name	Simeon I the Great
title	Tsar of the Bulgarians and the Romans
reign	893 – 27 May 927
predecessor	Vladimir
successor	Peter I
consort	two, names unknown
issue	''see below''
father	Boris I
mother	Maria
birth date	864/865
death date	May 27, 927

Simeon (also Symeon) I the Great (, transliterated ''Simeon I Veliki'' ) ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe. His reign was also a period of unmatched cultural prosperity and enlightenment later deemed the Golden Age of Bulgarian culture.

During Simeon's rule, Bulgaria spread over a territory between the Aegean, the Adriatic and the Black Sea, and the new Bulgarian capital Preslav was said to rival Constantinople. The newly independent Bulgarian Orthodox Church became the first new patriarchate besides the Pentarchy, and Bulgarian Glagolitic translations of Christian texts spread all over the Slavic world of the time. Halfway through his reign, Simeon assumed the title of Emperor (''Tsar''), having prior to that been styled Prince (''Knyaz'').

Biography

Background and early life

Simeon was born in 864 or 865, as the third son of Knyaz Boris I of Krum's dynasty. As Boris was the ruler who Christianized Bulgaria in 865, Simeon was a Christian all his life. Because his eldest brother Vladimir was designated heir to the Bulgarian throne, Boris intended Simeon to become a high-ranking cleric, possibly Bulgarian archbishop, and sent him to the leading University of Constantinople to receive theological education when he was thirteen or fourteen. He took the Hebrew name Simeon as a novice in a monastery in Constantinople. During the decade (ca. 878–888) he spent in the Byzantine capital, he received excellent education and studied the rhetoric of Demosthenes and Aristotle. He also learned fluent Greek, to the extent that he was referred to as "the half-Greek" in Byzantine chronicles. He is speculated to have been tutored by Patriarch Photios I of Constantinople, but this is not supported by any source.

Around 888, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and settled at the newly established royal monastery of Preslav "at the mouth of the Tiča", where, under the guidance of Naum of Preslav, he engaged in active translation of important religious works from Greek to Old Church Slavonic (Old Bulgarian), aided by other students from Constantinople. Meanwhile, Vladimir had succeeded Boris, who had retreated to a monastery, as ruler of Bulgaria. Vladimir attempted to reintroduce paganism in the empire and possibly signed an anti-Byzantine pact with Arnulf of Carinthia, forcing Boris to re-enter political life. Boris had Vladimir imprisoned and blinded, and then appointed Simeon as the new ruler. This was done at an assembly in Preslav which also proclaimed Bulgarian as the only language of state and church and moved the Bulgarian capital from Pliska to Preslav, to better cement the recent conversion. It is not known why Boris did not place his second son, Gavril, on the throne, but instead preferred Simeon.

Trade War with Byzantium and Magyar invasions

With Simeon on the throne, the long-lasting peace with the Byzantine Empire established by his father was about to end. A conflict arose when Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise, allegedly acting under pressure from his mistress Zoe Zaoutzaina and her father Stylianos Zaoutzes, moved the marketplace for Bulgarian goods from Constantinople to Thessaloniki, where the Bulgarian merchants were heavily taxed. The Bulgarians sought protection by Simeon, who in turn complained to Leo. However, the Byzantine emperor ignored his embassy.

Forced to take action, in the autumn of 894 Simeon invaded the Byzantine Empire from the north, meeting with little opposition due to the concentration of most Byzantine forces in eastern Anatolia to counter Arab invasions. Informed of the Bulgarian offensive, the surprised Leo sent an army consisting of guardsmen and other military units from the capital to halt Simeon, but his troops were routed somewhere in the theme of Macedonia. The Bulgarians took most of the Khazar mercenary guardsmen prisoners and killed many archons, including the army's commander. However, instead of continuing his advance to the Byzantine capital, Simeon quickly withdrew his troops to face a Magyar invasion from the north. These events were later called "the first trade war in medieval Europe" by Bulgarian historians.

Unable to effectively respond to the Bulgarian campaign due to the engagement of their forces against the Arabs, the Byzantines convinced the Magyars to attack Bulgaria, promising to transport them across the Danube using the Byzantine navy. Leo VI may have also concluded an agreement with Arnulf to make sure that the Franks did not support Simeon against the Magyars. In addition, the talented commander Nikephoros Phokas was called back from Italy to lead a separate army against Bulgaria in 895 with the mere intention to overawe the Bulgarians. Simeon, unaware of the threat from the north, rushed to meet Phokas' forces, but the two armies did not engage in a fight. Instead, the Byzantines offered peace, informing him of both the Byzantine foot and maritime campaign, but intentionally did not notify him of the planned Magyar attack. Simeon did not trust the envoy and, after sending him to prison, ordered the Byzantine navy's route into the Danube closed off with ropes and chains, intending to hold it until he had dealt with Phokas.

Despite the problems they encountered because of the fencing, the Byzantines ultimately managed to ferry the Magyar forces led by Árpád's son Liüntika across the Danube, possibly near modern Galaţi, and assisted them in pillaging the nearby Bulgarian lands. Once notified of the surprise invasion, Simeon headed north to stop the Magyars, leaving some of his troops at the southern border to prevent a possible attack by Phokas. Simeon's two encounters with the enemy in Northern Dobruja resulted in Magyar victories, forcing him to retreat to Drǎstǎr. After pillaging much of Bulgaria and reaching Preslav, the Magyars returned to their lands, but not before Simeon had concluded an armistice with Byzantium towards the summer of 895.

Anti-Magyar campaign and further wars with Byzantium

[[Image:Skylitzeshungarosvencenabulgarosdesimeon.jpg|300px|thumb|left| Simeon I's army defeating the Byzantines, led by Procopius Crenites and Curtacius the Armenian in Macedonia. From the Madrid Skylitzes. ]]

Having dealt with the pressure from the Magyars and the Byzantines, Simeon was free to plan a campaign against the Magyars looking for retribution. He negotiated a joint force with the Magyars' eastern neighbours, the Pechenegs, and imprisoned the Byzantine envoy Leo Choirosphaktes in order to delay the release of the captives until after the campaign against the Magyars. This would allow him to renegotiate the peace conditions in his favour. In an exchange of letters with the envoy, Simeon refused to release the captives and ridiculed Leo VI's astrological abilities.

Using a Magyar invasion in the lands of the neighbouring Slavs in 896 as a ''casus belli'', Simeon headed against the Magyars together with his Pecheneg allies, defeating them completely in the Battle of Southern Buh and making them leave Etelköz forever and settle in Pannonia. Following the defeat of the Magyars, Simeon finally released the Byzantine prisoners in exchange for Bulgarians captured in 895.

Claiming that not all prisoners had been released, He was met in Thrace by a hastily assembled Byzantine army, but annihilated the Byzantine forces in the Battle of Bulgarophygon (at modern Babaeski, Turkey). Arming Arab captives and sending them to fight with the Bulgarians as a desperate measure, Leo VI managed to repel the Bulgarians from Constantinople, which they had besieged. The war ended with a peace treaty which formally lasted until around Leo VI's death in 912 and under which Byzantium was obliged to pay Bulgaria an annual tribute. Under the treaty, the Byzantines also ceded an area between the Black Sea and Strandža to the Bulgarian Empire. Meanwhile, Simeon had also imposed his authority over Serbia in return for recognizing Petar Gojniković as their ruler.

