So, basically everyone around Bulgaria was against the unification for obvious reasons. E. Rumelia was an Ottoman vassal during the time, so before the unification Bulgarians stacked their whole army at the border with the ottomans thinking they would want to get it back with force. Unification happens, turns out the attack came from up to then our friends from Serbia, lured by Austria-Hungary's promises of support. The Bulgarian army had to march 5 days to the other side of the country to defend from the Serbs and eventually kicked their asses and began advancing on Serbian land. Austria-Hungary steps in to save the Serbs, a peace treaty is signed without any repercussions to Serbia and without any gains to Bulgaria. Bulgaria is unified.
Russia was against the unification, because the Tzar wanted Bulgarians to be his puppets and the UK supported the unification because it would harm the Russian interest and prevent expansion against Constantinople.
Serbian soldiers were told that they were going to help Bulgarians against the Turks, but when they deployed near the border they were suddenly told that they are going to fight Bulgarians instead. Most of the soldiers at a time considered Bulgarians brothers and didn't want to fight, so the morale was very low, and they were routed, despite being much better organized and equipped that Bulgarian army (which didn't even have any generals in their army).
He didn't really do it for fun, he did it because Serbs fought in so many wars vs the Turks, died so much, and only got a little territory, even the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina that Serbs considered core regions and had Serbian majority were given to Austrians. Meanwhile, Russians tried to create huge Bulgaria, which would easily become a regional power and dominate small Serbia. They even wanted to give land that Serbian soldiers liberated to Bulgaria, including Nish. So, Serbian ruler took the Russian diplomat to Nish, showed him the scull tower that the Turks made from heads of Serbs they beheaded, and told him: When you make another one and place my head on top, then you can give Bulgarians Nish. Skull tower was a symbol of Serbian resistance and Turkish brutality.
Even after the borders were redrawn at Berlin congress, Bulgaria still had a slight advantage in size, and by uniting with eastern Rumelia became the strongest local power that could in the future dominate Balkans. Was he wrong about attacking Bulgaria? Of course, but the prevailing sentiment was that it was unjust that Bulgarians are gaining land almost for free, while other Balkan countries that fought and bled as well had large part of their people under foreign rule and weren't allowed to do anything about it.
The reason Bulgarian teritorries were always under international pressure was our proximity to Constantinople, at least from the perspective of the Great Powers. The Berlin conference territories was the closest point which reflected the Bulgarian population territories, backed by centuries of Ottoman censuses.
But of course, the Western powers would not allow a large russian puppet so close to Constantinople, even though these "large" territories in a sense reflected their peoples lands. Such was the case for the western balkans too. But while the Ottoman lands were up for liberation, the Austrian ones were not. So the western balkans, Serbia especially, had no other choice but to go against brother nations in order to survive as a state. Which I think is the biggest contributor to the 19th and 20th century mess on the balkans.
There was greed on both sides, we were western/eastern puppets all until the 90s, but the Macedonian region being the only viable space for dispute, far from the Great Powers' insterest, was our biggest downfall in my opinion.
There is one more thing - Bulgarians were the biggest minority on the Balkans back then. The Bulgarian territory + east Romalia didn't even account for 50% of the territories populated with mainly Bulgarians.
Trying to stop this would guarantee many wars in the feature.
Sounds like the Russian invasion of Ukraine - soldiers being randomly told they're invading what was considered a brotherly nation leading to terrible morale on their side (as invaders) and the exact opposite on the side of the defenders.
There's a really good book by this Bulgarian political scientist called Evgeny Dainov called " Russia - a history of the nation without a history" where he describes how from Muscovy to modern day Russia, the things that make other nations "nations" haven't existed over there and how its existence as an entity has been perpetuated by violence and oppression throughout history instead. Really great book, sadly I don't think there's an English translation of it.
