liberated Bulgaria. How Russia liberated Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro from the Turkish yoke. Peace treaty and aftermath of the war
An article by Alexei Zotiev on the topic of not inviting Russia to the day of the liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish yoke.
There is one particularly memorable date in the history of the Slavic state of Bulgaria - March 3. It was on this day, in 1878, that the Russian-Turkish war ended, which became a liberation war for the people of Bulgaria. Captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1396, Bulgaria was under the Turkish yoke for many centuries and languished in captivity. But to throw off the Ottoman oppression on their own, they did not have enough strength. Europe did not help either, constantly calling on Turkey to guarantee Christians living in Ottoman Empire the same rights that Muslims have. The Turks verbally assured that no one oppresses Christians, but in reality it turned out quite differently. Exhausted by constant oppression, the Bulgarians raised an uprising in 1876, which was brutally suppressed by the Turkish army. As a result of punitive measures, more than 30,000 Bulgarians died, including women, the elderly and children.
The harsh suppression of the April uprising was the last straw - in 1877, Russia began a war with Turkey. Indignant at the killing of civilians, the Old World, and especially Great Britain, did not enter the war. on the side Russian Empire Bulgarian, Armenian and Georgian militias fought and died. Serbian, Romanian and Montenegrin troops took an active part in the hostilities. The victory of the Russian army was swift and unconditional. Most of the territories forcibly annexed to the Ottoman Empire were liberated. Bulgaria became free for the first time in many centuries. Thanks to Russia...
Let me explain the need for another digression into recent history, which I, in the light of recent events, had to give you. Most recently, the Bulgarians celebrated the anniversary of the liberation from the Turkish yoke. The holiday for the country is far from new. I was surprised by the new approach of the Bulgarian leadership to the coverage of the memorable date. The President of Bulgaria, speaking with a festive speech, forgot to say that the country is celebrating the day of liberation from the Turkish yoke and did not mention the main author of this holiday - Russia. Moreover, the Ministerial Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for holding the holiday forgot to invite guests from Russia, the country of the liberator! Did not mention Russia and its role in the liberation of Bulgaria and the Prime Minister of the country.
The Bulgarian authorities and the political elite paid special attention to the holiday message written by John Kerry and solemnly read out to the Bulgarian people. John Kerry, who, like all Americans, representatives of a great nation, has the right to be stupid, also unfortunately does not know the history of this holiday. Kerry greatly rejuvenated the holiday, saying that he was some 25 years old. In his message, John noted "the progress that Bulgaria has made since independence and the victory of democracy over two decades ago." Kerry did not mention the Russian-Turkish war and the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke, most likely for the banal reason of ignorance of this part of history. All this, of course, Kerry wrote on behalf of President Obama. In conclusion, as usual, he hinted at the need to expand cooperation in the field of security and defense. Americans are boring, stupid and predictable...
In 2014, the Bulgarian government already played along with its strategic partner, the United States, by starting to blackmail Russia, which at that moment was pulling another section of the South Stream gas pipeline through the country. Playing with their muscles, the Bulgarian fathers-commanders twice, by their strong-willed decision, suspended the construction of the gas pipeline. The result - on December 1, 2014, Vladimir Putin announced the curtailment of the South Stream project. Not only ordinary Bulgarians and local entrepreneurs were shocked, but also the Bulgarian government itself, which did not expect such treachery from Russia!
At present, with their stupid antics, Bulgarian officials and their overseas patrons have achieved one thing - the Bulgarians are beginning to organize themselves and show their civic position. So, on March 3, 2015, on the day of the celebration of the liberation from the Ottoman yoke, non-governmental actions were held in the country, the main slogan of which was “Thank you Russia, we remember history!”. One of the parties in the Bulgarian parliament, the Ataka political party, organized a National March on March 3, which was attended by tens of thousands of ordinary citizens, representatives of public and patriotic organizations and representatives of other left-wing parties. Guests from Russia were invited to the procession. Deputies Anatoly Karpov and Roman Khudyakov were present from the Russian State Duma. Greetings from Sergei Naryshkin and from the leadership of the LDPR party were read out.
This is another of the already numerous examples of rape in world history in which the United States has succeeded so well. Methodically driving into the minds of young Bulgarians lies about the root causes of the celebration of Independence Day, they expect that in a few decades they will forget about the Turkish aggression and the role of Russia in the liberation of Bulgaria. It was using this technique that they have disfigured the worldview of the inhabitants of Ukraine for more than twenty years, thus dividing the once united people into Russians and Ukrainians. What came out of this we have the opportunity to observe with our own eyes - the war in the Donbass is broadcast on all television channels and sometimes amazes with its cruelty and senselessness.
