If you can't be bothered to read any further, the takeaway is; Bulgaria has a tradition of betting on red when they should have gone black. Oh, plus they don't like gypsies all that much.
So here we go, something like 5000 years of history in a nutshell and condensed into a couple of minutes reading.
Once upon a time there was a place called Thrace. And there was this guy called Spartacus, who had a dimpled chin and an American accent. Spartacus had a bit of a row with the Romans and ended up being crucified by Peter Ustinov. And then there was Macedonia, at its height ruled by Phillip II of Macedon (382-336 BC) and followed by his son, Brad Pitt The Great (356-323BC) who was supposedly poisoned at the age of 32, not before conquering most of the known world and inventing Fight Club in the process. Following the rise and subsequent fall of Thrace and Macedonia, the Central Asian Bulgars set up shop in 632AD. The First Bulgarian Empire was declared in 681AD after lots of chit-chat between Byzantines, Khazars, Thracian remnants etc.
The First Empire collapsed after the Byzantines got all fighty in c.11th and after a bit, The Second Bulgarian Empire was formed in 1185AD. It all went wrong again and in short, the Ottomans (for that, read Turks - and that bit is important) assumed control in 1396 (how am I doing so far by the way? 3000-ish years in one paragraph feels a bit thin but I'll plough on regardless).
Now it gets more interesting and helps gain an understanding of the modern Bulgarian psyche. There then followed a 500 year period of brutal Ottoman oppression forcing Christianity to go underground and Bulgarian culture was all but obliterated. The important bit is that Bulgarians rarely have a kind word to say about Turks. In 1878, The Russians, smelling the collapse of The Ottoman Empire, liberated Bulgaria in a bloody invasion and so began The Third Bulgarian State. And this is another significant point. Bulgarians to this day are quite Russo-centric as a result of their deliverance thanks to Russian intervention.
Another important point is that because of all these empires, borders have been frequently redrawn. This leaves plenty of room for territorial dispute and claim on 'historic Bulgaria'. Fundamentally, this has led to a largely down at heel Bulgaria jumping on any war bandwagon going if a significant protagonist promises a repatriation of disputed lands. Provided that party isn't Muslim and Turkish.
And so onto the Balkan Wars of 1912/13. These were messy affairs between The Ottomans, Serbians, Greeks and Bulgaria and they all pretty much fell out with each other at one point or other. It's actually really interesting but Wikipedia does it perfectly well and I won't repeat it here. The upshot is, Bulgaria ended up losing.
In an effort to salvage some lost pride and lost territory, Bulgaria sided with the absolute dead cert winner in World War I, Germany. With a quarter of the population under arms (1,200,000) Bulgaria made significant gains against Serbia but soon got bored and frankly miffed at the idea of fighting Serbian Christians alongside Ottoman Muslims and in 1917 gave up and went home. Well what was left of it. Greece took a chunk, as did Serbia, as did Romania.
In a further effort to REALLY regain some lost pride and even more lost territory, Bulgaria sided with the red hot favourite to win World War II, Germany. It didn't go well. In the end, and in truth it was by this time with some relief to most Bulgarians (remember they are Russo-friendly?), Russian forces ran amok and The Third Bulgarian State collapsed. And so began The People's Republic of Bulgaria (1944-1990). Actually, I could go on about all of this because I find it fascinating. There is also a war memorial in the main square in Gostilitsa which makes me wonder a lot. The Bulgarian Army didn't cross the Bulgarian border during the war, so how did this these bright young things lose their lives? The answers are out there somewhere. Now I have more time on my hands, I might do a bit more digging.
Communism did little to improve the lot of Bulgaria, although many old-timers recall the period fondly. An old Soviet nuclear power plant which provided a massive revenue boost to the country no longer glows with radioactive munificence and I usually get sour and resentful expressions from anyone I quiz on the merits/demerits of having it. Most people I talk to didn't want to see it close and see it as a clear example of EU meddling.
The transition in late 1989/early 1990 into democracy was peaceful though painful and the shockwaves can still be felt (though not as much as a rusting nuclear reactor blowing up). There has been economic hardship along the way and probably always will be knowing Bulgaria. There have been winners, but precious few. For the most part, people still have chickens, vegetables and hooch. Much the same as always.
Other highlights in Bulgarian history include;
St Cyril devised the most stupid alphabet of all time Cyrillic, counting out all of the South East Asian alphabets of course, or Asia Minor alphabets. Well Cyrillic is one of the most stupid alphabets anyway. Still, he did it in c.9th during The First Bulgarian Empire. And to be fair, they didn't know diddly back then. Why they persist with it today is more of a mystery.
Vasil Levski was arguably Bulgaria's most favoured son. He led the revolutionary movement that ultimately led to liberation after 500 years under the Turkish yoke. Captured in Lovech (not all that far from Gostilitsa really, about 50mins) and martyred by the Ottomans in 1873. Their Churchill if you will.
Major William Frank Thompson was a British SOE operative parachuted into Bulgaria to act as liaison officer between Whitehall and the communist/antifascist partisans in WWII. His exploits read much like one of our disastrous weekends in Gostilitsa without electricity or water but it's insulting to compare the two in truth. He was an incredibly brave chap but unlucky and was executed for his trouble. Six villages were merged after the war and renamed in his honour. His younger brother, E. P. Thompson, the highly respected social historian (I'm not a fan of his academic works as it happens) wrote two books in his memory.
Gypsies. A word on Bulgarian gypsies. I'm drifting off topic a bit here but Bulgarian history does have an influence on their cultural outlook. The origins of prejudice appear to be in the influx of Muslim Romani in the c.14/15th as Ottoman auxiliaries and has lasted until this day. Nearly 5% of Bulgarians are classified as gypsies and almost all hold menial positions or are used as casual labour and are treated as second, actually, fourth class citizens.
In all honesty, Bulgarians can be (not all of them you understand but in my limited experience and often in rural communities) prejudiced. Homosexuals, any non-caucasion and even country folk to urbanite's (and I've seen this) can come under unfair scrutiny for what they appear to be. Once again, don't judge by our standards without taking a moment to appreciate where others started out culturally and intellectually. I won't talk about this anymore. It's not something compatible with my way of thinking but a fact as I see it, regardless. And I'm not being superior, but I am glad I don't hold the same views. Alright, I am being a bit superior. Well bollocks to it. In this case I'm right.
Azis is an ethnic Bulgarian cross gender gypsy and pop-folk singer with a high media profile and competed with some success in the 2006 Eurovision song contest. Azis has achieved considerable notoriety as a result of his public persona in Bulgaria. Given his ethnic background and lifestyle choices, you've got to say, the man has got balls.
The extent of Bulgaria at its greatest during the reign of Tsar Simeon I, Simeon The Great (893-927AD). It's a lot more 'compact and focused' today.
Vasil Levski
W. F. Thompson
Azis
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