Editing Bulgaria (section)

== History ==

The territory of Bulgaria was inhabited in antiquity by Thracian peoples and later became part of the Roman Empire. After the division of the empire, much of the region remained under eastern Roman and Byzantine authority. Slavic communities settled throughout the Balkans during the sixth and seventh centuries.

The Bulgarian state established under Asparuh was recognised in 681. It developed into the First Bulgarian Empire, which became a major power in the Balkans. Bulgaria adopted Christianity during the reign of Boris I in the ninth century. Literary schools at Preslav and Ohrid helped establish Old Church Slavonic as a written language and supported the development and spread of the Cyrillic alphabet.

The Byzantine Empire conquered the First Bulgarian Empire in 1018. Bulgarian rule was restored after the uprising led by Ivan Asen I and Peter IV in 1185, beginning the Second Bulgarian Empire. Tarnovo became its political and religious centre. Ottoman forces gradually conquered the Bulgarian lands during the late 14th century, and the last major Bulgarian strongholds fell by 1396.

Bulgarian national movements developed during the 18th and 19th centuries through education, religious organization and opposition to Ottoman authority. The April Uprising of 1876 was followed by the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The settlement reached at the Congress of Berlin established the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria on 13 July 1878. Eastern Rumelia united with the principality on 6 September 1885.

Bulgaria declared full independence from the Ottoman Empire on 22 September 1908. The country fought in the Balkan Wars and later participated in both world wars. A referendum held on 8 September 1946 abolished the monarchy, and the People's Republic of Bulgaria was proclaimed on 15 September.

Communist rule ended in 1989. Political parties were legalised, elections were held and state-owned industries were gradually reorganized or privatised. The constitution adopted on 12 July 1991 established the present parliamentary republic.