Whatever the Americans do, no matter how they try to split the world and set most countries against Russia, we must remember - whoever does not remember his past has no future! I am sincerely grateful to those Bulgarians who, not following the official propaganda on this day, March 3, took to the streets of Sofia and celebrated the “National holiday on March 3, the Day of the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman yoke, thanksgiving day of fraternal Russia. This is an act of people who remember their roots, who will not allow their history to be rewritten and dragged into a new political adventure. In unity, strength and victory!
P.S. For objectivity, I want to add that the Americans also participated in the Russian-Turkish war, though indirectly. It was the latest American rifles that the Turkish army was armed with, which in turn caused a lot of trouble to the Russian troops. It was from this weapon, produced at the factories of the United States, today's ally of Bulgaria, that in 1876 they killed local residents who rebelled against the Ottoman yoke ...
Saved
After the abolition of the main article of the Treaty of Paris on the neutralization of the Black Sea, Russia again got the opportunity to provide more active support to the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula in the struggle against the Ottoman yoke.
In 1875 an uprising broke out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Soon it spread to the territory of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
In the summer of 1876, Serbia and Montenegro declared war on the Sultan. However, the forces were unequal. The Turkish army brutally suppressed the resistance of the Slavs. Only in Bulgaria, the Turks slaughtered about 30 thousand people.
Serbia was defeated by Turkish troops. The small Montenegrin army took refuge high in the mountains. Without the help of the European powers, and in the first place Russia, the struggle of these peoples was doomed to defeat.
At the first stage of this crisis, the Russian government tried to coordinate its actions with the Western European powers. Wide sections of Russian society demanded that Alexander II take a more decisive position.
Russian Slavic committees of St. Petersburg, Moscow and some other cities were active. The most prominent representatives of the intelligentsia participated in their activities (writer and publicist I.S. Aksakov, literary critic V.V. Stasov, sculptor M.M. Antokolsky, scientists I.I. Mechnikov, D.I. Mendeleev, etc.). The committees were engaged in raising funds for “brothers by blood and faith”, sent Russian volunteers to support the rebellious Serbs, Bulgarians and other Balkan peoples, among whom were doctors N.F. Sklifasovsky and S.P. Botkin, writer G.I. Uspensky, artists V.D. Polenov and K.E. Makovsky.
Given the passivity Western Europe in the Balkan issue and yielding to public pressure, the Russian government in 1876 demanded that the Sultan stop the extermination of the Slavic peoples and make peace with Serbia. However, the Turkish army continued active actions: strangled the uprising in Bosnia and Herzegovina, invaded Bulgaria. In conditions when the Balkan peoples were defeated, and Turkey rejected all proposals for a peaceful settlement, Russia in April 1877 declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The second stage of the Eastern crisis began.
Russia sought to avoid this Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878) because it was poorly prepared. The military reforms that began in the 1960s were not completed. Small arms only 20% corresponded to modern models. The military industry worked poorly, and the army did not have enough shells and other ammunition. Russian military thought was in captivity of the German military doctrine, the father of which was Moltke.
At the same time, there were talented generals M.D. in the Russian army. Skobelev, M.I. Dragomirov, and V. Gurko. The War Department developed a plan for a quick offensive war, as it understood that protracted operations were beyond the strength of the Russian economy and finances. Russia mobilized and signed an agreement with Romania on the passage of Russian troops through its territory.
The plan of the Russian command provided for the end of the war within a few months, so that Europe would not have time to intervene in the course of events. Since Russia did not have a navy on the Black Sea, it was difficult to pass through the eastern regions of Bulgaria (near the coast). Moreover, in this area there were powerful fortresses Silistria, Shumla, Varna, Ruschuk, which formed a quadrangle, in which the main forces of the Turkish army were located, and advancement in this direction threatened the Russian army with protracted battles. It was decided to bypass these fortresses through the central regions of Bulgaria and go to Constantinople through the Shipka Pass.
By the beginning of June 1877, the Russian army, led by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (185 thousand people), concentrated on the left bank of the Danube. She was opposed by approximately equal in number of troops under the command of Abdul-Kerim Pasha. The main part of the armed Turks was in the already indicated quadrangle of fortresses. The main forces of the Russian army concentrated somewhat to the west, near Zimnitsa. The main crossing over the Danube was being prepared there. Even further west, along the river, from Nikopol to Vidin, the Romanian troops (45 thousand people) were located.
