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Bulgaria
Present day Bulgaria was formed as a tribal area from the late seventh
century AD onwards. Prior to that, throughout much of antiquity, large
swathes of southern Bulgaria traditionally formed the territory of ancient
Thrace.
Proto-Bulgarians settled in the area of the Caucuses, north and east of the Black Sea, in the
fourth to fifth centuries, and mixed with Slavic groups which arrived in the sixth century.
By the early seventh century, the Bulgarians had set up a powerful tribal amalgamation known
as Great Bulgaria. Its ruler was Khan Koubrat, who established friendly relations with the
Byzantine empire, but after
his death the state crumbled under pressure from the Khazars.
Some Bulgarians remained in the area and were subdued by the Khazars, but others travelled,
reaching the Volga where they set up Volgan Bulgaria with its capital at Kazan.
This existed up until the thirteenth century when it was wiped out by the
Tartars. Another group of
proto-Bulgarians, lead by Kouber, settled first in Pannonia, and subsequently in the
region of Bitolya (Macedonia).
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Great Bulgaria
AD c.632 - c.651 |
c.632 - c.651 |
Khan or Qaghan Kubrat / Koubrat |
Created the Great Bulgarian state. |
c.632 - c.651 |
Khan Kubrat is the first to lay the foundations of Bulgar military and
tribal alliance and forms a capital at Phanagoria on the Taman Peninsula.
By this time the Altyn Ola Horde
has been absorbed, along with the
Kutrigur and
Utigur Bulgars. Kubrat makes peace with the
Byzantine empire
and is awarded the title of patrician by Heraclius. Kubrat dies some time
after 651 and Great Bulgaria gradually falls apart. |
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Kingdom of Bulgaria
c.AD 681 - 889
The kingdom was formed by a third group of proto-Bulgarians
(the first group forming the core of
Great Bulgaria
and the second reaching the Volga). These Bulgarians were led by the tribal chieftain
Asparouh, who headed for the west and reached the Danube at the beginning of the last
quarter of the seventh century. There, his people founded an independent kingdom that
conquered territory from the
Byzantine empire while it was
fighting the Arabs in the
east and south. They probably also conquered local tribes that had been settled there
for two or three centuries, such as the
Bastarnae, remnants of the Goths, and the
Huns.
The rulers were known as khans, in the Asiatic tradition, and remained
independent of Byzantium until 971. There is some archaeological evidence to
suggest an element of continuity between this peoples and the Huns who had previously
conquered the region. The most characteristic weapon of both peoples, their
long bows, are almost identical. |
c.681 - 701 |
Qaghan Asparukh / Asparouh |
Kubrat's fifth son. Founded a permanent Bulgarian state. |
c.701 - c.718 |
Tervel |
|
c.718 - 750 |
Sevar |
|
750 - 762 |
Kormesios |
|
762 - 763 |
Vinekh |
|
762 - 763 |
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Teletz |
|
763 |
Umar |
|
763 - 765 |
Baian |
|
765 |
Tokt |
|
c.765 - 777 |
Telerig |
|
c.777 - c.803 |
Kardam |
|
c.803 - 814 |
Krum |
Killed
Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus. |
814 |
Dukum |
|
814 - 815 |
Ditzevg |
|
815 - 831 |
Omurtag |
|
831 - 852 |
Malamir |
|
852 - 889 |
Qaghan Boris I |
|
852 - 889 |
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Michael I |
|
869 - 870 |
The
conversion of Bulgaria is announced at the Eighth Church Council in
Constantinople, thwarting several attempts by the Catholic Church at
Rome to convert the Bulgarians
themselves. |
889 |
The Bulgarians
declare their kingdom to be an empire based on the
Byzantine model. |
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Empire of Bulgaria
AD 889 - 971 |
889 - 893 |
Emperor Vladimir |
|
893 - 927 |
Emperor Simeon I the Great |
Bulgaria's Golden Age. |
927 - 969 |
Emperor Peter I |
|
969 - 972 |
Emperor Boris II |
Died c.977. |
971 |
Bulgaria
is conquered by
Byzantine emperor, John I Tzimisces. An
independent Macedonian Bulgarian splinter state is set up in western Bulgaria and northern
Macedonia by the Cometopuli, 'Sons of the Count.' |
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Cometopuli Bulgarian State
c.AD 977 - 1018 |
c.977 - 997 |
Tsar Romanus |
Figurehead. Captured 991. |
988 |
Bulgaria
takes the Greek region of Epirus
from the Byzantine
empire. |
997 - 1014 |
Tsar Samuel |
His army was
annihilated by Basil II. |
1014 |
Byzantine
emperor Basil
II 'Bulgar Slayer' captures and blinds most of the 15,000-strong Bulgarian army on
29 July. The defeat fatally weakens the Bulgar state. |
1014 - 1015 |
Gabriel Radomir |
|
1015 - 1018 |
John Vladislav |
|
1018 - 1186 |
Bulgaria is annexed by
Basil II. |
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Asens of Bulgaria
AD 1186 - 1279
Bulgaria had been annexed directly to the
Byzantine empire in
1018, but by 1186 the empire was at a low point, and the Bulgarian Asens, local
feudal lords, rose in rebellion against Byzantine rule and declared a new independent
Bulgar state, maintaining the title of tsar. |
1186 - 1196 |
John I Asen |
State recognised by
Byzantium 1187. |
1196 - 1197 |
Peter II Asen |
|
1197 - 1207 |
Kaloyan |
Stopped Fourth
Crusade's advance 1205. |
1207 - 1218 |
Boril |
|
1218 - 1241 |
John II Asen |
|
1221 |
After the defeat of
Khwarazm,
a large Mongol
force under Subedei continues north into territory around the Caspian Sea and
into the land of the Rus.
