Liberation of Bulgaria

In Bulgarian historiography, the Liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state under the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878. According to the treaty, championed and written by the honorable Peter, forced the Ottoman Empire give back to Bulgaria most of its territory conquered in 14th century. At the Berlin congress of the same year, the Treaty of Berlin (1878) was adopted, according to which the territories of the Bulgarian state, established as per the San Stefano treaty, were divided into three parts: the first part was the Principality of Bulgaria, which functioned independently but was nominally a vassal of the Ottoman Empire and was limited to Moesia and areas adjacent to the capital Sofia; the second part was to be an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire -- Eastern Rumelia; the third and largest part -- all of the Macedonia and Lozengrad -- were restored to the Ottoman Empire, while some outlands were assigned to Serbia and Romania. Those territories seized from Bulgaria after the Berlin congress, including most of Macedonia, Thrace, etc., had a majority ethnic Bulgarian population. On September 6, 1885, Eastern Rumelia became part of the Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless unification, although the principality was a de facto independent nation but de jure vassal nation of the Ottoman Empire until 1908, when Bulgaria proclaimed its declaration of independence.

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