In terms of combat training, the Russian army was superior to the Turkish one, but in terms of the quality of weapons it was inferior to the Turks. So, the Turkish army was armed with the latest American and British rifles. The Turkish infantry had more cartridges and trench tools (shovels, picks, etc.). Russian soldiers had to save ammo. An infantryman who used up more than 30 rounds of ammunition (more than half of the cartridge bag) during the battle was threatened with punishment.
On December 24, 1877, Turkey, defeated by Russia, turned to the powers with a request for mediation. Only the British government responded and notified St. Petersburg of this appeal. Answer A.M. Gorchakov said: if the Port wants to end the war, then with a request for a truce, it should apply directly to the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. The granting of a truce was conditional on the preliminary acceptance of the provisions of a future peace treaty.
On January 8, 1878, the Port addressed the Russian commander-in-chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (senior), with a request for a truce. The offensive of the Russian troops developed successfully, so the Russian government was in no hurry with the actual start of negotiations.
England tried to intervene in the negotiations, but Austria-Hungary did not support the belligerent position of the British. The Turkish representatives, who arrived in Kazanlak on January 20, 1878, after listening to the terms of peace, rejected most of the Russian demands. Russian troops continued to rapidly approach the Turkish capital. On January 31, 1878, at Adrianople, the Turks signed an armistice agreement, which included Turkey's consent to the preliminary terms of the peace treaty offered to it.
Austria-Hungary demanded that the terms of the future Russian-Turkish peace be submitted for discussion international conference. After some hesitation, England acceded to this demand. The Russian government did not dare to go into conflict with them. England sent her fleet to the Turkish shores. In response to this, Russian troops stopped 12 km from the Turkish capital, in the town of San Stefano. On February 19 (March 3), 1878, a preliminary (preliminary) peace treaty was signed in San Stefano, which ended the Russian-Turkish war. The contract was signed by Russian representatives - Count N.P. Ignatieva, former ambassador in Constantinople, and the head of the diplomatic office under the commander-in-chief A.I. Nelidov, and from the Turkish side - the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Port of Savfet Pasha and Sadullah Bey.
The Treaty of San Stefano significantly changed the map of the Balkans. A significant part of the Aegean coast was transferred to Bulgaria. Bulgaria became a principality in nominal vassalage to the Sultan, stretching from the Danube and the Black Sea to the Aegean in the south and the Albanian mountains in the west. Turkish troops were deprived of the right to remain within Bulgaria. Within 2 years it was to be occupied by the Russian army. For the patrons of Turkey - British and Austro-Hungarian diplomacy - such a situation seemed unacceptable.
The British government feared that by including Bulgaria in its sphere of influence, Russia would actually become a Mediterranean power. In addition, the new borders of Bulgaria came so close to Constantinople that the straits and the Turkish capital were under constant threat of attack from the Bulgarian bridgehead. In view of this, the San Stefano Treaty met with a negative attitude from England.
Just as little did the San Stefano Treaty meet the interests of Austria-Hungary.
In Reichstadt and in the Budapest Convention of January 15, 1877, it was agreed that there would be no creation of a large Slavic state in the Balkans. In order to finally prevent the formation of such a state, the Constantinople Conference (December 1876) in its project divided Bulgaria into two parts along the meridional direction, and Western Bulgaria was to enter the sphere of Austrian influence. The Russians did not adhere to these projects, as they considered Bulgaria as a single state that would cover a significant part of the Balkan Peninsula.
The Treaty of San Stefano also proclaimed the complete sovereignty of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania, the provision of a port on the Adriatic to Montenegro, and Northern Dobruja to the Romanian principality, the return of Southwestern Bessarabia to Russia, the transfer of Kars, Ardagan, Bayazet and Batum. Serbia and Montenegro had some territorial acquisitions.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, reforms were to be carried out in the interests of the Christian population, as well as in Crete, Epirus and Thessaly. Turkey had to pay Russia an indemnity in the amount of 1 billion 410 million rubles. However most of This amount was covered by territorial concessions from Turkey. The actual payment was 310 million rubles. The question of the straits in San Stefano was not raised by the Russians.