Rus and Cuman forces assemble which greatly outnumber Subedei's men, but they
are defeated at the River Khalka. Subedei extends his expedition farther to
attack the Volga Bulgars before he returns to Mongolia in one of the greatest
exploratory campaigns of the era.
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1242 - 1246 |
Kaloman |
|
1246 - 1257 |
Michael II Asen |
|
1257 - 1277 |
Constantine Tich |
|
1278 - 1279 |
Ivalio |
|
1279 |
John III Asen |
|
1279 - 1396 |
Bulgaria gradually deteriorates as a power as internal anarchy spreads and
cross-factional fighting increases. |
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Terters of Bulgaria
AD 1279 - 1393 |
1279 - 1292 |
George I Terter |
|
1292 - 1300 |
Smilech |
|
1299 - 1300 |
The power struggle between Toqta of the
Golden
Horde and Nogai Khan of the Nogai Horde flares up into
open conflict, and Toqta is the victor in 1300. Nogai's son, Chaka, flees first to the
Alans
and then to Bulgaria where he briefly gains the throne as emperor. |
1300 |
Chaka
/ Caka |
Son of Nogai Khan of the
Mongol
Nogai Horde. Killed. |
1300 |
With the Bulgarians aware of the anger of Toqta of the
Golden
Horde at the position Chaka holds, Theodore Svetoslav sends Chaka's head to his
Mongol overlord and
replaces Chaka on the Bulgarian throne. |
1300 - 1322 |
Theodore Svetoslav |
|
1322 |
George II Terter |
|
1323 - 1330 |
Michael III Shishman |
|
1330 - 1331 |
John Stephan |
|
1331 - 1371 |
John Alexander |
|
1371 - 1393 |
John Shishman |
|
1396 - 1878 |
The Bulgars
are conquered and
occupied by the Ottoman Turks. |
1878 |
After the
Russo-Turkish War, the Principality of Bulgaria is set up
which includes Moesia and the Sofia region, but not southern Bulgaria (East
Rumelia) or the Macedonian region. A German prince is elected as head of state. |
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Principality of Bulgaria
AD 1878 - 1908 |
1878 - 1886 |
Alexander
of Hessen-Battenberg |
German prince.
Arrested by pro-Russians. Forced to abdicate. |
1885 |
Bulgaria
annexes East Rumelia. |
1887 - 1908 |
Ferdinand of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |
German prince.
Recreated the Bulgaria Tsarate. |
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Kingdom of Bulgaria
AD 1908 - 1943 |
1908 - 1918 |
Tsar Ferdinand |
Forced to abdicate at
end of the First World War. |
1913 |
The First Balkan War brings Greek
victory in the capture and permanent possession of Salonika (modern
Thessaloniki - the second largest city in Greece), just beating a Bulgarian
force which had also aimed at capturing it. |
1915 |
Despite being courted by the Allies, especially
Britain
and France, Bulgaria
has noted the failures of the Gallipoli campaign against
Turkey
and the Italian
campaign against
Austria-Hungary
and signs four treaties with
Germany and Austria
on 6 September, agreeing to attack
Serbia in
return for territory. |
1918 - 1943 |
Boris III |
Son.
Monarchical numbering continued from the Empire. |
1943 - 1946 |
Simeon II |
Son. Prime
minister in 2001. |
1943 - 1944 |
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Cyril |
Regent. |
1946 |
The country
is taken over by
Soviet communist forces. |
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Modern Bulgaria
AD 1946 - Present Day
In the ancient world, areas of central and eastern Bulgaria formed parts of
the kingdom of Thrace.
Bulgaria was occupied
by Soviet forces at the
end of the Second World War and the monarchy was abolished. Modern Bulgaria
has a long Black Sea coast and is a predominantly Slavic-speaking country. A
large swathe of the south-eastern part of the country was, in ancient times,
part of tribal Thrace. |
1946 - 1993 |
The
country a
Soviet communist state. |
1993 |
A democratic republic
is declared. |
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2001 - 2005 |
Former king, Simeon II, is prime minister. |
2004 |
Bulgaria joins NATO. |
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2007 |
In
January, Bulgaria becomes a member state of the European Union. |
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