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Here is a brief summary of the history of Bulgaria:The lands of Bulgaria were already populated in Ancient times. The oldest known population in Bulgaria was the Thracians. They were good warriors, cultivators and cattle-breeders. They used to believe that people continued to live after their death and therefore they made buildings for the dead like the Egyptians in the Ancient Egypt. In these buildings the Thracians put weapons, jewelry and tools. The dead were supposed to use these objects in the life after death. The treasure from Kazanlak is famous through out the whole world.
The lands of the Thracians were conquered by the Roman Empire. The Roman civilization changed the way that our land looked like. There were new cities built with sewage systems and fresh water supply. Roads and harbors on the sea and the river Danube were built.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire a new Empire had been created- the Byzantium Empire. Lots of different people lived in it: Greek, German, Armenian and Syrians. They called themselves romansThe wealth of the Byzantium Empire attracted lots of tribes.
Between the 4th and 7th century lots of tribes who once lived in Asia migrated to Europe. One of the many tribes was the Bulgarians who had a leader. They called his Khan.
Khan Asparuh created the country in which we live in today. In the year 681, under his leadership, the tribes conquered lands, which were on the territory of the Byzantium Empire. The emperor of the Empire at that time was Kostantin. He approved the existence of the new country- Bulgaria.
The development of Bulgaria during the centuries had lots of hard and long wars with the powerful Byzantium Empire.
In the beginning of the 9th century the Khan of the Bulgarians was Krum. He had success in increasing the size of Bulgaria. His name is also connected with the publication of the first laws in the history of Bulgaria.
His son, Omurtag, became famous because he built many new cities and castles. During his leadership and the one his inheritors Bulgaria became one of the biggest countries in Europe at that time.
In the middle of the 9th century Khan Boris ruled Bulgaria. Up to that time the Bulgarians believed in the god Tangra. Other people who lived in the territory of Bulgaria believed in other gods. In the year 863 he accepted the Christian religion to unite the different. In the whole country there were Christian churches built.
In order for all Bulgarians to understand the religious books the brothers Kiril and Metodi created a new alphabet in the year 855. The new letters represented most correctly the words of the Slavic language. Because of what they did the church made them saints. Their students made the alphabet easier to understand. They called the alphabet Cyrillic alphabet in honor of the saint Kiril.
After Boris teh first the Bulgarians had another great ruler- his son Simeon. Simeon had been a student in one of the most famous schools at that time. He gathered a lot of scientists who wrote books in Bulgarian language. During his reign Simeon lead lots of successful wars and Bulgaria reached its most powerful stage. Its borders reached three seas: Black, White and Adriatic. At that time he was the most powerful ruler in the Christian world. After the biggest victory over the Byzantium Empire Simeon declared himself to be czar (king) of all Bulgarians and Greeks. These years were called the "golden century" of the Bulgarian country.
In the year 1018, after long and exhausting wars, the Byzantium Empire conquered Bulgaria. The Bulgarian population did not conciliate with the slavery. The people constantly fought for freedom.
At the end of the year 1185 the kingdom of Bulgaria was revived. The two boyars Asen and Peter started a rebellion. They managed to win over the army of the Byzantium Empire and restored the Bulgarian country.
In the next few centuries Bulgaria restored its previous greatness and power. It was very powerful when its ruler was czar Ivan Asen the second. With the power of the weapons and diplomacy he managed to increase the size of the Bulgarian country. He also managed to make a "great power" out of the country. The capital of Bulgaria was the city Tarnovo.
After the death of Ivan Asen the second there was destruction in the country. His inheritors were bad rulers. The country was divided in two parts. This made it weak and vulnerable. At that time Turkish tribes started to arrive on the Balkan Peninsula. They created the Ottoman country. They used the weakness of the Balkan countries and conquered them from a short period of time. In the year 1396 Bulgaria become under the rule of the Ottoman sultan. For 500 years the Bulgarians tried to get themselves free from the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Many Bulgarians died. The territories of Bulgaria were in the middle of the Ottoman Empire so Bulgaria could not rely on the help of the other Christian countries in Europe. Finally in the year 1978 after the war between Russia and Turkey Bulgaria gut independence and so today's Bulgaria was created.
The capital of Bulgaria at the moment is Sofia, which is the biggest city in the country. Other big cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. A big treasure for my country is the Black Sea. With the beautiful resorts the coast of Bulgaria attracts a lot of tourists. During the winter, lovers of the winter sports can have a wonderful time in the high and beautiful Bulgarian mountains called Rila, Pirin and the Rodops.
For a more detailed history please go to the following Internet addresses:
*History of Bulgaria (681-1944)
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