History of Bulgaria

We are going to make an interesting summary of the history of the most ancient country in Europe which still retains its name since it was founded. Below you can see the different stages of the history of Bulgaria and its most important leaders.

681 - 1018
First Bulgarian Empire
In 681 Bulgaria was founded by Khan Asparuh and he became the first Bulgarian Khan. During this first Bulgarian Empire,
several Bulgarian leaders stood out for.

701-721 Khan Tervel was his successor and is recognized for his opposition to the Asian invasion of Europe.

803 - 814 Khan Krum implements the first laws in the empire. They stand out for being strict.

852 - 889 comes to the throne Kniaz Boris and leads the Bulgarian people to accept the Christian region. During his time, Kiril and his brother Metodi live, who are the ones who create the Cyrillic script. "Kniaz" is a Slavic word.

The last years of the Empire are also the most splendid. Between the year 893 and 927 Tsar Simeon led the Empire to its "golden" age both for culture and literature and for its conquests. In the year 1018 the First Bulgarian Empire falls under the Byzantine occupation
1185 - 1396
Second Bulgarian Empire
In 1185 Bulgaria achieved its independence after the military uprising of Asen and Petar.

1197 - 1207 Tsar Kaloyan creates connections with the Roman Pope and the Catholic Church.

1218 - 1241 Tsar Ivan Asen, the son of Asen brings years of prosperity to Bulgaria and starts to cut the first coins.

1371 - 1395 Tsar Ivan Shishman is the last Tsar before the Ottoman Empire took control of Bulgaria.
In 1395 the Second Bulgarian Kingdom falls under the Ottoman Empire.
1878 - Present
Modern history
The years under Ottoman occupation have been devastating for the Bulgarian culture and religion. Vasil Levski is considered a national hero for his contribution to the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, 5 years after his death.

1954 - 1989 Todor Zhivkov was the general secretary of the Communist Party and Bulgarian leader until the fall of the Soviet Union. Considered by many to be a dictator, Todor Zhivkov was in command of the country for 35 years.

Since November 10, 1989, Bulgaria has been a parliamentary democracy.

Additional information

The guys from The Bulgarian History Podcast have created this exceptional PODCAST that is only available in English and Bulgarian at the moment. They explain in a very precise and verified way the history of Bulgaria throughout its history. The podcast is available for iOS, Android, and Spotify.

There are more pages with articles and very interesting information about the history of Bulgaria, but much of it is available only in Bulgarian. Even so, you can use the Google translator if some part of Bulgarian history can get your attention so much.

Contact us by chat or email and we will send you the information you need.