The National revival and the liberation Life is like a big ocean in whose depths there are many hidden reefs. One of the most important reefs in the life of the Bulgarian country is the reef, that provoked the need for national revival.

The ‘awakeners’ were the first, who dove into the depths and found the reef for cultural revival. The cultural revival was made possible by a profound economic, social and political changes which overcame the Ottoman Empire in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The awakeners  Paiisi Hilendarski was born in the town of Bansko in 1722  In 1745 he entered Hilendar and became a taxidiot  In 1761 he travelled to he Habsburg monarchy to consult copies from Russian manuscripts

 In 1762 he moved to the monastery of Zograf  There he created A Slavonic- Bulgarian History of the Peoples, Tsars, Saints and of all their Deeds and of the Bulgarian Way of Life  His aim was to resurrect the national consciousness and to impose to Bulgarians that they have reasons for a national self-confidence and pride

Of all the Slav peoples the must glorious were the Bulgarians; they were the first who called themselves tsars, the first to have a patriarch, the first to adopt the Christian faith, and they it was who conquered the largest amount of territory. Thus, of all the Slav peoples they were the strongest and the most honoured, and the first Slav saints cast their radiance from amongst the Bulgarian people and through the Bulgarian language.

 Yuri Venelin was a Habsburg subject and pioneer Slavicist  In 1829 published The Ancient and Present-Day Bulgarians in their Political, Ethnographic and Religious Relationship to the Russians

Paissi and his fellow awakeners put on the Bulgarian nation an eternal wreath symbolizing the spirit of the national revival.

Economic, social and political changes in the Ottoman Empire The upheavals from eighteenth and early nineteenth century were in favor of awakeners’ ideas as they opened the borders of the Empire and gave them the chance to create Bulgarian communities in other countries and to present the Bulgarian question to the European society.

 Treaty of Passarowitz (1718) was important trade agreement between Ottoman and Habsburgs Empires  In 1740s Britain and France received trading preferences  In 1774 there was a treaty of Kutchuk Kainardji

 In late 18 th century Bulgarian population started moving from countryside plains towards small towns  Preferred destinations were small mountain towns.

 Other part of Bulgarian population decided to emigrate to other states  Those Bulgarian emigrants created major cultural centers out of the borders of the Ottoman Empire that played significant role in the development of Bulgarian culture

 The problem with ayans was resolved by the Empire in the period  It had positive long-run impact on Bulgarians  Most beneficial were Bulgarians sheep-reares and cloth-producers

 The next important step in the Bulgarian cultural revival was the implementation of Bulgarian language in both of church and school  Neofit Bozveli introduced Slavic liturgical training  Vasil Aprilov established the first school teaching in Bulgarian

The struggle for a separate Bulgarian church

 The first outbursts against Greek-dominated church began in 1820s  In 1835 there was a concerted move to secure the nomination of Bulgarian speaking bishop  In 1839 the Hatt-i-Sherif is issued  The movement against Greek bishops enlarged in 40s and 50s, led by Neofit Bozveli and Ilarion Makariopolski

 In 1849 the Porte agreed that Bulgarians should be allowed to build a church in the Ottoman Capital  The church was called St Stephen and the donator was Stefan Bogoridi

 The Bulgarians could not longer rely on Russia  In 1856 there was a Hatt-i-Humayoun  In the same year there was a petition to the sultan  In Constantinople 1860 witnessed a virtual declaration of ecclesiastical independence by the Bulgarian church  In 1867 Patriarch Gregory the Sixth offered the Bulgarians an autonomous church within the patriarchate

 In February 1870 the sultan issued a firman, or declaration of intent, to recognize a separate Bulgarian church headed by an exarch  The first Bulgarian exarch is the Bishop Antim of Vidin

The struggle for political independence and the liberation of 1878 In 19 th century Bulgarian society achieved great progress in their cultural and educational revival, but was still doing few actions regarding their political independence

 Georgi Sava Rakovski was born in Kotel in 1821  In 1840 tried to develop secret societies in Athens and Braila  During Crimean war organized a small legion in order to support Russian army  In 1862 took part in the destruction of the last Ottoman garrison in Serbia  In 1866 he created the Bulgarian Secret Central Committee

 Luben Karavelov was born in 1834 in Koprivshtitsa  He was among the first Bulgarian writers  He was also among the most prominent followers of Rakovski and his revolutionary ideas

 Vasil Levski was born in 1837 in Karlovo  In 1858 he entered a monastery for two years  In 1862 he joined Rakovski legion in Belgrade  He introduces the idea about the Apostles  He was major figure in the development of secret revolutionary system in the whole country

“If I succeed, I shall succeed for the whole nation; If I fail, then I alone shall die”

 Hristo Botev was born in Kalofer in 1848  He got his basic education at home  Botev won a scholarship for Odesa  He was mostly popular with poetry  Died in 1876 leading a cheta that should have supported the April Uprising in the revolutionary district of Vratsa

 In 1876 Ottoman Empire had problems with Bosnia and Serbia  The leaders of Bulgarian revolutionary Committee saw in it the opportunity for simultaneous rising  April Uprising did not run as it was planned  It resulted in no serious damages to the Ottoman authority and the massacre of 5000 Bulgarian Christians

 The brutal suppression of April Uprising led to public disagreements in Western Europe and Russia  As a result of it Russia declared a war on Ottoman Empire in 1877

The end of War and the creation of the new Bulgarian State San Stefano PeaceBerlin Treaty

The End Thank you for the attention !!!