Simeon often violated the peace treaty with Byzantium, attacking and conquering Byzantine territory on several occasions, such as in 904, when the Bulgarian raids were used by Arabs led by the Byzantine renegade Leo of Tripoli to undertake a maritime campaign and seize Thessaloniki. After the Arabs plundered the city, it was an easy target for Bulgaria and the nearby Slavic tribes. In order to dissuade Simeon from capturing the city and populating it with Slavs, Leo VI was forced to make further territorial concessions to the Bulgarians in the modern region of Macedonia. With the treaty of 904, all Slavic-inhabited lands in modern southern Macedonia and southern Albania were ceded to the Bulgarian Empire, with the border line running some 20 kilometres north of Thessaloniki.

Recognition as Emperor

The death of Leo VI on 11 May 912 and the accession of his infant son Constantine VII under the guidance of Leo's brother Alexander, who expelled Leo's wife Zoe from the palace, constituted a great opportunity for Simeon to attempt another campaign against Constantinople, the conquest of which remained the dream of his life. In the spring of 913, Simeon's envoys, which had arrived in Constantinople to renew the peace of 896, were sent away by Alexander, who refused to pay the annual tribute, urging Simeon to prepare for war.

Before Simeon could attack, Alexander died on 6 June 913, leaving the empire in the hands of a regency council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos. Many of the residents of Constantinople did not recognize the young emperor and supported the pretender Constantine Doukas, which, exacerbated by revolts in southern Italy and the planned Arab invasion in eastern Anatolia, was all to Simeon's advantage. Nicholas Mystikos tried to discourage Simeon from invading Byzantium in a long series of pleading letters, but the Bulgarian ruler nevertheless attacked in full force in late July or August 913 and reached Constantinople without any serious resistance.

However, the anarchy in Constantinople had ceased after the murder of the pretender Constantine Doukas and a government had promptly been formed with Patriarch Nicholas at the helm. This urged Simeon to raise his siege and enter peace negotiations, to the joy of the Byzantines. The protracted negotiations resulted in the payment of the Byzantine tribute's arrears, the promise that Constantine VII should marry one of Simeon's daughters and, most importantly, Simeon's official recognition as Emperor of the Bulgarians by Patriarch Nicholas in the Blachernai Palace.

Shortly after Simeon's visit to Constantinople, Constantine's mother Zoe returned to the palace on the insistence of the young emperor and immediately proceeded to eliminate the regents. Through a plot, she managed to assume power in February 914, practically removing Patriarch Nicholas from the government, disowning and obscuring his recognition of Simeon's imperial title and rejecting the planned marriage of her son to one of Simeon's daughters. Simeon had to resort to war to achieve his goals. He invaded Thrace in the summer of 914 and captured Adrianople. Zoe was quick to send Simeon numerous presents in order to conciliate him and managed to convince him to cede back Adrianople and withdraw his army. In the following years, Simeon's forces were engaged in the northwestern Byzantine provinces, around Drač (Durrës) and Thessaloniki, but did not make a move against Constantinople.

Victories at Acheloos and Katasyrtai

By 917, Simeon was preparing for yet another war against Byzantium. He attempted to conclude an anti-Byzantine union with the Pechenegs, but his envoys could not match the financial resources of the Byzantines, who succeeded in outbidding them. The Byzantines hatched a large-scale campaign against Bulgaria and also tried to persuade the Serbian Prince Petar Gojniković to attack the Bulgarians with Magyar support.

In 917, a particularly strong Byzantine army led by Leo Phokas the Elder, son of Nikephoros Phokas, invaded Bulgaria accompanied by the Byzantine navy under the command of Romanos Lekapenos, which sailed to the Bulgarian Black Sea ports. En route to Mesembria (Nesebǎr), where they were supposed to be reinforced by troops transported by the navy, Phokas' forces stopped to rest near the river of Acheloos, not far from the port of Anchialos (Pomorie). Once informed of the invasion, Simeon rushed to intercept the Byzantines, and attacked them from the nearby hills while they were resting disorganized. In the Battle of Acheloos of 20 August 917, one of the largest in medieval history, the Bulgarians completely routed the Byzantines and killed many of their commanders, although Phokas managed to escape to Mesembria. Decades later, Leo the Deacon would write that "piles of bones can still be seen today at the river Acheloos, where the fleeing army of the Byzantines was then infamously slain".

The planned Pecheneg attack from the north also failed, as the Pechenegs quarrelled with admiral Lekapenos, who refused to transport them across the Danube to aid the main Byzantine army. The Byzantines were not aided by Serbs and Magyars either: the Magyars were engaged in Western Europe as Frankish allies, and the Serbs under Petar Gojniković were reluctant to attack Bulgaria because Michael of Zahumlje, an ally of Bulgaria, had notified Simeon of their plans.

Simeon's army quickly followed up the victory of Acheloos with another success. The Bulgarians sent to pursuit the remnants of the Byzantine army approached Constantinople and encountered Byzantine forces under Leo Phokas, who had returned to the capital, at the village of Katasyrtai in the immediate proximity of Constantinople. The Bulgarian regiments attacked and again defeated the Byzantines, destroying some of their last units before returning to Bulgaria.

Suppression of Serbian unrest and late campaigns against Byzantium

Immediately after that campaign, Simeon sought to punish the Serbian ruler Petar Gojniković who had attempted to betray him by concluding an alliance with the Byzantines. Simeon sent an army led by two of his commanders, Theodore Sigrica and Marmais, to Serbia. The two managed to persuade Petar to attend a personal meeting, during which he was enchained and carried off to Bulgaria, where he died in a dungeon. Simeon put Pavle Branović, prior to that an exile in Bulgaria, on the Serbian throne, thus restoring the Bulgarian influence in Serbia for a while.

Meanwhile, the Byzantine military failures forced another change of government in Constantinople: the admiral Romanos Lekapenos replaced Zoe as regent of the young Constantine VII in 919, forcing her back into a convent. Romanos betrothed his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine and advanced to the rank of co-emperor in December 920, effectively assuming the government of the empire, which was largely what Simeon had planned to do.

No longer able to climb to the Byzantine throne by diplomatic means, the infuriated Simeon once again had to wage war to impose his will. Between 920 and 922, Bulgaria increased its pressure on Byzantium, campaigning in the west through Thessaly reaching the Isthmus of Corinth and in the east in Thrace, reaching and crossing the Dardanelles to lay siege on the town of Lampsacus. Simeon's forces appeared before Constantinople in 921, when they demanded the deposition of Romanos and captured Adrianople, and 922, when they were victorious at Pigae, burned much of the Golden Horn and seized Bizye. In the meantime, the Byzantines attempted to ignite Serbia against Simeon, but he substituted Pavle with Zaharije Pribisavljević, a former refugee at Constantinople that he had captured.

Desperate to conquer Constantinople, Simeon planned a large campaign in 924 and sent envoys to the Fatimid caliph Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah, who possessed a powerful navy which Simeon needed. The caliph agreed and sent his own representatives back with the Bulgarians to arrange the alliance. However, the envoys were captured by the Byzantines at Calabria. Romanos offered peace to the Arabs, supplementing this offer with generous gifts, and ruined their union with Bulgaria.