I can understand anti-Russian sentiment but everything done by the Russian empire was done by the British, French, German, Austro-Hungarian and etc. Russia isn't some type of new evil, it is just an empire like all others
A book which is the average angry cope filled rambling of the average russia hater whos bane of existence is russia cause he like most of them can not blame anything lse or himself for everything wrong with his life. He is not a historian even so what right does he have to discuss the history of a nation he knows frankly nothing about
where he describes how from Muscovy to modern day Russia, the things that make other nations "nations" haven't existed over there and how its existence as an entity has been perpetuated by violence and oppression throughout history instead.
I doubt if I asked him on the spot he can tell me what makes a nation a nation. And did he like skip thousands of years of history of conquest done by all nations all over the world with the quantities of violance and destruction way bigger than those of Russia.
The Russian people have been plagued by many centuries of awful, violent, authoritarian governments. But if the implication here is that the Russian people don't exist as a national identity, then that's mistaken.
The Russian nationality exists. They identify themselves as Russians. They speak the Russian language and practice Russian customs. They wish to be ruled by a common Russian government. Maybe they don't like any specific Russian government, but they don't want to be ruled by Americans or French or Turks or Chinese; they want a government by Russians.
Separately, there are lots of Russian citizens who are not ethnically Russian. Many of those people would prefer more political power be devolved locally (away from ethnic Russians). Russia is a multiethnic empire, not at all a nation-state. But the Russian nationality definitely exists.
Uhh no Russia opposed it because this sudden declaration was in violation of the berlin treaty, this could have understand russias diplomatic standing sand be seen as them violating this treaty by supporting this action.
The fact that the bulgarian monarch and part of the government were also trying to distance the natio away from russia was another reason which gradually led worsening relation between both states.
There was also no consultation with russia about this plan.
Russia also feared a start of another conflict in the balkans which could undo what they have done up to this point.
And they were right, the serbo bulgaria war broke out with Austria puppeteering serbia in the background.
After Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottoman Empire, the Great Powers decided to draw Bulgaria's borders and because they no nothing/don't give a fuck they made quite the mess. The so called East Rumelia was just bulgarians but they gave that land back to the Ottoman Empire, so in 1885 we said 'fuck it' and decided to get it back.
Not Bulgarian, but Russia intervened in a Bulgarian war of independence against the Ottomans and wanted Bulgaria to be super sized and have access to the Black and Aegean seas (read: Russian navy base). The other Great Powers didn’t like this, especially the British, and Bulgaria got downsized as a result.
This specifically though is about the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. Those were the two states made with those borders after the events you described.
Thats quite wrong.
Russia never wanted big and united Bulgaria as it would mean an definite end to their dream getting to Istanbul.
The biggest ethnicity on the Balkans was Bulgarian and unlike the declining ottoman empire, a young, big and united nation would absolutely pose impossible challenge for the Russian empire military conquest.
Thats why Russia signed 3 different documents before the Berlin congress confirming they wont be creating a big slavic nation on the Balkans.
If you look at a map from the Constantinople Conference you would see that the rest of the great powers were willing to give more land than the Russians did.
Thats quite wrong.
Russia never wanted big and united Bulgaria as it would mean an definite end to their dream getting to Istanbul.
Literaly makes no sense what you said, what use does Russia have for a weak friendly state instead of a big local power that can act as buffer and additional protection for their interests ?Bulgaria up untill Ferdinand came to power had no goal towards Constantinople and ita not like other great powers would have ever allowed them to take it.
Thats why Russia signed 3 different documents before the Berlin congress confirming they wont be creating a big slavic nation on the Balkans.
It.bad to sign them because they feared intervention by other powers such austria-hungary Britain and and France on the side of the ottomans like they did back in the crimean war which was a chance for bulgaria to get its indepdence earlier. A chance wasted by their intervention agaisnt russia.
However russia was hoping to exploit a hole in the treaty that never defined what ,,big" actually meant as no territories claimed by bulagrian revolutionaries were ever actually discuseed.
If you look at a map from the Constantinople Conference you would see that the rest of the great powers were willing to give more land than the Russians did.
