Bulgarian Declaration of Independence

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Bulgarian Declaration of Independence
The declaration (manifesto) of independence
Created5 October [O.S. 22 September] 1908
PurposeTo announce the de jure independence of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire
Ferdinand of Bulgaria proclaiming independence in Tarnovo
, 1908

The

Ferdinand of Bulgaria, who afterwards took the title "Tsar".[1][2]

Background

unified with the Bulgarian-majority Ottoman autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia
.

After the liberation, Bulgaria's main external goal was the unification of all Bulgarian-inhabited areas under foreign rule into a single Bulgarian state: the main targets of Bulgarian irredentism were Macedonia and southern Thrace, which continued to be part of the Ottoman realm. In order to join an anti-Ottoman alliance and claim those territories by war, however, Bulgaria had to proclaim its independence first.

Normally, this would have constituted a violation of the

Turkish Straits. In September 1908 at a meeting in Buchlov (German: Buchlau, contemporary Czech Republic
), envoys of Austria-Hungary and Russia supported each other's plans and agreed not to hinder Bulgaria's proclamation of independence which was likely to take place.

Towards the middle of September, the democratic government of

railway station that the manifesto of independence was completed on 5 October [O.S. 22 September] 1908.[citation needed
]

Independence

The independence of Bulgaria was formally proclaimed at the Holy Forty Martyrs Church in Tarnovo. As part of the proclamation, Ferdinand raised Bulgaria from a principality to a kingdom, increasing its international prestige. In a nod to past Bulgarian states, Ferdinand took the title of "tsar," which was translated as "king" outside of Bulgaria. The country would be ready to join the Balkan League and fight the Ottoman Empire in what would become the First Balkan War of 1912–1913.

Bulgaria's declaration of independence was followed by Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia the following day and

francs (out of a total indemnity of 802,000,000 francs). In turn Bulgaria agreed to transfer its tribute payments—85,000,000 francs over 85 years—to Russia.[4]

Bulgaria's

Independence Day
is subsequently celebrated annually on 22 September.

Notes

  1. ^ Bourchier, James David (1911). "Bulgaria/History" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 778–784, see page 784, para 4. Declaration of Independence.....
  2. ^ Anderson, Frank Maloy; Hershey, Amos Shartle (1918). "The Bulgarian Declaration of Independence, 1908.". Handbook for the Diplomatic History of Europe, Asia, and Africa 1870-1914. Washington, DC: National Board for Historical Service, Government Printing Office. pp. 380–382. Retrieved 22 September 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Miller, William (1923). The Ottoman Empire and its Successors, 1801-1922 (2nd ed.). Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 478. Retrieved 22 September 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Alan Bodger, "Russia and the End of the Ottoman Empire", in Marian Kent (ed.), Great Powers and the End of the Ottoman Empire (London: Frank Cass, 1996), 81.

References

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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bulgaria/History".
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