Bulgarian Monarchs

A history of Bulgarian monarchs.

Old Great Bulgaria

In the 7th century, a nomadic empire emerged on the Dniester and Volga Rivers (modern Ukraine and Russia). The empire was founded by Kubrat and disintigrated quickly after his death.

First Bulgarian Empire

A son of Kubrat, Asparuh led the Bulgars towards the Danube River and warred against the Byzantines. By making peace with Constantine IV in 681, the First Bulgarian Empire was established. Bulgarian emperors used the title tsar.

The capital was moved from Pliska to Preslav by Simeon I in 888.

In their height of power, the First Bulgarian Empire seiged Constantinople in 923 and 924.

Basil II "the Bulgar Slayer" commenced a massive war against Bulgaria and ended the empire by 1018. The realm was reorganized extensively, with a new capital in Skopje.

Second Bulgarian Empire

Peter II (Theodor-Peter) and Asen I (Ivan Asen) launched a rebellion against the Byzantine Empire. Isaac II Angelos made peace with them in 1187, establishing the Second Bulgarian Empire. It was sometimes known as the Empire of Vlachs and Bulgarians, or the Bulgarian-Wallachian Empire.

The second empire was constantly subjected to invasion, sacking, and occupation by the Golden Horde.

The Ottomans pushed into Bulgaria during the 14th century. Sofia fell in 1385; Tarnavo in 1393. By 1396, the Second Bulgarian Empire had ended.

Principality of Bulgaria

The Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878 proposed a large Bulgarian state. This was significantly walked back in the final Treaty of Berlin. The new Principality of Bulgaria was nominally an Ottoman state but the local nobility elected their king. Alexander of Battenburg, a nephew of Tsar Alexander II, was chosen.

Kingdom of Bulgaria

In 1908, Ferdinand I declared Bulgaria an independent state. He adopted the old imperial title tsar but styled it in translations as 'king'.

Bulgaria participated in the First Balkan War, and then started the Second Balkan War when the peace negotiations were disfavorable. Notably, Macedonia was split.

Ferdinand abdicated after Bulgaria's loss in World War 1 became evident.

Following a 1934 coup by the Zveno corporatists and a 1935 counter-coup, Boris III ruled as an absolute monarch. He led Bulgaria into the Axis alliance. Simeon became king at the age of 6; his uncle Prince Kyril served as regent.

The USSR soon pushed into Bulgaria and, thanks to a concurrent coup, took command over the country relatively peacefully. In 1946, the Soviets organized a referendum on the monarchy; it reportedly found that 96% of the population favored ending it. Simeon and his surviving family were deported.

While Simeon would eventually return to Bulgarian politics in 1993, this was the permanent end of monarchical government.

Dynasties

Dulo

The Dulo clan founded both Old Great Bulgaria and the First Bulgarian Empire. They claimed descent from Attila the Hun.

Krum

Cometopuli

Asen

Terter

Smilets

Borjigin

Shishman

Sratsimir

Battenberg

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Kohary

CategoryRicottone