ( Bulgarian Българска криза ) is a chain of events in the history of Bulgaria in the period from 1885 to 1888 that destroyed the balance in the alliance system of the major European powers and led to its restructuring. The crisis began with the annexation of Eastern Rumelia by the Principality of Bulgaria in September 1885, after an uprising from Eastern Rumelia had demanded unification with Bulgaria. This annexation was the occasion for the Serbian-Bulgarian War in 1885, which was followed by the putsch of 1886 against Prince Alexander I and finally the election of the pro-Austrian Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, Ferdinand I , as Prince of Bulgaria.
In the pan-European context, the crisis was perceived as a conflict between the great powers Russia and Austria-Hungary , because behind Bulgaria stood Russia, behind Serbia Austria as the protecting power, the Serbian-Bulgarian war as a proxy war . For the security interests of the German Reich, the three emperors proved to be inadequate. The alliance system of Bismarck in 1887 with the First Mediterranean agreements , concluded on his mediation out and later as a reinsurance contract adjusted neutrality agreement with Russia designated to the new situation.
prehistory
After the negotiations of the great powers with the Porte (→ Conference of Ambassadors of Constantinople 1876) failed, the Russo-Turkish War (1877/78) broke out, which ended with the Treaty of San Stefano of 1878 dictated by Russia . As already stated in the conference of 1876, it led to an enlargement of the Balkan states, especially Bulgaria, at the expense of European territories of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria, as a new largely independent state detached from the Ottoman Empire, was to include the area in which the majority of the population acknowledged the Bulgarian Orthodox Church . The European powers did not want to accept this dictated peace. With the creation of the Greater Bulgarian Principality, Russia had broken the Treaty of Budapest with Austria-Hungary, which therefore called for a revision of the Treaty of San Stefano.
At the Berlin Congress in 1878, the Peace of San Stefano was almost completely dismantled. Romania , Serbia and Montenegro were recognized as independent. England got Cyprus , Austria got the right to administer Bosnia and Herzegovina , Russia got Bessarabia and parts of Armenia . As an independent principality, Bulgaria became subject to tribute and lost Macedonia and Eastern Rumelia to the Ottoman Empire, the area around Niš and Bulgarian Morava to Serbia and northern Dobruja to Romania. The Russian occupation of the area was also limited from two years to nine months. National conflicts in the Balkans were not resolved, the national future of the peoples of Southeast Europe was viewed as a major European power problem.
Despite its dynastic basis, the German-Russian relationship was considerably strained by these results of the Berlin Congress. As a counterbalance, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary formed the dual alliance in 1879 . If Russia were to come to the aid of an attacking power (which in the case of Germany was France), the contracting parties would be obliged to assist. This German-Austrian alliance was intended to curb Russia and the influence of Pan-Slav nationalism on Russian politics.
course
.jpg)
On June 18, 1881, the three Eastern Great Powers in Europe, the German Empire , Austria-Hungary and Russia , formed the Three Emperor League . In this agreement, the contracting parties committed themselves to benevolent neutrality in the event of a military conflict with a fourth great power and agreed a consultation obligation for their activities in the Balkans . The German Empire could thus at least be assured of Russian neutrality in a possible Franco-German war, while Russia was secured with Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian neutrality in the event of a war against Great Britain because of the Straits issue or against the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans ( Oriental question ).
In a secret additional protocol, which was also renewed in 1884, it had been said: “The three powers will not oppose the possible unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia in the territorial boundaries determined by the Berlin Treaty , if this question arises through the power of the Should raise things. ”By the time this case actually occurred, however, the situation had become more complicated. Prince Alexander von Battenberg , elected Prince of Bulgaria at the express request of the Tsar in 1879 , had developed into an exponent of Bulgarian nationalism that was intent on independence, despite Russian ministers and military advisers , and had come closer to Great Britain , one of Russia's political opponents. Russia then withdrew its ministers and advisers from Bulgaria. King Milan of Serbia , who belonged to Austria's clientele, also reacted . Austria-Hungary was another opponent of Russia in the Balkans. Milan from Serbia demanded compensation for the expansion of Bulgaria. When he did not receive it, he declared war on the Bulgarian principality in 1885. After a severe Serbian defeat, Bulgarian troops advanced on Belgrade , which prompted Vienna to intervene in favor of his protégé. In the Treaty of Bucharest in March 1886 , the old relations between Serbia and Bulgaria were restored.
The great powers and the Sublime Porte finally recognized the unification of Bulgaria in the Tophane Treaty . However, Russia was still dissatisfied and the Russian Tsar Alexander III. refused to recognize the Bulgarian prince Alexander von Battenberg as ruler of the enlarged Bulgaria. At the instigation of Russia , a group of pro-Russian officers launched a coup against the Bulgarian Prince Alexander I and forced him to abdicate on August 9, 1886. He was then deported to Russia outside of the country. When Alexander I returned to the Bulgarian throne after a counter-coup, Russia broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
Individual evidence
- ↑ See: Г Л А В А П Е Т А - ВАРНА В БЪЛГАРСКАТА КРИЗА (6.IХ.1885 - 9.VIII.1886) . varna-bg.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013. and Ilcho Ivanov Dimitrov, Elena Boi︠a︡nova Statelova, Vera Vasileva: Sŭedinenieto, 1885: ent ︠ s ︡ ︡ iklpedichen spravochnik . Dŭrzh. izd-vo “Dr Petŭr Beron”, 1985 ( excerpt from Google book search).
- ^ Preliminary Peace of San Stefano in: Conferences and Treaties. Contract Ploetz. Handbook of Historically Significant Meetings and Agreements. Part II. 1493 - 1952 . Edited by Helmuth Rönnefahrt. Bielefeld: AG Ploetz Verlag, 1953, pp. 351f
- ^ Lothar Gall: Bismarck. The white revolutionary , Frankfurt 1980, ISBN 3-549-07397-6 , p. 619 ff.
literature
- Istvän Diöszegi: Kälnoky, Andrässy and the Bulgarian Crisis 1885–1887. In: Bulgarian Historical Review 3 (1985) pp. 54-59.
- Barbara Jelavich: Russia, Britain and the Bulgarian Question 1885–1888. In: Südostforschungen 32 (1973) pp. 168–191.
- M. Ju. Zolotucbin: Bolgarskij krizis 1885-1886 gg. I krach avstro-russko-germanskogo sojuza (The Bulgarian crisis 1885-1886 and the collapse of the Austro-Russian-German alliance. ) In: Voprosy istorii 4 (1984), pp. 43-56 .