In Serbia, Zaharije was persuaded by the Byzantines to revolt against Simeon. Zaharije was supported by many Bulgarians exhausted from Simeon's endless campaigns against Byzantium. The Bulgarian emperor sent his troops under Sigrica and Marmais, but they were routed and the two commanders beheaded, which forced Simeon to conclude an armistice with Byzantium in order to concentrate on the suppression of the uprising. Simeon sent an army led by Časlav Klonimirović in 924 to depose Zaharije. He was successful, as Zaharije fled to Croatia. After this victory, the Serbian nobility was invited to come to Bulgaria and bow to the new Prince. However, he did not appear at the supposed meeting and all of them were beheaded. Bulgaria annexed Serbia directly.

In the summer of 924, Simeon nevertheless arrived at Constantinople and demanded to see the patriarch and the emperor. He conversed with Romanos on the Golden Horn on 9 September 924 and arranged a truce, according to which Byzantium would pay Bulgaria an annual tax, but would be ceded back some cities on the Black Sea coast. During the interview of the two monarchs, two eagles are said to have met in the skies above and then to have parted, one of them flying over Constantinople and the other heading to Thrace, as a sign of the irreconcilability of the two rulers. In his description of this meeting, Theophanes Continuatus mentions that "the two ''emperors''… conversed", which may indicate renewed Byzantine recognition of Simeon's imperial claims.

War with Croatia and death

Most likely after (or possibly at the time of) Patriarch Nicholas' death in 925, Simeon raised the status of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to a patriarchate. This may be linked to Simeon's diplomatic relations with the Papacy between 924 and 926, during which he demanded and received Pope John X's recognition of his title as "Emperor of the Romans", truly equal to the Byzantine emperor, and possibly the confirmation of a patriarchal dignity for the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

In 926, Simeon's troops under Alogobotur invaded Croatia, at the time a Byzantine ally, but were completely defeated by the army of King Tomislav in the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands. Fearing a Bulgarian retribution, Tomislav accepted to abandon his union with Byzantium and make peace on the basis of the ''status quo'', negotiated by the papal legate Madalbert. In the last months of his life, Simeon prepared for another siege of Constantinople despite Romanos' desperate pleas for peace.

On 27 May 927, Simeon died of heart failure in his palace in Preslav. Byzantine chroniclers tie his death to a legend, according to which Romanos decapitated a statue which was Simeon's inanimate double, and he died at that very hour.

He was succeeded by his son Peter I, with George Sursuvul, the new emperor's maternal uncle, initially acting as a regent. As part of the peace treaty which Bulgaria and Byzantium signed in October 927 and Peter's marriage to Maria (Eirene), Romanos' granddaughter, the existing borders were confirmed, as were the Bulgarian ruler's imperial dignity and the head of the Bulgarian Church's patriarchal status.

Culture and religion

During Simeon's reign, Bulgaria reached its cultural apogee, becoming the literary and spiritual centre of Slavic Europe. In this respect, Simeon continued his father Boris' policy of establishing and spreading Slavic culture and attracting noted scholars and writers within Bulgaria's borders. It was in the Preslav Literary School and Ohrid Literary School, founded under Boris, that the main literary work in Bulgaria was concentrated during the reign of Simeon.

The late 9th and early 10th century constitute the earliest and most productive period of medieval Bulgarian literature. Having spent his early years in Constantinople, Simeon introduced Byzantine culture to the Bulgarian court, but eliminated its assimilative effect by means of military power and religious autonomy. The disciples of Cyril and Methodius, among whom Clement of Ohrid, Naum and Constantine of Preslav, continued their educational work in Bulgaria, actively translating Christian texts, such as the Bible and the works of John Chrysostom, Basil of Caesarea, Cyril of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, Athanasius of Alexandria, as well as historic chronicles such as these of John Malalas and George Hamartolus, to Bulgarian. The reign of Simeon also witnessed the production of a number of original theological and secular works, such as John Exarch's ''Six Days'' (''Šestodnev''), Constantine of Preslav's ''Alphabetical Prayer'' and ''Proclamation of the Holy Gospels'', and Černorizec Hrabǎr's ''An Account of Letters''. Simeon's own contribution to this literary blossoming was praised by his contemporaries, for example in the ''Praise to Tsar Simeon'' preserved in the ''Zlatostruj'' collection and ''Simeon's Collection'', to which the tsar personally wrote an addendum.

Simeon turned the new Bulgarian capital Preslav into a magnificent religious and cultural centre, intended more as a display of his realm's heyday and as a royal residence than as a military fortress. With its more than twenty cross-domed churches and numerous monasteries, its impressive royal palace and the Golden (or Round) Church, Preslav was a true imperial capital. The development of Bulgarian art in the period is demonstrated by a ceramic icon of Theodore of Amasea and the Preslav-style illustrated ceramics.

Family

Simeon was married twice. By his first wife, whose identity is unknown, Simeon had a son called Michael, who was born before 913. He was excluded from the succession in 927 and sent to a monastery. He died in 931, shortly after organizing a revolt.

By his second wife, the daughter of the influential noble George Sursuvul, he had three sons: Peter, who succeeded as Emperor of Bulgaria in 927 and ruled until 969; Ivan, who rebelled against Peter in 928 and then fled to Byzantium; and Benjamin (Bajan), who, according to Lombard historian Liutprand of Cremona, "possessed the power to transform himself suddenly into a wolf or other strange animal".

Simeon also had several daughters, including one who was arranged to marry Constantine VII in 913, and was thus born before that date. The marriage was annulled by Constantine's mother Zoe once she had returned to the court.

Legacy and popular culture

Tsar Simeon I has remained among the most highly valued Bulgarian historical figures, as indicated by popular vote in the ''Velikite Bǎlgari'' (a spin-off of ''100 Greatest Britons'') television programme, which in February 2007 placed him fourth among the greatest Bulgarians ever. The last Bulgarian monarch, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was named after Simeon I. A brand of high-quality grape rakija, ''Car Simeon Veliki'', also bears his name, and an Antarctic peak on Livingston Island of the South Shetland Islands was named Simeon Peak in his honour by the Antarctic Place-names Commission.

Simeon the Great has also been regularly featured in fiction. Bulgarian national writer Ivan Vazov dedicated a children's patriotic poem to him, "Car Simeon", and it was later arranged as a song, "Kraj Bosfora šum se vdiga" ("A Clamor Rises by the Bosphorus"). An eleven-episode drama series filmed in 1984, ''Zlatnijat vek'' (''Golden Age''), retells the story of Simeon's reign. In the series, the tsar is played by Marius Donkin. A historical drama play called ''Car Simeon — Zlatnijat vek'' and produced by Stefan Stajčev, director of the Silistra Theatre, debuted in December 2006. Ivan Samokovliev stars in the part of Simeon.

The painting, "The Bulgarian Tsar Simeon" is part of the 20-canvas work by Alfons Mucha, ''The Slav Epic''.

