Bulgaria’s Unique History
The history of Europe usually focuses on the countries in Western Europe. The countries on the Balkan Peninsula, including Bulgaria, Albania and Greece, had a very different history than these countries.
At the time of Christ and the early church, the land now called Bulgaria was called Thrace. Greeks, Macedonians and Romans among others moved in and out of Thrace and in AD46 it became a Roman province. It is not unusual to find Roman ruins in Bulgaria (Kay, 2008).
A church built when Bulgaria was part of the Roman Empire
A church built when Bulgaria was part of the Roman Empire
Slavs moved south into these lands, soon followed by the Proto Bulgarians (also called Bulgars). The latter were probably from Asia. The language of Bulgaria is Slavic but the country got its name from the Bulgars (Kay, 2008).
When the Roman Empire split much of this area became part of the Byzantine Empire. The rulers of the latter Empire held their ground in more than one way, for approximately a millennium longer than the Roman Empire. Bulgaria stayed independent of Byzantium except for a period of time between the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms (Kay, 2008).
During the 9th century Christianity was accepted as the official religion of the country. It was also in this century, in 681 A.D. that Bulgaria was founded. Another bright spot in the country’s history is the Golden Period of literacy which included the development of the Cyrillic alphabet and many notable written works. Saints Cyril and Methodius are still revered in Bulgaria for the development of the Cyrillic alphabet.
Veliko Turnovo, a capital and major Bulgarian city in the Medieval Ages
At the end of the 14th Century, much of the Balkan Peninsula fell under the rule of the Muslim Turks. As part of the Ottoman Empire, those living in these lands weren’t able to learn and develop, among other things, how to govern. This proved to be a very limiting disadvantage (Kay, 2008).
The Renaissance, Reformation and other Christian movements, the scientific revolution in the 1600s, the Enlightenment in the 1700s, Industrial Revolution and other major historical events affecting Western Europe were far removed from Greeks and others living in this part of the world (Fernandes-Armesto, 1997).
Christianity was well established in many of these lands long before they fell under Muslim rule and was not quickly abandoned. The 500 some years Bulgaria was ruled by the Muslims is often referred to as the years “Under the Yoke,” and this is the title of a famous book in Bulgaria by Ivan Vazov. Many Christian heroes lived during this time and helped keep the faith alive (Kay, 2008).
The Russians tried to aid fellow Slavs including the Bulgarians. Their help was viewed negatively by many in Europe and contributed to the Crimean War. Britain, France and Austria sided with Turkey against Russia in this war. Although the Russians lost the war, the Bulgarians fought for their independence. A national hero, Vasil Levski was one of the heroes of these struggles. Russia again came to aid Bulgaria and independence was won at last (Kay, 2008). .
The years between 1878 and 1912 were by no means easy. Bulgaria joined Serbia and Greece in the First Balkan War to take back land from the Turks. That war they won but they lost the Second Balkan war and their territory shrunk again. Although there was support for the British et al at the start of World War I, Bulgaria eventually sided with the Germans. Between WWI and WWII, the economy suffered and previously unflavored Communism gained support. At the start of WWII, Bulgaria again tried to stay neutral but eventually joined the Germans. Toward the end of WWII, the Communists overthrew the Fascist government (Kay, 2008).
The Communists ruled Bulgaria for 45 years until 1989 brought the fall of the Berlin Wall and the other changes. Although the first post-Communism government in Bulgaria was Socialist, and the years after were hardly smooth, there have been many positive things that came with this (Kay, 2008). Economic strength is still a far-off dream for most Bulgarians and the benefits from being part of the European Economic Union are not great for the vast majority.
References cited:
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Guide to The Peoples of Europe, Revised Edition. Published by Times Books, London, England, 1997
Kay, Annie, Bulgaria. Published by Bradt Travel Guides, England, 2008.
For more information:
1. The Bulgarian Embassy page – http://www.bulgaria-embassy.org/history_of_bulgaria.htm
2. The National Museum of History – http://www.historymuseum.org/index.php