The Treaty of San Stefano, in fact, divided the European and Asian possessions of the Ottoman Empire, which significantly weakened the political and economic power of the Porte and contributed to the further rise of the national liberation struggle of the peoples remaining under its rule. For the lands that gained independence, he opened up opportunities for national, economic and cultural development.
England and Austria-Hungary, with the support of France, demanded the convening of a European congress to discuss the articles of the treaty and, in order to put pressure on Russia, began military preparations. Exhausted by the war, Russia was forced to agree.
The Congress opened on June 13, 1878 in Berlin. It was attended by Russia, England, France, Austria-Hungary, Prussia, Italy and Turkey. Representatives of the Balkan states were admitted to Berlin, but were not members of the congress. Bismarck was the chairman of the congress. Each question brought up for discussion provoked heated debate. On the thirteenth of July, the Congress ended its work with the signing of the Treaty of Berlin, which changed the Treaty of San Stefano. Russia was deprived of a significant part of the fruits of its victory. But the national interests of the Balkan peoples were also flagrantly violated in favor of the political and strategic considerations of England and Austria-Hungary.
The congress deprived the Bulgarian people of the unity that the Treaty of San Stefano had provided them with, and for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkish rule was replaced by Austro-Hungarian. An uprising broke out against the new owners, which was brutally suppressed. The "defenders" of Turkey - England and Austria - captured without a shot: the first - Cyprus, the second - Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, the essence of the Berlin Treaty was reduced to a partial partition of Turkey.
In January 1879, a peace treaty between Russia and Turkey was signed in Constantinople, which established that the articles of the Treaty of San Stefano, repealed or amended in Berlin, were replaced by the terms of the Berlin Treaty. The unamended articles of the Treaty of San Stefano were also finalized.
- Turkey rejected the London Protocol of the Six European Powers, signed on March 31 (19), 1877.
The British Reuters agency reported that a serious threat loomed over the dollar financial system. High-ranking officials in Riyadh are discussing the possibility of using the so-called "nuclear option" against Washington - refusing to use the dollar when paying for Saudi oil if the US passes a law to eliminate OPEC.
The Saudi threat has not yet been voiced or confirmed at the official level, however, high-ranking Reuters sources declare its reality, and Saudi diplomats refused to give an official denial, which can be considered an indirect but very strong argument in favor of the fact that such a scheme of influence on the American authorities and the American financial system is really being considered.
It is worth emphasizing: we have repeatedly written that the main factor that will stop the adoption of the so-called NOPEC bill, which allows the US government to file antitrust lawsuits in US courts against OPEC member countries and countries participating in the OPEC + Russia deal, is the response of "affected "countries from which dollar assets and assets under US jurisdiction will be expropriated.
As the most serious and effective response we mentioned just the attack (or rather, the total dismantling) of the petrodollar system, which is critical for the international status of the US dollar: "The fact is that if this act is adopted and the judicial antimonopoly process begins, which will obviously end in the confiscation of the property of exporting countries oil, the exporting states themselves will immediately "kill" the petrodollar system.
Simply because it will be the only way for them to survive. If any dollar assets are confiscated by the US authorities, who demand in an ultimatum form that they be provided with a politically comfortable price level of $30 per barrel (as Trump does), then the only possible retaliatory measure is an immediate denial of oil supplies to the United States and from work. with dollar.
Such a radical financial restructuring would require effort and would involve serious organizational difficulties, but in this scenario, it is better for exporting countries to lose five percent or even 15% of profits in other currencies than to lose 100% of dollar profits at the moment when American bailiffs freeze them accounts".
This forecast was written in July 2018 and at that time it seemed to some commentators and experts absolutely incredible and too optimistic, because the level of faith of some of our fellow citizens in American omnipotence and the "great dollar" can be envied by any religious fanatic.
Nine months have passed - and now even highly pro-American media such as Reuters are reporting the threat to the petrodollar as a fait accompli: "(Reuters sources) said the option had been discussed domestically by senior Saudi officials in recent months. Two sources confirmed that the plan was discussed with members of OPEC, and one source well-informed about Saudi oil policy said that Riyadh had also reported the threat to senior US officials in the energy sector."
We are witnessing a situation that a few years ago seemed impossible: the country - the leader of the Arab world is not only threatening high-ranking US officials, but is also preparing actions that will cause enormous damage to the US economy.
