Bulgaria’s History Timeline

Bulgaria’s lands were inhabited from prehistoric times and were part of several ancient civilizations.

Some Key Dates in Bulgaria’s History:

681 – 1185 First Bulgarian Kingdom

681        Khan Asparuch, the Proto-Bulgarian leader, defeated the defending Byzantine army at the Danube and took over the territory south to the Danube river. He founded the First Bulgarian Kingdom, with its capital Pliska. 855       Cyril and Methodius created the first Slavonic alphabet, thus making the Bulgarian language the fourth literary language in Europe  866        Tsar Boris I converted to Christianity and began the convertion of the Bulgarian people 893        Tsar Simeon I came to power and moved the capital from Pliska to Preslav 927       Bulgarian Capital moved to Ohrid, in present-day North Macedonia 1018-1186  Bulgaria lost independence and was incorporated into the Byzantine Empire

1186 – 1392 Second Bulgarian Kingdom

1218-1241         Bulgarian Kingdom under Tsar Ivan Assen II, with capital in Veliko Tarnovo, expanded and reached the Adriatic and Aegean Seas

1392 – 1878 Ottoman Domination

1396-1878         Bulgaria lost its independence and became part of the Ottoman Empire 1762     Paissy Hylendarsky wrote the Slav-Bulgarian History and marked the beginning of the National Revival period 1878     Liberation of Bulgaria from 5 century-long Ottoman domination – the Treaty of San Stefano – Bulgaria was supposed to regain its former territories; Treaty of Berlin – the great powers took away 2/3 of the territorial gains. Prince Alexander Battenberg arrived to take charge of Bulgaria 1885     Unification of Bulgaria   1886     Prince Ferdinand I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was elected Prince of Bulgaria

Bulgaria in the Twentieth Century

1908     Declaration of Independence, Prince Ferdinand became Tsar Ferdinand 1912     1st Balkan war: Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece against Turkey 1913     2nd Balkan War: Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey defeated Bulgaria. Bulgaria lost territory on all sides 1915     World War I 1919     Peace Treaty of Neuilly: Bulgaria lost land on all sides 1918-1934 A time of instability under Tsar Boris III 1944     Bulgaria joined World War II on the side of the Axis Powers 1944     Soviet army crossed the Dabube River and occupied Bulgaria 1946     Establishment of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria Following a Soviet-Style Development Model 1954     Todor Zhivkov elected 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party 1989   Todor Zhivkov was released from his responsibilities 1990     First free elections in Bulgaria

Bulgaria in the Twenty First Century

2002    EU leaders extended an invitation for Bulgaria to join the European Union 2004     Bulgaria became a member of NATO 2005 Prime minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha signed the EU Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria 2007 Bulgaria became an EU member 2026 January 1st 2026 Bulgaria joins the Eurozone

Reading List:

The History of the First Bulgarian Empire by Steven Runciman, G.BELL&SONS Ltd London, 1930;

A Short History of Modern Bulgaria by R.J.Crampton, Cambridge University Press

Travels in the Slavonic provinces of Turkey in Europe by Georgina Mary Muir (Mackenzie) & Irby, Adelina Paulina.

Mission on the Balkans by Noel and Charles “Roden” Buxton, http://berberian11.tripod.com/ilchev_buxton.htm ;

History of the Balkans by Barbara Jelavich,Cambridge University Press, 1983;

The Balkans 1804-1999 by Misha Glenny, Granta Books, London, 1999;

Bulgaria in Transition: Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture after Communism, Contributors: John D. Bell – editor. Publisher: West view Press; https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Westview_Press