site.btaSeptember 22, 1908: Bulgaria Declares its Independence

Bulgaria became an independent kingdom 117 years ago on Monday, on September 22, 1908.

On September 10, 1998, the 38th National Assembly passed a resolution declaring September 22 a public holiday named Bulgaria Independence Day.

Following is the original English-language feature by which the BTA External News Service marked the centenary of that momentous event in modern Bulgarian history:

"The Proclamation of Bulgaria's Independence: 'A Triumph of Civilized Wisdom'

Sofia, September 22 (BTA) - One hundred years ago on Monday, Bulgaria joined the family of independent states. Unlike many other events in the country's contemporary history, this move did not cost a heavy death toll and devastation, nor was it contested by domestic opposition. The proclamation of independence came as a "triumph of civilized wisdom," as historian Andrei Pantev described it.

At the end of the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War, the March 3 (Old Style February 19), 1878 preliminary Treaty of San Stefano ended 482 years of Ottoman rule over Bulgaria but did not make it an independent state. Article VI of that Treaty constituted Bulgaria 'an autonomous tributary Principality'. Article I of the July 1, 1878 Treaty of Berlin confirmed this status, defining Bulgaria as 'an autonomous and tributary Principality under the suzerainty of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan'.

In the course of 30 years, Bulgaria gradually repudiated its vassal dependence on Turkey, stopping to pay its annual tax, ignoring the capitulations regime, concluding international treaties and waging a war with Serbia without the Sultan's sanction and, most important of all, declaring a union with the Ottoman autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia on September 6, 1886.

The right international circumstances to match the de facto independence by a de jure act emerged in the summer of 1908, after the July 11 coup d'etat staged by the Young Turks. The immediate pretext was the so-called 'Gueshoff incident', in which the Bulgarian Diplomatic Agent in Constantinople, Ivan Stefanov Gueshoff, was not invited to the Sultan's birthday dinner reception on August 30/September 12, 1980 [hosted by Tewfik Pasha, the Ottoman Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the ministers of all the sovereign States accredited at the capital] so as to stress the country's vassalage. In protest, Gueshoff was recalled on the following day. A conflict over the railway in Southern Bulgaria added one more reason for the move. The railway's Turkish employees went on strike on September 6, and the Bulgarian Government replaced them by Bulgarian ones so as to keep the operation in service. After the strike was called off, however, the Bulgarian authorities retained control of the railway.

On September 10, Prince Ferdinand was received by Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph in Budapest. The two secretly coordinated the proclamation of Bulgaria's independence, as a pretext for Austria-Hungary itself to repudiate the Treaty of Berlin. Vienna was planning to annex the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina which, although nominally Ottoman territories, had been under Austrian protection and administration since 1878 under the same Treaty. The 30-year time limit for that occupation was to expire in 1909.

The Bulgarian Government adopted a decision on immediate proclamation of independence on September 16, but the act was postponed on Ferdinand's orders. He arrived from Austria in Rousse on September 20, where the final arrangements were made with the Cabinet. The Prince and the ministers then traveled by train to the medieval Bulgarian capital of Turnovo. On board the train, at the railway station of Dve Mogili, Prime Minister Alexander Malinov wrote the Manifesto on the proclamation of independence on the evening of September 21. On the morning of September 22, Ferdinand arrived at the station of Trapezitsa, and from there went on foot alone, accompanied just by an aide-de-camp, to the historic church of Forty Holy Martyrs. After a solemn prayer service in the presence of the Cabinet members, MPs and other officials, at 12:00 noon on September 22 (New Style October 5), 2008, the Prince read the following Manifesto to the Bulgarian People:

'By the will of the never-to-be-forgotten Liberator Czar, the great fraternal Russian people, aided by our good neighbors, the subjects of the King of Romania, and by the Bulgarian heroes, on February 19, 1878 broke the chains of slavery which had for so many centuries bound Bulgaria, once a great and glorious power.