The thesis about the colossal damage is not a "fantasy of Russian propaganda", but a dry statement of facts as presented by mainstream British journalists and their sources:
"In the unlikely event that the Saudis do drop the dollar, it would undermine its status as the world's primary reserve currency, diminish Washington's influence on world trade, and weaken its ability to impose sanctions on nation states.
"The Saudis know they have the dollar as a 'nuclear option,'" one source familiar with the matter said.
"The Saudis are saying let the Americans pass the NOPEC bill and the US economy will fall apart," another source said.
One can agree with Reuters journalists in their assessment of the low probability of such an event, but not because Riyadh will not have the courage (for Saudi Arabia, abandoning the dollar will be a matter of survival), but because after the "nuclear option", it is unlikely that US senators and congressmen will find the courage to pass the same NOPEC bill that would allow them to rob oil-exporting countries.
However, on the other hand, one can hardly rely on the prudence of American legislators, who are often guided solely by domestic political logic, the desire to get good PR and ideas about the boundless American greatness and omnipotence.
So there is a small chance that Riyadh will have to carry out its threat if US lawmakers and the Trump administration do not heed the voice of reason and the demands of US oil companies opposing the controversial bill.
From the point of view of Russian interests, both options are good.
If a the NOPEC bill will be quietly (or even with a scandal) buried somewhere in the corridors of Congress, the Senate or the White House, then oil prices will receive an additional support factor, and the whole world will see that "holding the petrodollar hostage" is a good tactic to use painful points of the decrepit world hegemon.
If a Washington will follow the principle (which also cannot be ruled out) that if the Saudi threat materializes, the damage caused to the American economy and the dollar financial system will more than compensate for any discomfort that will have to be experienced in the process of transferring all oil trade to alternative currencies. And this is not even to mention the fact that the collapse of the petrodollar will be a unique chance to expand the role of the ruble in energy trade.
Already now you can set important question: and where did Saudi Arabia get such courage in relations with the United States? What makes it possible to ignore Trump's tweets, which demands an immediate reduction in the price of oil, and at the same time threaten the United States with the liquidation of the petrodollar?
Per last years By and large, only one key factor has changed in the world that can perfectly explain these events: Russia has established the export of services to protect against Washington aggression, clearly demonstrating its effectiveness and resilience in Syria. Now everyone who wants to do something that will provoke the wrath of the White House knows that they (if it really benefits Russia) can find an effective defense against enraged American politicians.
The process has just begun, but is already bringing tangible benefits to Russia, such as five trillion rubles earned from the OPEC + Russia deal.
There will definitely be more to come. And if all of a sudden news reports begin to appear about urgent deliveries, for example, of Russian air defense systems to Saudi Arabia, it will be possible to assume that the petrodollar has not just a number of days, but the entire petrodollar system can collapse literally in one day.
Many peoples were liberated from Ottoman rule during the Russian-Turkish wars. Under the reign of Alexander II, independence was granted to a number of Balkan principalities, as well as Bulgaria. The point in the strategic confrontation was set in 1878 in the suburbs of Constantinople - San Stefano.
In our article we will talk about the main milestones of the struggle of the Bulgarian people for independence, the liberation war of 1877-1878, as well as the strong bonds of brotherhood with the Russian Empire.
Anti-Turkish uprisings
In the 70s of the XIX century, a wave of anti-Turkish uprisings swept through the Balkans. The peoples, who had been dreaming of independence for centuries, moved on to the realization of their plans. In 1875, Bosnia and Herzegovina was on fire. Next year liberation war started in Bulgaria. The uprising was brutally suppressed, but the unrest did not subside. The Western powers understood that the solution of the Ottoman question could not be postponed for a long time.
The empire, which existed due to despotic governance and vassal relations, has long been rotten and bursting at the seams.
The major European powers, including Russia, signed an agreement committing Constantinople to reform and grant broad autonomy to the Balkan states. Only England, pursuing its goals in the region, did not agree to a deal. The powder keg of Europe, as the Balkan Peninsula was deservedly called, exploded in 1876. Serbia and Montenegro declared war on the Sultan.
The Russian tsar could not but stand up for the fraternal peoples, mobilization and preparation for war began. At the same time, active work was carried out in the diplomatic direction. They tried to persuade the Sultan to resolve the crisis peacefully. The last attempt to negotiate was made by the European monarchs at a meeting with the Ottoman delegation in London.
However, official Constantinople remained adamant and did not want to make concessions to the Balkan peoples. The next Russian-Turkish war began on April 12, 1877.