Timeline

Footnotes

References

External links

''The Realm of War and the Realm of Peace'', an article by Georgi Todorov "Noise Is Being Made Near the Bosphorus", lyrics

OrdoSimeoni, Order of Simeon the Great

Category:860s births Category:927 deaths Category:9th-century Bulgarian monarchs Category:10th-century Bulgarian emperors Category:Orthodox monarchs Category:Bulgarian people of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars

an:Simeón I de Bulgaria bg:Симеон I bs:Simeon I cs:Symeon I. cy:Simeon I, ymerawdwr Bwlgaria da:Simeon 1. af Bulgarien de:Simeon I. (Bulgarien) el:Συμεών Α΄ της Βουλγαρίας es:Simeón I de Bulgaria fa:سیمون fr:Siméon Ier de Bulgarie ko:시메온 1세 hr:Simeon id:Simeon I dari Bulgaria it:Simeone I il Grande ka:სიმეონ I (ბულგარეთი) hu:I. Simeon bolgár cár mk:Симеон I nl:Simeon I van Bulgarije ja:シメオン1世 no:Simeon I av Bulgaria pl:Symeon I pt:Simão I da Bulgária ro:Simeon I ru:Симеон I sk:Simeon I. (Bulharsko) cu:Сѷмєѡнъ А҃ Вєликъ sr:Симеон I sh:Simeon I fi:Simeon I Suuri sv:Simeon I av Bulgarien tr:I. Simeon uk:Симеон (цар Болгарії) vi:Simeon I của Bulgaria zh:西美昂一世

Native name
Conventional long name	Republic of Bulgaria
Common name	Bulgaria
Image coat	Coat of arms of Bulgaria.svg
Map caption
National motto	Съединението прави силатаUnity makes strength
National anthem	File:Mila Rodino instrumental.ogg''Mila Rodino''"Dear Motherland"
Official languages	Bulgarian
Capital	Sofia (''София'')
Largest city	capital
Government type	Parliamentary democracy
Leader title1	President
Leader name1	Rosen Plevneliev
Leader title2	Prime Minister
Leader name2	Boyko Borisov
Legislature	National Assembly
Ethnic groups	84.8% Bulgarians8.8% Turks4.9% Roma1.5% others
Ethnic groups year	2011
Sovereignty type	Formation
Established event1	First Bulgarian Empire
Established date1	681
Established event2	Principality of Bulgaria
Established date2	3 March 1878
Established event3	Kingdom of Bulgaria
Established date3	22 September 1908
Accessioneudate	1 January 2007
Area rank	105th
Area magnitude	1 E11
Area km2	110,994
Area sq mi	42823
Percent water	0.3
Population census	7,364,570
Population census year	2011
Population census rank	98th
Population density rank	96th
Population density km2	66.2
Population density sq mi	171
Population density rank	139th
Gdp ppp year	2011
Gdp ppp	$101.036 billion
Gdp ppp rank	66th
Gdp ppp per capita	$13,597
Gdp ppp per capita rank	68th
Gdp nominal	$53.514 billion
Gdp nominal rank	72th
Gdp nominal year	2011
Gdp nominal per capita	$7,202
Gdp nominal per capita rank	74th
Gini	28.2
Gini year	2007
Gini category	low
Hdi year	2011
Hdi	0.771
Hdi rank	55th
Hdi category	high
Currency	Lev
Currency code	BGN
Country code	bg
Time zone	EET
Utc offset	+2
Time zone dst	EEST
Utc offset dst	+3
Demonym	Bulgarian
Drives on	right
Cctld	.bg
Calling code	359
Footnote6	}}

Bulgaria (, ), is a parliamentary republic in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of , Bulgaria ranks as Europe's 14th-largest country. Bulgaria's location has defined it as a historical crossroad for various civilisations and as such it is the home of some of the world's most ancient cultural artifacts.

Prehistoric cultures began developing on Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history was marked by the presence of the Thracians, and later by the Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian ethnicity and state dates back to the First Bulgarian Empire, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavic peoples during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five hundred years. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 resulted in the Third Bulgarian State, recognised in 1908. The following years were marked by several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to ally with Germany in both World Wars. In 1946 it became a communist republic with a single-party system until 1989, when the Communist Party allowed multi-party elections. After 1990 Bulgaria transitioned to democracy and a market-based economy.

The population of 7.36 million people is predominantly urban and mainly concentrated in the administrative centres of its 28 provinces. Most commercial and cultural activities are concentrated in the capital Sofia. The strongest sectors of the economy are heavy industry, power engineering and agriculture, all relying on local natural resources. The current political structure dates to the adoption of a democratic constitution in 1991. A free country, Bulgaria is a unitary state with a high degree of political, administrative and economic centralisation. It is a member of the European Union, NATO and the Council of Europe, a founding state of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and has taken a seat at the UN Security Council three times.

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Prehistoric cultures in Bulgarian lands include the Neolithic Hamangia culture, Vinča culture and the eneolithic Varna culture (fifth millennium BC). The Varna Necropolis offers insights for understanding the social hierarchy of the earliest European societies.

The earliest and one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians were the Thracians, who populated various tribes until king Teres united most of them in the Odrysian kingdom around 500 BC. They were eventually subjugated by Alexander the Great in the 4th century and later by the Roman Empire in 46 AD. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the easternmost South Slavs gradually settled on the territory of modern Bulgaria during the 6th century, assimilating the Hellenised or Romanised Thracians. Eventually the élite of the Central Asian Bulgars incorporated them into a new state which formed upon khan Asparukh's arrival in the Balkans.

First Bulgarian Empire

Asparukh, son of Old Great Bulgaria's khan Kubrat, migrated with several Bulgar tribes to the lower courses of the rivers Danube, Dniester and Dniepr. After 670, he expanded his kingdom into the Balkan Peninsula by leading a horde of 50,000 across the Danube and severed Moesia and Scythia Minor (Dobruja) from the Byzantine Empire. The local south Slavic language was gradually adopted by the advancing Bulgars, who preserved dominance over the Slavic majority. A peace treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of a permanent capital at Pliska south of the Danube marked the beginning of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Succeeding khans strengthened the Bulgarian state throughout the 8th and 9th centuries—Tervel established Bulgaria as a major military power by defeating a 26,000-strong Arab army during the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople. Krum doubled the country's territory, killed Byzantine emperor Nicephorus I in the Battle of Pliska, and introduced the first written code of law. Then in 864 Boris I abolished Tengriism in favour of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and introduced the Cyrillic alphabet. Simeon the Great's 34-year rule began in 893 and saw the largest territorial expansion of Bulgaria, along with a golden age of Bulgarian culture.

Wars with Croatians, Magyars, Pechenegs and Serbs and the spread of the Bogomil heresy weakened Bulgaria after Simeon's death. Two consecutive Rus' and Byzantine invasions resulted in the seizure of the capital Preslav by the Byzantine army in 971. Under Samuil, Bulgaria somewhat recovered from these attacks and managed to conquer Serbia and Albania, but this rise ended when Byzantine emperor Basil II defeated the Bulgarian army at Klyuch in 1014. Samuil died shortly after the battle, and by 1018 the Byzantines had ended the First Bulgarian Empire.

Second Bulgarian Empire

After his conquest of Bulgaria, Basil II prevented revolts and discontent by retaining the rule of the local nobility and recognising the autocephaly of the Archbishopric of Ohrid. After his death Byzantine domestic policies changed and a series of unsuccessful rebellions broke out, the largest being led by Peter Delyan. In 1185 Asen dynasty nobles Ivan Asen I and Peter IV organised a major uprising which resulted in the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state. Ivan Asen and Peter laid the foundations of the Second Bulgarian Empire with Tarnovo as a capital.