'From that time until today, for full thirty years, the Bulgarian people, staunchly cherishing the memory of those who had laboured for its freedom and inspired by their behests, has worked untiringly for the development of its beautiful country, and, under my guidance and that of the late Prince Alexander, it has created a State worthy of becoming an equal member of the family of civilized peoples. Always peace-loving, my people today aspires to cultural and economic progress; in this respect nothing should arrest the advancement of Bulgaria; nothing should hinder her success.

'Such is the desire of our people, such is its will. Let that desire be fulfilled.

'The Bulgarian people and its head of State can have but one sentiment and one desire.

'My de facto independent State is impeded in its normal and peaceful development by certain bonds whose formal severance will inter alia eliminate the recent coldness in the relations between Bulgaria and Turkey.

'I and my people sincerely rejoice in the political rebirth of Turkey; Turkey and Bulgaria, free and entirely independent of each other, will have all conditions to create and strengthen their amicable relations and to devote themselves to peaceful internal development.

'Inspired by this sacred cause and in order to respond to the needs of the State and to the desire of the people, I hereby proclaim, with the blessing of the Almighty, Bulgaria, united on September 6, 1885, an independent Bulgarian Kingdom and, in conjunction with my people, I profoundly believe that this act of ours will meet the approbation of the Great Powers and the empathy of the entire enlightened world.

'Long Live Free and Independent Bulgaria!

'Long Live the Bulgarian People!'

Thereafter, National Assembly Chairman Hristo Slaveikov addressed the following words to the Prince: 'On behalf of the national representatives, I beg you to assume the title of first Bulgarian Tsar.' Ferdinand accepted 'with pride and thanksgiving'.

Later in the day, the Manifesto was read yet again, this time by Prime Minister Malinov, on the Tsarevets Hill, where the medieval Bulgarian rulers had their palace.

The original draft of the Manifesto is not preserved, but in August 1910 noted Art Deco painter Haralambi Tachev produced an official version, engrossed on parchment, decorated with an elaborate vignette surmounted by the royal crown and consisting of intertwined laurel and lime trees, lions, and three landmark dates in Bulgarian history: 679 (the foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire), 1187 (the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire), and 1908, around the royal coat of arms. The manifesto was calligraphed in the style of illuminated medieval manuscripts, with elaborate initial letters. The document was signed by the King and by all eight Government Ministers, whose seals, impressed in wax and encased in silver, were attached to the lower end by separate strings. The scroll was placed in an ornate silver cylinder, which was inserted into a velvet-lined carved box of Brazilian rosewood with metal binding featuring the Bulgarian coat of arms, the arms of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and a dedication. This precious artefact is now in the holdings of the Central State Historical Archives. It is kept in a safe under controlled temperature and is brought out on very rare occasions.

Turkey reacted strongly to the proclamation of Bulgaria's independence, but was not prepared to go to war. Two days later, on September 24, Austria-Hungary formally annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two events sparked the 1908-1909 Balkan Crisis. In the spring of 1909, Turkey claimed 650 million gold francs from Bulgaria and territorial concessions in the Eastern Rhodopi in compensation. A settlement was arranged with the mediation of Russia, which wrote off 125 million gold francs in reparations that Turkey owed it for the 1877-1878 war in exchange for a withdrawal of the latter's claim to Bulgaria. For its part, by a protocol signed on April 6, 1909, Bulgaria undertook to pay Russia 82 million gold francs over 75 years.

Bulgaria's independence was recognized by Russia (February 5, 1909), Turkey (April 6, 1909 Protocol of Constantinople), Serbia and Montenegro (April 7, 1909), Britain, France and Italy (April 10, 1909), Germany and Austria-Hungary (April 16, 1909), and the United States (March 24, 1910).

The proclamation of independence upgraded Bulgaria's international standing and created prerequisites for the ensuing irredentist wars.

The Bulgarian Constitution was brought into conformity with the proclaimed independence by the Fifth Grand National Assembly (June 9 - July 9, 1911). LG/LG"