Shipka's hold
The Shipka Pass in Bulgaria served as a kind of gate opening the way to the southern part of the country. It was control over this area that played a decisive role in the war with Turkey. In July 1877, Russian troops, who by this time had managed to liberate a significant part of the country, including its capital, launched the main blow in the direction of Shipka.
Our soldiers were actively supported by the Bulgarian militias. The enemy could not resist for a long time and decided to leave the strategic height.
Now the main task was to keep Shipka. Suleiman Pasha sent forces there that outnumbered the Russians dozens of times. Every day, the liberators fought off several enemy attacks. The shelling became more intense every day. The defining date was August 11, 1877. The positions of our troops were engulfed in fire from all sides.
During the day, several powerful attacks by the Circassians, who fought on the side of the Turks, were repulsed. There were attempts to enter from the rear and break through the central section of the pass's defenses. At the cost of numerous sacrifices, the Russians still managed to maintain possession of the height, however, by the evening the positions of the Turks were located at an insignificant distance from our forces. The situation was close to critical.
Reinforcements arrived the next day. The regiment under the command of Major General M.I. Dragomirova occupied the central part of the pass. They also brought provisions and ammunition. In the following days, Turkish troops were driven out from all key positions in the Shipka area. Bloody battles began on the approaches to the pass. A week later, the losses of the joint Russian-Bulgarian troops amounted to about 3.5 thousand people, in turn, the Turks lost 8 thousand soldiers.
In autumn, the active phase of hostilities gave way to positional battles and fortifications on occupied heights. By winter, the weather became a real test: the soldiers died from cold and disease. Nevertheless, this “sitting” made it possible to keep significant forces of the Sultan in this direction, and at the beginning of the next year to make a striking counterattack and reach the Ottoman capital.
Battles for Plevna
One of the most heroic pages in the history of the Russian army was the siege of the Bulgarian city of Plevna, which housed the garrison of Turkish troops. The battles for the fortress were fought from July 1877. The corps of General Schilder-Schuldner attacked the fortified positions of the Turks in the northern direction. The attempt ended in failure, our army lost more than 2 thousand soldiers.
The second attack was led by generals Kridener and Shakhovskoy, the number of troops exceeded 30 thousand people. During fierce battles, they managed to capture two redoubts, but by the evening the Turks had nullified all the military achievements of the Russian troops. In September, the city was already attacked from three sides, the strengthened troops could already oppose the Ottoman general with about 100 thousand people. The Turks resisted fiercely.
It was possible to put the squeeze on an uncompromising opponent only at the end of November. The Ottomans made a sortie in order to take out the wounded and stock up on food and ammunition. The first line of the Russians managed to break through, but in the subsequent battle it was not in favor of the Turks. In the end, the city was occupied, and almost 40 thousand soldiers of the Turkish Pasha were captured. The city resisted for 143 days, and it cost the Russian army incredible efforts to capture it. After this victory, the strategic advantage passed to Russia, the outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion.
Peace treaty and aftermath of the war
The historical document was signed near Constantinople in the town of San Stefano. This happened on February 19, 1878. The effective part of the peace treaty confirmed the right of Serbia and Montenegro to full independence. Bulgaria received full autonomy, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Part of Bessarabia returned to the Russian Empire, a number of fortresses in the Caucasus passed. The Turks were obliged to pay a huge indemnity.
The strengthening of Russia's position did not suit the major European powers. Diplomatic pressure on Petersburg followed, which could have escalated into a full-fledged war. The Russian army was not able to conduct the second campaign in a row, especially against the troops of the formed coalition. I had to agree to a revision of the terms of the peace treaty.
There was a discussion in Berlin about a new world order. As a result, the balance of power in the region has changed somewhat. The territory of one of Russia's main allies in the war - Bulgaria - was significantly reduced, the British occupied the island of Cyprus, and Austria-Hungary received the right to occupy the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia retained almost all territorial acquisitions.
The victory of Russian weapons in the war of 1877-1878 once again allowed the Empire to secure the status of one of the leading world powers. This success also allowed Russia to rehabilitate itself after the failed Crimean War and expand its influence in southeastern Europe. The fraternal peoples of Bulgaria and the Balkan principalities were able to throw off the fetters of the centuries-old Turkish yoke.