Kaloyan, the third of the Asen monarchs, extended his dominion to Belgrade and Ohrid. He acknowledged the spiritual supremacy of the Pope and received a royal crown from a papal legate. The empire reached its zenith under Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), when commerce and culture flourished. The strong economic and religious influence of Tarnovo made it a "Third Rome", unlike the already declining Constantinople.

The country's military and economic might declined after the Asen dynasty ended in 1257, facing internal conflicts, constant Byzantine and Hungarian attacks and Mongol domination. By the end of the 14th century, factional divisions between the feudal landlords and the spread of Bogomilism had caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to split into three tsardoms—Vidin, Tarnovo and Karvuna—and several semi-independent principalities that fought each other, along with Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, Venetians and Genoese. By the late 14th century the Ottoman Turks had started their conquest of Bulgaria and had taken most towns and fortresses south of the Balkan mountains.

Ottoman rule

Tarnovo was captured by the Ottomans after a three-month siege in 1393. After the Battle of Nicopolis and the fall of the Vidin Tsardom three years later, the Ottomans conquered all Bulgarian lands south of the Danube. Under the Ottoman system, Bulgarians were considered an inferior class of people and were subjected to heavy taxes; Bulgarian culture was suppressed and the educated clergy fled to other countries. The nobility was eliminated, the peasantry was enserfed to Ottoman masters, and the population lost its national consciousness.

Throughout the nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule, the Bulgarian people attempted to re-establish their state by organising several revolts, most notably the First (1598) and Second Tarnovo Uprisings (1686) and Karposh's Rebellion (1689). In the 18th century, the Enlightenment in Western Europe provided influence for the initiation of a movement known as the National awakening of Bulgaria. It restored national consciousness and became a key factor in the liberation struggle, resulting in the 1876 April Uprising. Up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion. The massacres prompted the Great Powers to take action. They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876, but their decisions were rejected by the Ottomans. This allowed the Russian Empire to seek a solution by force without risking military confrontation with other Great Powers, as had happened in the Crimean War. In 1877 Russia declared war on the Ottoman empire and defeated its forces with the help of Bulgarian volunteers. The Treaty of San Stefano was signed on 3 March 1878, setting up an autonomous Bulgarian principality on the territories of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

The other Great Powers immediately rejected the treaty out of fear that such a large country in the Balkans might threaten their interests. The subsequent Treaty of Berlin provided for a much smaller autonomous state comprising Moesia and the region of Sofia, leaving large populations of Bulgarians outside the new country. This played a significant role in forming Bulgaria's militaristic approach to foreign affairs and its participation in four wars during the first half of the 20th century. The Bulgarian principality won a war against Serbia and incorporated the semi-autonomous Ottoman territory of Eastern Rumelia in 1885, proclaiming itself an independent state on 22 September 1908.

Third Bulgarian State

In the years following independence, Bulgaria increasingly militarised and was often referred to as "the Balkan Prussia". Between 1912 and 1918, Bulgaria became involved in three consecutive conflicts—two Balkan Wars and World War I. After a disastrous defeat in the Second Balkan War, Bulgaria again found itself fighting on the losing side as a result of its alliance with the Central Powers in World War I. Despite fielding more than a quarter of its population in a 1,200,000-strong army and achieving several decisive victories at Doiran and Monastir, the country capitulated in 1918. The war resulted in significant territorial losses, a total of 412,000 casualties, and a wave of more than 253,000 refugees who put additional strain on the already ruined national economy.

The political unrest resulting from these losses led to the establishment of a royal authoritarian dictatorship by tsar Boris III (1918–1943). Bulgaria entered World War II in 1941 as a member of the Axis but declined to participate in Operation Barbarossa and saved its Jewish population from deportation to concentration camps. The sudden death of Boris III in the summer of 1943 pushed the country into political turmoil as the war turned against Germany and the Communist guerilla movement gained momentum. Following strikes and unrest, in September 1944 the Communist-dominated Fatherland Front took power, ending the alliance with Germany and joining the Allied side until the war ended.

The left-wing uprising of 9 September 1944 led to the abolition of monarchic rule, but it was not until 1946 when a single-party people's republic was established. It became a part of the Soviet sphere of influence under the leadership of Georgi Dimitrov (1946–1949), who laid the foundations for a rapidly industrialising stalinist state. By the mid-1950s standards of living rose significantly, while political repressions were lessenned. The Soviet-style planned economy saw some market-oriented policies emerging on an experimental level under Todor Zhivkov (1954–1989). His daughter Lyudmila bolstered national pride by promoting Bulgarian heritage, culture and arts worldwide. In an attempt to erase the identity of the ethnic Turk minority, an assimilation campaign was launched in 1984. This resulted in the emigration of some 300,000 of them to Turkey.

Under the influence of the collapsing Eastern Bloc, on 10 November 1989 the Communist Party gave up its political monopoly, Zhivkov resigned, and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy. The first free elections in June 1990 were won by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP, the freshly-renamed Communist Party). A new constitution that provided for a relatively weak elected President and for a Prime Minister accountable to the legislature was adopted in July 1991. The new system initially failed to improve living standards or create economic growth—the average quality of life and economic performance remained lower than under Communism well into the early 2000s. A 1997 reform package restored economic growth, but living standards continued to suffer. After 2001 economic, political and geopolitical conditions improved greatly, and Bulgaria achieved high Human Development status. It became a member of NATO in 2004 and of the European Union in 2007.

Geography

Bulgaria occupies a portion of the eastern Balkan peninsula, bordering five countries—Greece and Turkey to the south, Macedonia and Serbia to the west, and Romania to the north. The land borders have a total length of , and the coastline has a length of . Its total area of ranks it as the world's 105th-largest country. Bulgaria's geographic coordinates are 43° N 25° E.

The most notable topographical features are the Danubian Plain, the Balkan Mountains, the Thracian Plain, and the Rhodope Mountains. The southern edge of the Danubian Plain slopes upward into the foothills of the Balkans, while the Danube defines the border with Romania. The Thracian Plain is roughly triangular, beginning southeast of Sofia and broadening as it reaches the Black Sea coast.

The Balkan mountains run laterally through the middle of the country. The mountainous southwest of the country has two alpine ranges—Rila and Pirin, which border the lower but more extensive Rhodope Mountains to the east. Bulgaria is home to the highest point of the Balkan peninsula, Musala, at and its lowest point is sea level. Plains occupy about one-third of the territory, while plateaus and hills occupy 41 per cent. The country has a dense network of about 540 rivers, most of which are relatively small and with low water levels. The longest river located solely in Bulgarian territory, the Iskar, has a length of . Other major rivers include the Struma and the Maritsa in the south.

Bulgaria has a dynamic climate, which results from its being positioned at the meeting point of Mediterranean and continental air masses and the barrier effect of its mountains. Northern Bulgaria averages cooler and registers more annually than the regions south of the Balkan mountains. Temperature amplitudes vary significantly in different areas. The lowest recorded temperature is , while the highest is . Precipitation averages about per year, and varies from in Dobrudja to more than in the mountains. Continental air masses bring significant amounts of snowfall during winter.

