6000 BC

Neolithic, very early civilization, which moved from hunting to agricultural pursuits. Their gold work is stupendous as found in Varna and Stara Zagora.

4000 BC/

Thracian culture, known for its metal work, pagan religion, and warrior aristocracy. Multiple Thracian tombs in Kazanluk. Macedonians and Greeks invade from time to time and influence Thracian culture particularly along the Black Sea (Nesebur).

168 BC/

Romans begin conquering the Thracians but it takes 200 years for them to completely subdue the country. Romans were prolific builders and their ruins are everywhere but most impressively in Plovdiv, Sofia, and Varna.

500AD

Bulgaria united under Khan Kubrat and stretches from Russia to Italy. These slavs and Bulgar people would become the predominant ethnic group up to the present.

681

1^st Bulgarian Kingdom established by Khan Asparoukh, Khan Kubrat’s. son. Byzantines were defeated and forced to pay tribute to the new Bulgarian kingdom. Remaining Thracians were absorbed. Khan Asparoukh united the Bulgar and Slav tribes into one nation, helped by their common language. Ruins can be seen in Nesebur and Sofia and a large monument in Shumen. This was a period of great cultural development through building, the first written laws, stable government, literary classics, a written language and a new religion. At its height it included what is now Romania, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Yugoslavia and northern Turkey.

864

Bulgarian King Boris I is baptized and forces the people to give up their pagan ways and adopt Christianity. His conversion may have been more influenced by politics than spirituality.

881

Brothers Cyril and Methodius develop the written Bulgarian language and get permission from the pope to translate the Bible into this vernacular for the people. A derivative of this Cyrillic Alphabet is still in use in Bulgaria, Russia, and other Balkan countries. A gigantic mosaic monument to Cyril and Methodius was built in Shumen. Schools, colleges, and libraries throughout the country bear their name.

1014

Byzantium conquers Bulgaria and after the final battle blinds 14,000 Bulgarians, leaving one in 100 with one eye to lead the others home. King Samuil dies of a heart attack when he sees them.

1187

The 2^nd Bulgarian Kingdom arises from the defeat of the Byzantines. Capitol is Veliko Turnovo, second only to Constantinople in magnificence. Tsarvets and the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs are built. Monument to the four brothers who led the revolt is in Veliko Turnovo.

1395

“Five Hundred Years of Turkish Domination” begin with the defeat of Veliko Turnovo.. Turks occupied and governed Bulgaria but could not destroy the culture. People retreated behind walled complexes (Arbanassi) and built walled monasteries to protect their religion (Batchkovo and Troyan). Mosques are built throughout Bulgaria (Shumen).

1879

The Russians helped the Bulgarians defeat the Turks ushering in the National Revival Period. Poet Hristo Botev dies in battle saying “He, who perishes fighting for freedom, he does not die….” Monuments to this battle are the Shipka Cathedral outside Kazanluk and the Nevski Cathedral in Sofia. We will also see examples of the national revival houses in Plodiv.

1940-45

While technically on the side of the Germans, Bulgaria was never comfortable in this alliance. When Hitler asked Bulgaria to send its Jews to concentration camps in Germany, the Bulgarian King and Parliament refused. Tsar Boris III dies shortly after returning from Germany after telling Hitler that Bulgaria would not turn over its Jews. This created a ongoing controversy equal to our Kennedy Assassination.

1946

Soviet domination of Bulgaria begins and lasts 50 years. Communists control Bulgarian economy and move people from the country to factories and high-rise apartments in the cities. Examples of Soviet art, architecture, and culture are everywhere.

1989

Communist domination is replaced with democracy.

2001

Simeon, son of Tsar Boris III, is elected prime minister and rules in a coalition with the Party of Rights and Freedom, made up of minority Turks, Muslims, Jews, and Gypsies. A former communist, Georgie Parvanov, is elected President. For the first time, three different parties must cooperate to run the Bulgarian government. All elections and the transfer of power are peaceful.