Independence Day (Bulgaria)

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Tsar Ferdinand I with members of the government on the declaration of independence

On 22 September in is Bulgaria of 1908 proclaimed independence on the same day thought. The day was again declared a public holiday on September 10, 1998 by a resolution of the Bulgarian parliament , just as it was before the communists came to power in 1946.

prehistory

With the decisions of the Berlin Congress of 1878, a Bulgarian state was established after more than 500 years. This state should be a principality that enjoyed partial independence and was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire . The independence for the principality was limited to the administrative areas, in the political and military areas the sultans on the Bosporus retained nominal power. In the event of war, Bulgaria had to provide troops to the Ottoman Empire.

It was also decided in Berlin to establish an Ottoman province in northern Thrace under the name of Eastern Rumelia . Larger areas with a Bulgarian population remained under the direct authority of the Ottoman sultan even after the Berlin decisions . After the internationally recognized unification of the Principality of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia in the autumn of 1885 and the subsequent Serbian-Bulgarian war , political independence was pursued as the highest political goal. In addition, there were economic and political reasons and the duty-free or preferential importation of Western European industrial goods via the Ottoman Empire. Since the Principality of Bulgaria had no customs sovereignty, but was nominally part of the Ottoman Empire, these goods could enter the Bulgarian market unhindered and thus hampered the development of the Bulgarian economy.

Declaration of Independence

30 years after the Russian-Turkish war 1877 of bis 1878, the Bulgarian prince said Ferdinand I September 22 jul. / October 5, 1908 greg. in the medieval Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo by a manifesto the Principality of Bulgaria for independent. He was crowned tsar and the empire proclaimed. Independence was declared with the support of Austria-Hungary , which annexed Bosnia at the same time (→ Bosnian crisis ).

The declaration of independence represents a break with the decisions made by the great powers in the Berlin Congress. The declaration of independence and the proclamation of the new Bulgarian tsarist empire were recognized by other great powers and by the Ottoman Empire on April 9, 1909 with the support of Russia after long negotiations. Bulgaria was the only Balkan country to achieve its independence from the Ottoman Empire in a peaceful way.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Strupp: Bulgaria's declaration of independence. Proclamation of Prince Ferdinand of September 22nd / October 5th, 1908 . In: Documents on the history of international law , Volume II. Friedrich Andreas Perthes, Gotha 1911.

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