Environment and wildlife

Bulgaria adopted the Kyoto protocol and achieved the protocol's objectives by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2009 by 30 per cent. However, pollution from factories and metallurgy works and severe deforestation continue to cause major problems to the health and welfare of the population. Urban areas are particularly affected by energy production from coal-based powerplants and automobile traffic, while pesticide usage in the agriculture and antiquated industrial sewage systems produce extensive soil and water pollution with chemicals and detergents. Bulgaria is the only EU member which does not recycle municipal waste, although an electronic waste recycling plant opened in June 2010. The situation has improved in recent years, and several government-funded programmes have been put into place in an attempt to reduce pollution levels.

Bulgaria's biodiversity is conserved in three national parks, 11 nature parks and 17 biosphere reserves. Nearly 35 per cent of its land area consists of forests, where some of the oldest trees in the world, such as Baikushev's Pine and the Granit oak, grow. Its flora encompass more than 3,800 species of which 170 are endemic and 150 are considered endangered. The fauna is represented prominently by the brown bear and the jackal, while the Eurasian lynx and the Eastern imperial eagle have small, but growing populations.

Politics

Bulgaria is a parliamentary democracy in which the most powerful executive position is that of the prime minister. The political system has three branches—legislative, executive and judicial, with universal suffrage for citizens 18 years of age and older. Elections are supervised by an independent Central Election Commission that includes members from all major political parties. Parties must register with the commission prior to participating in a national election. Normally, the prime minister-elect is the leader of the party receiving the most votes in parliamentary elections.

Political parties gather in the National Assembly, which consists of 240 four-year term deputies elected by direct popular vote. The National Assembly has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the Prime Minister and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements. The president serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the authority to return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the presidential veto by a simple majority vote of all members of parliament. Boyko Borisov of the centre-right party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) became prime minister on 27 July 2009, while GERB-backed Rosen Plevneliev was elected president in 2011, after receiving 52.5 per cent of the votes on the second round against 47.5 per cent for his Socialist Party opponent Ivaylo Kalfin. [[File:NarodnoSubranie2011.png|thumb|right|Political groups in the Parliament, 2011: ]] The Acts of Parliament are the main source of law for the legal system, which is based on civil law. The judiciary is overseen by the Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Administrative Court and Supreme Court of Cassation are the highest courts of appeal and oversee the application of laws in subordinate courts. The Supreme Judicial Council manages the system and appoints judges. Bulgaria's judiciary remains one of Europe's most corrupt and inefficient.

Law enforcement is carried out by organisations mainly subordinate to the Ministry of Interior. The National Police Service (NPS) combats general crime and supports the operations of other law enforcement agencies, such as the National Investigative Service and the Central Office for Combating Organised Crime. NPS fields 27,000 police officers in its local and national sections. The Ministry of Interior also heads the Border Police Service and the National Gendarmerie—a specialised branch for anti-terrorist activity, crisis management and riot control. Counterintelligence and national security are the responsibility of the State Agency for National Security, established in 2008.

Administrative divisions

Bulgaria is a unitary state. Since the 1880s, the number of territorial management units has varied from seven to 26. Between 1987 and 1999 the administrative structure consisted of nine provinces (''oblasti'', singular ''oblast''). A new administrative structure was adopted in parallel with the decentralisation of the economic system. It includes 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia-Grad). All areas take their names from their respective capital cities. The provinces subdivide into 264 municipalities.

Municipalities are run by mayors, who are elected to four-year terms, and by directly elected municipal councils. Bulgaria is a highly centralised state, where the national Council of Ministers directly appoints regional governors and all provinces and municipalities are heavily dependent on it for funding.

{| |- | valign="top" | {| style="margin:auto;" cellpadding="10" |- | |style="font-size: 85%; font-weight:bold;"| # Blagoevgrad # Burgas # Dobrich # Gabrovo # Haskovo # Kardzhali # Kyustendil # Lovech # Montana # Pazardzhik # Pernik # Pleven # Plovdiv # Razgrad |style="font-size: 85%; font-weight:bold;"|

15. Rousse
16. Shumen
17. Silistra
18. Sliven
19. Smolyan
20. Sofia Province
21. Stara Zagora
22. Targovishte
23. Varna
24. Veliko Tarnovo
25. Vidin
26. Vratsa
27. Yambol

|} |}

Foreign relations and military

Bulgaria became a member of the United Nations in 1955 and since 1966 has been a non-permanent member of the Security Council three times, most recently from 2002 to 2003. Bulgaria was also among the founding nations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1975. It joined NATO on 29 March 2004, signed the European Union Treaty of Accession on 25 April 2005, and became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 2007. Euro-Atlantic integration became a priority for the country since the fall of Communism, although the Communist leadership also had aspirations of leaving the Warsaw Pact and joining the European Communities by 1987. Bulgaria's relationship with its neighbours since 1990 has generally been good. The country also plays an important role in promoting regional security. Bulgaria has an active tripartite economic and diplomatic collaboration with Romania and Greece, maintains strong relations with EU members, the United States and Russia, and continues to improve its traditionally good ties with China and Vietnam. The HIV trial in Libya, which followed after the imprisonment of several Bulgarian nurses in Benghazi in 1998, had a significant impact on relations between Bulgaria, the European Union, and Libya. It resulted in the release of the nurses by Muammar Gaddafi's government, which was granted a contract to receive a nuclear reactor and weapons supplies from France in exchange.

Bulgaria hosted six KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and 200 support personnel for the war effort in Afghanistan in 2001, which was the first stationing of foreign forces on its territory since World War II. International military relations were further expanded in April 2006, when Bulgaria and the United States signed a defence cooperation agreement providing for the usage of Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases, the Novo Selo training range, and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint military training facilities. The same year ''Foreign Policy'' magazine listed Bezmer Air Base as one of the six most important overseas facilities used by the USAF due to its proximity to the Middle East. A total of 756 troops are deployed abroad as part of various UN and NATO missions. Historically, Bulgaria deployed significant numbers of military and civilian advisors in Soviet-allied countries, such as Nicaragua and Libya (more than 9,000 personnel).

Domestic defence is the responsibility of the all-volunteer military of Bulgaria, consisting of land forces, navy and air force. The land forces comprise of two mechanised brigades and eight independent regiments and battalions; the air force operates 106 aircraft and air defence systems in six air bases, and the navy operates a variety of ships, helicopters and coastal defence measures.

Following a series of reductions beginning in 1990, the number of active troops contracted from 152,000 in 1988 to about 32,000 in the 2000s, supplemented by a reserve force of 302,500 soldiers and officers and 34,000 paramilitary servicemen. The inventory is mostly of Soviet origin, such as MiG-29 fighters, SA-10 Grumble SAMs and SS-21 Scarab short-range ballistic missiles. By 2020 the government will spend $1.4 billion for the deployment of new fighter jets, communications systems and cyber warfare capabilities. Total military spending in 2009 cost $819 million.