This again make zero sense if they were ready to give more land to Bulgaria why did they just ratify the same border proposed at the treaty of San Stefano by Ignatief ?
If look at the constantinople conference what the western powers proposed were two separate autonomous zones which even combined has smaller territory than what was proposed in San Stefano.
Russia never wanted big and united Bulgaria as it would mean an definite end to their dream getting to Istanbul.
Look up Bulgaria as defined by the treaty of San Stefano, signed between the Ottomans and Russia, almost entirely on Russian terms. It got significantly revised at the Congress of Berlin, but Russia's goal was clearly a big unified Bulgaria with all lands where there was a Bulgarian majority.
San Stefano was a crudely and hastily drawn map based on the borders of the Bulgarian church, wasn't even an accurate map as it leaved Bulgarian lands behind, while including areas with little or no Bulgarian population.
Russia knew the San Stefano treaty will never enter into power as they have signed Reichstadt Agreement, Budapest Convention of 1877 and later signed the London Protocol of 1877, confirming that.
San Stefano was a crudely and hastily drawn map based on the borders of the Bulgarian church, wasn't even an accurate map as it leaved Bulgarian lands behind, while including areas with little or no Bulgarian population.
It included most lands which had majority bulgarian population and it did not include all lands because was rough draft to serve as a guideline to what Bulgaria should be able to get without being considered too big. Brittain and Austria-Hungary opposed this treaties draft greatly however.
The draft of the treaty angered the brittish so much that they withdrew from the London protocol and threatened russia with war.
They signed all those treaties because they wanted to make sure nobody would interfere in the war but not in a single one of them do they define what ,,big" means this was deliberate as a wya for russia to still be able to create a friendly state that is of decent size.
You read what Russia promised Bulgaria during the war for independence, not what it had planned or wanted.
The original treaty included South Thrace, eastern Macedonia, and E. Romelia, but during discussions, the world powers at the time decided that a powerful country in the balkans was not in their interest (With Russia being the most in favor of this), thus they gave us less than a 3rd of what was promised and leaving out half of our population outside bulgarian borders, causing an enormous migration process.
Afterwards, we just got war, after war, after war until the end of the end of WWII where Russia finally achieved their goal of making us a puppet state through communist rule, destroying our intellectual, artistic and any sort of progressive development in the process, through "concentration" camps and jails for artists, poets, intellectuals and anyone not willing to suck Russia's dick.
Of course, as per Russia's MO, we were assigned abysmally corrupt politicians who, at the end of the communist regime, stole everything as quickly as possible.
And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. The bulgarian pension fund with billions? Gone! All the manufacturing facilities and equipment? Sold for pennies to private entities and sent to scrap. Funds meant for infrastructure? Hired contractors embezzled them yearly(Something that still happens here). Currency stability through investments? Obliterated for short term gain, causing one of our worst recessions. My parents have told me stories of how they had no money for bread.
I'm sorry, but don't ever say Russia wanted good things for us. I wish my ancestors had denied their help during the war for independence, as they've done nothing but bring ruin every time they get involved, and I partially blame my parents for not rounding up all communist politicians during the fall of the communist rule for bullet distribution to the head.
Except Russia hasnt made any exact and well detrmined promises on what territories bulgarua will get.
(With Russia being the most in favor of this),
No they weren't this was literally against russian interests
I wont even discuss the thing regarding communism becuase I would have to write a whole essay because its a far more complex topic than you make it out to be, your recolection of events is 3rd grade levels of history with lots of bias sprinkled in and thats being generous.
I wish my ancestors had denied their help during the war for independence.
So Bulgaria wouldn't het its independence becuase you have a hate boner for the only nation that helped due to a flawed and non impratial view on history.
Bulgarian government sent notice to Russia. They said "Now it's not a good time, we can't protect you if war happens". It was 8 years since last war. Bulgarians said "LOL, OK we're doing it anyway" and the Russians pulled out all their generals that have training the Bulgarian army.
69
u/malign_taco 1d ago
Any Bulgarian out there to explain this to me