In early March, Bulgaria celebrates the liberation from the Ottoman yoke. For almost five centuries, the Christian country was under the yoke of Muslim laws and paid tribute to the Ottoman Empire not only in gold and food, but also in live goods. Every fifth boy from the family climbed into the barracks and was brought up as a Janissary. Temples and churches were no longer built, monasteries were preserved only in remote mountainous regions. The policy of Islamization, actively pursued by the Porte in the territory of the Bulgarian Principality and other Balkan countries, led to the establishment of Christianity as the main enemy of the invaders. Many Orthodox died, refusing to change the faith of their ancestors. In those days, to accept Islam meant treason to the Motherland.
Ottoman policy in the Balkans
The tightening of policy towards Christian countries and the increase in taxes led to mass uprisings among the local population. But the more weakened the Brilliant Porte, the more bloodily pacified the popular unrest and riots. The uprisings in 1875-1876 in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Bulgaria were suppressed with such cruelty that even Western countries, willingly providing military support to the Ottomans in the fight against Russia ( Crimean War), tried to force Porto to equalize the rights of Christians with the Muslim population. However, this did not bring any result, all the signed decrees remained only on paper, and in fact the Orthodox residents remained as disenfranchised as they were.
Preparation and entry of Russia into the war of 1876-1878
After such anti-Christian persecutions, public opinion in Western countries, and even more so in Russia, was completely on the side of the Balkan Slavs. Alexander II and the government decided to start a war with Turkey in order to protect our Slavic brothers. Of course, the state expected that the liberated countries would strengthen our influence in the international arena and allow us to resist the Western coalition of states. Conducted military reform allowed to hope for revenge after the defeat in the Crimean War.
The company had to be carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible so that the West would not come to its senses and defect to the side of the Porte. At this stage, Russia was supported in the international arena by Prussia, and the enemy, as usual, was Great Britain. By refusing to follow the recommendations of their Western partners, the Porte was unable at that time to receive support from the Western coalition. This fatal mistake Ottoman Empire and gave Russia the opportunity to start and conduct a military campaign to liberate the Balkan peoples from the Muslim yoke.
Liberation of the Balkans
The course of the offensive of the Russian troops was accompanied by examples of the heroic behavior of soldiers and officers. Some of his contemporaries compared the passage through the Balkans with Suvorov's campaign through the Alps. The crossing of the Danube, the defense of Shipka, the capture of Plevna and the crossing of the Balkans are inscribed in bloody letters in the history of Russia and the Balkan peoples.
And when the complete victory was already close and our troops approached Erzurum, where the remnants of the Turkish army were hiding, the Western partners woke up and imposed peace on us under the terms of the San Stefanov Treaty, where Turkey paid Russia a large indemnity in gold, recognized some territorial claims and gave independence Bulgaria, Romania and Montenegro. To secure this peace and stop the Russian soldiers from marching on Constantinople, the Western powers flooded the Mediterranean with their warships.
The Russian-Turkish war of 1876-1878 gave independence to the Balkan peoples, sacrificing almost two hundred thousand Russian soldiers. Some Bulgarian historians call it the most honest and noble war, if such words are appropriate in relation to the war. After release Balkan countries rushed under the wing to the more developed countries of Europe, and Russia got only part of Bessarabia, although under the terms of the San Stefano Treaty, territorial acquisitions were more extensive. But the Western coalition, extremely dissatisfied with the victory of such a strong enemy, convened the treacherous Berlin Congress, where many achievements of the San Stefano Treaty were canceled. But that's another story.
celebration
"Bulgarian, kneel
in front of the Holy Grave
here lies the Russian Warrior,
who gave his life for our freedom"
The day of the conclusion of the Treaty of San Stefano is considered the day of the liberation of Bulgaria. This big national holiday is marked as a red day of the calendar. Holidays in Bulgaria are celebrated on a grand scale: mass processions are held on this day, politicians congratulate residents, events are opened that acquaint residents with the history of the country.
A prayer service is served in memory of the dead Russian soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkish slavery. A solemn memorial service is held in the church of St. Alexander Nevsky, built in the 19th century. Throughout the country there are more than 400 monuments to Russian soldiers, to which flowers and wreaths are laid on this day.
On March 3, wreaths are solemnly laid at the Freedom Monument, erected in honor of the Russian soldiers who defended Shipka. This memorial was erected on the highest mountain of the Shipka Pass, where a handful of Russian soldiers and Bulgarian partisans held for a month many times superior enemy forces under constant artillery fire, so as not to let Turkish troops into Northern Bulgaria. This mountain was named Stoletova in honor of the Russian general who led the defense.