Economy

Bulgaria has an industrialised market economy in the upper middle income range, where a large private sector accounts for more than 80 per cent of GDP. From a largely agricultural country with a predominantly rural population in 1948, by the 1980s Bulgaria had transformed into an industrial economy with scientific and technological research as its top priorities. The loss of COMECON markets in 1990 and the subsequent "shock therapy" of the planned system caused a sharp drop in industrial and agricultural production, ultimately followed by an economic collapse in 1997. After 2001, Bulgaria experienced economic growth, even though its income level remained one of the lowest within the EU with a net average monthly wage of 590 leva (302 euro) in 2011. Wages, however, account for only half of the total household income. Bulgarian PPS GDP per capita stood at 44 per cent of the EU average in 2010 according to Eurostat data, while the cost of living was 51 per cent of the average. The currency is the lev, which is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1.95583 levа for one euro. Bulgaria is not part of the eurozone and the financial crisis has pushed the accession date beyond 2015 according to some economic analysts.

Unemployment rate increased to 12.4 per cent in February 2012 and GDP growth contracted from 6.2 (2008) to −5.5 per cent (2009) amid the late-2000s financial crisis. The crisis had a negative impact mostly on industry, causing a 10 per cent decline in the national industrial production index, a 31 per cent drop in mining, and a 60 per cent drop in "ferrous and metal production". Positive growth was restored in 2010, reaching 0.2 per cent. However, by the end of 2011, investments were diminishing and consumption was dropping steadily due to rising unemployment.

Economic development has been hampered by corruption in the public administration and a weak judiciary. At the same time Bulgaria ranks 28th in the Economic Freedom of the World index, has the lowest personal and corporate income tax rates in the European Union, and the second-lowest public debt of all member states at 16.3 per cent of GDP in 2011. In 2011, GDP (PPP) was estimated at $101 billion, with a per capita value of $13,597. Sofia and the surrounding Yugozapaden planning area are the most developed region of the country with a per capita PPS GDP of $24,647 in 2009. The service sector accounts for 64.6 per cent of GDP, followed by industry with 30.1 per cent and agriculture with 5.3 per cent. The labour force is about 2.5 million people. Bulgaria is a net receiver of funds from the EU. The absolute amount of received funds was 589 million euro in 2009.

Local iron, copper, coal and lead deposits are vital for the domestic manufacturing sector. Major industries include extraction of metals and minerals, production of chemicals, machinery and vehicle components, petroleum refinement and steel. The mining sector and its related industries employ a total of 120,000 people and generate about five per cent of the country's GDP. The country is Europe's fourth-largest gold producer and sixth-largest coal producer. Almost all top export items of Bulgaria are industrial commodities such as oil products ($2.24 billion), copper products ($1.59 billion), medicaments ($493 million) and military equipment ($358 million).

In contrast with the industrial sector, agriculture has declined for the past decade. Production in 2008 amounted to only 66 per cent of that between 1999 and 2001, while cereal and vegetable yields dropped by nearly 40 per cent after 1990. Bulgaria, however, remains a net agricultural and food exporter, and two-thirds of its exports are to OECD countries. The country is the largest global producer of perfumery essential oils such as lavender and rose oil. A five-year modernisation and development programme was launched by the government in 2007, aimed at strengthening the agricultural sector with a total investment of 3.2 billion euro.

In recent years Bulgaria has emerged as an attractive tourist destination with some of Europe's least expensive resorts and its last deserted beaches. Lonely Planet ranked Bulgaria among its top 10 travel destinations for 2011. More than 40 per cent of its 9,000,000 annual visitors were Greeks, Romanians and Germans. Main destinations include the capital Sofia, the medieval capital Veliko Tarnovo, coastal resorts Golden Sands and Sunny Beach and winter resorts Bansko, Pamporovo and Borovets.

Science and technology

Bulgaria has one of Europe's lowest scientific research budgets at 0.25 per cent of GDP in 2010. Chronic underinvestment in the sector since 1990 forced many scientific professionals to leave the country. As a result, Bulgaria scores low in terms of innovation, competitiveness and high-value added exports.

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) is the leading scientific institution and employs most Bulgarian researchers in its numerous branches. Principal areas of research and development are energy, nanotechnology, archaeology and medicine. dosimeters on the International Space Station and Chandrayaan-1 and space greenhouses (a Bulgarian invention) on the Mir space station. In 2011 the government announced plans to reboot the space programme by producing a new microsatellite and joining the European Space Agency.

In the 1980s Bulgaria became known as the "Silicon Valley of the Eastern Bloc" due to its large-scale computing technology exports to COMECON states. The country ranked third in the world in 2011 by total number of ICT specialists, outperforming countries with far larger populations, and operates the only supercomputer in the Balkan region, an IBM Blue Gene/P at the National Centre for Supercomputing Applications.

Infrastructure

Although it has relatively few reserves of fossil fuels, Bulgaria's well-developed energy sector and strategic geographic location make it a key European energy hub. Nearly 34 per cent of its electricity is produced by the nuclear power station at Kozloduy and public opinion strongly supports nuclear energy development. The rapid expansion of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power stations make Bulgaria one of the fastest-growing wind energy producers in the world. The country aims to produce 16 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

The national road network has a total length of , of which are paved, but nearly half fall into the lowest international rating for paved roads. Railroads are a major mode of freight transportation, although highways carry a progressively larger share of freight. Bulgaria has of railway track and plans to construct a high-speed line by 2017, at a cost of three billion euro. Rail links are available with Romania, Greece and Serbia, and express trains serve direct routes to Kiev, Minsk, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Sofia and Plovdiv are the country's air travel hubs, while Varna and Burgas are the principal maritime trade ports. Varna is also scheduled to be the first station on EU territory to receive natural gas through the South Stream pipeline.

The telecommunications network is generally antiquated and requires substantial modernisation. Telephone service is available in most villages, and a central digital trunk line connects most regions. Currently there are three active mobile phone operators—Mtel, GLOBUL and Vivacom. The number of Internet users has increased rapidly since 2000—from 430,000 their number grew to 1.55 million in 2004, and 3.4 million (48 per cent penetration rate) in 2010. Bulgaria has the fastest average Broadband Internet speed in the world after South Korea.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the population of Bulgaria was 7,364,570 people, down from a peak of nine million in 1989. Bulgaria has had negative population growth since the early 1990s, when the collapse of the economy caused some 937,000 people—mostly young adults—to emigrate by 2005. The population continues to decrease and the current growth rate is one of the lowest in the world.

Bulgarians are the main ethnic group and comprise 84.8 per cent of the population. Turkish and Roma minorities comprise 8.8 and 4.9 per cent, respectively; some 40 smaller minorities comprise 0.7 per cent, and 0.8 per cent do not self-identify with an ethnic group. Romani people are considered second-class citizens by some Bulgarians and some 70,000 of them are engaged in criminal activities. Trafficking among Romani people is also widespread due to bride market traditions. Integration programmes funded by the European Union have so far been unsuccessful. All ethnic groups use Bulgarian, the only language with official status, and a native language for 85.2 per cent of the population. The oldest Slavic written language, Bulgarian is distinguishable from the other languages in this group through certain grammatical peculiarities such as the lack of noun cases and infinitives, and a suffixed definite article.

