History of Bulgaria

Soft a climate of Bulgaria and oof of the nature long since involved in itself migrants. The most ancient population of these places - Thracians - were under strong agency of ancient Greeks and Romans. Inhabitants of Thrace differed freedom-loving character, not without reason the legendary leader of gladiators - Spartak was its native.

In I century of our era Romans managed to win Thracians. From the end of IV century, during an epoch of Great movement of the people, ethnic composition of Thrace has hardly variated. In VII century the slavs who have come because of Danube assimilated local population, and in second half VII centuries bunches of Protobulgarians (tjurkskojazychnyj the people from Northern Black Sea Coast) here have penetrated. In 680 year the First Bulgarian kingdom was formed. On boundary IX-X of centuries it has attained the best power, possessing a significant part of Balkan peninsula. The city of Preslav well-known for the palaces and monasteries was kingdom capital. But already in the middle of X century the bolgaro-slavic state was included into a strip of the hardest crisis and in the beginning of XI century has lost independence, having been subject to Byzantium. Successful revolt against the enslavers, lifted by brothers Peter and Asenem, has refunded to the country independence. The Second Bulgarian kingdom was formed.

Invasion of mongolo-Tatars, a wearisome concurence for hegemony on the Balkans with Serbia and Byzantium, intrinsic disorders have led to disintegration of kingdom and its gain in the end of XIV century Turks. There has stepped the most gloomy strip of the Bulgarian history - the Muslim yoke lasting without small 500 years. It was svergnuto after a lesion Turkey in war with Russia (1877-1878). Inhabitants of Bulgaria store memory of bloody battles of that war, a siege of Plevna, defence SHipki. Thanks to combined actions of insurgents and Russian army Bulgaria has found independence.