Bulgaria regards itself officially as a secular state. The Constitution guarantees religious freedom, but designates Orthodoxy as a "traditional" religion. A majority of the population (76 per cent) self-identify as Orthodox Christian. and currently has 12 dioceses and over 2,000 priests. Other religious denominations include Islam (10 per cent), Roman Catholicism (0.8 per cent) and Protestantism (1.1 per cent); 0.2 per cent practice other beliefs and 11.8 per cent do not self-identify with a religion. The State provides free education in government schools, except for higher education. The educational process spans through 12 grades, where grades one through eight are primary and nine through twelve are secondary level. High schools can be technical, vocational, general or specialised in a certain discipline, while higher education consists of a 4-year bachelor degree and a 1-year Master's degree.

Average life expectancy is 73.6 years, below the European Union average. The primary causes of death are similar to those in other industrialised countries, mainly cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and respiratory diseases. Bulgaria has a universal healthcare system financed by taxes and contributions. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) pays a gradually increasing portion of the costs of primary healthcare. Healthcare expenditures in the national budget increased to 4.3 per cent between 2002 and 2004, and the NHIF accounted for more than 60 per cent of annual expenditures. The healthcare budget amounted to 4.2 per cent of GDP in 2010, or about 1.3 billion euro. The number of doctors is above the EU average with 181 physicians per 100,000 people, although there is a severe shortage of nurses and other medical personnel, and the quality of most medical facilities is poor.

Most Bulgarians (72.5 per cent) reside in urban areas. There is also a very high rate of household appliance ownership, such as television sets (97.9 per cent of all households), refrigerators (93.3) and telephones (90.6), and relatively high rates for computers (42.9) and automobiles (41.9 per cent). The average rates in all categories are substantially higher in Sofia, the 12th-largest city in the European Union with a population of more than 1,200,000 people.

Culture

Traditional Bulgarian culture contains mainly Thracian, Slavic and Bulgar heritage, along with Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Persian and Celtic influences. Traces of Gothic culture also appeared in Antiquity, as evidenced by the Wulfila Bible—the first book written in a Germanic language, created in Nicopolis ad Istrum in the 4th century.

A vast amount of uncovered archaeological sites are spread throughout the country; their total number is the third-largest in Europe after Italy and Greece. In 1972 the oldest golden treasure in the world was discovered in a necropolis near Varna, consisting of coins, weapons and jewellery dating to 4,600 BC. The site revealed evidence of the first European civilisation. Other objects testifying for the early development of advanced culture on Bulgaria's lands are Plovdiv, one of the oldest cities in the world, and the first Christian monastery in Europe, established in 344 AD. Nine historical and natural objects have been inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Madara Rider, the Thracian tombs in Sveshtari and Kazanlak, the Boyana Church, the Rila Monastery, the Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, Pirin National Park, Sreburna Nature Reserve and the ancient city of Nesebar. Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin, is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Fire is an essential element of Bulgarian folklore, used to banish evil spirits and diseases. Bulgarian folklore personifies illnesses as witches and has a wide range of creatures, including lamya, samodiva (veela) and karakondzhul. Some of the customs and rituals against these spirits have survived and are still practiced, most notably the kukeri and survakari. Martenitsa is widely celebrated.

Both the First and the Second Bulgarian empires functioned as the centre of Slavic culture during much of the Middle Ages, exerting considerable cultural influence over the Eastern Orthodox world by means of the Preslav, Ohrid and Tarnovo literary schools. The Cyrillic alphabet, used as a writing system to many languages in Eastern Europe and Asia, originated in the Preslav Literary School around the 9th century. The medieval advancement in the arts and letters ended with the Ottoman conquest when many masterpieces were destroyed, and artistic activities did not re-emerge until the National Revival in the 19th century. After the Liberation, Bulgarian literature quickly adopted European literary styles such as Romanticism and Symbolism. Since the beginning of the 20th century, several Bulgarian authors, such as Ivan Vazov, Pencho Slaveykov, Peyo Yavorov, Yordan Radichkov and Tzvetan Todorov have gained prominence. In 1981 Bulgarian-born writer Elias Canetti was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Bulgarian folk music is by far the most extensitve traditional art and has slowly developed throughout the ages as a fusion of Eastern and Western influences. It contains Far Eastern, Oriental, medieval Eastern Orthodox and standard Western European tonalities and modes. The music has a distinctive sound and uses a wide range of traditional instruments, such as gudulka, gaida (bagpipe), kaval and tupan. One of its most distinguishing features is ''extended rhythmical time'', which has no equivalent in the rest of European music. The State Television Female Vocal Choir is the most famous performing folk ensemble, and received a Grammy Award in 1990. Bulgaria's written musical composition can be traced back to the early Middle Ages and the works of Yoan Kukuzel (c. 1280–1360). Classical music, opera and ballet are represented by composers Emanuil Manolov, Pancho Vladigerov and Georgi Atanasov and singers Ghena Dimitrova and Boris Hristov. Bulgarian performers have gained popularity in several other genres like progressive rock (FSB), electropop (Mira Aroyo) and jazz (Milcho Leviev).

The religious visual arts heritage includes frescoes, murals and icons, many produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School. Vladimir Dimitrov, Nikolay Diulgheroff and Christo are some of the most famous modern Bulgarian artists. Film industry remains weak: in 2010, Bulgaria produced three feature films and two documentaries with public funding. Cultural events are advertised in the largest media outlets, including the Bulgarian National Radio, and daily newspapers ''Dneven Trud'' and ''24 Chasa''.

Bulgarian cuisine is similar to those of other Balkan countries and demonstrates a strong Greek and Turkish influence. Yogurt, lukanka, banitsa, shopska salad, lyutenitsa and kozunak are among the best-known local foods. Oriental dishes such as moussaka, gyuvech, and baklava are also present. Meat consumption is lower than the European average, given a notable preference for a large variety of salads. Rakia is a traditional fruit brandy which was consumed in Bulgaria as early as the 14th century. Bulgarian wine is known for its Traminer, Muskat and Mavrud sorts, of which up to 200,000 tonnes are produced annually. Until 1989, Bulgaria was the world's second-largest wine exporter.

Bulgaria performs well in sports such as wrestling, weight-lifting, boxing, gymnastics and tennis. The country fielded one of the leading men's volleyball teams, ranked sixth in the world according to the 2011 FIVB rankings. Football is by far the most popular sport. Some famous players are Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov and Hristo Stoichkov, twice winner of the European Golden Shoe and the most successful Bulgarian player of all time. Prominent domestic football clubs include PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Levski Sofia. The best performance of the national team at FIFA World Cup finals came in 1994, when it consecutively eliminated Greece, Germany and Argentina and finished fourth. Bulgaria participates in most Olympic competitions since its first appearance at the 1896 games, when it was represented by Charles Champaud. The country has won a total of 218 medals: 52 gold, 86 silver, and 80 bronze, which puts it in 24th place in the all-time ranking.

See also

Outline of Bulgaria

International rankings of Bulgaria

List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria

References

Bibliography

Chary, Frederick B. ''The History of Bulgaria'' (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations) (2011) excerpt and text search

Crampton, R. J. ''A Concise History of Bulgaria'' (2005) Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521616379

Bell, John D., ed. (1998). ''Bulgaria in Transition: Politics, Economics, Society, and Culture after Communism''. Westview. ISBN 978-0813390109

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

External links

Bulgaria at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

Government

President of The Republic of Bulgaria

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

Category:European countries Category:Member states of the European Union Category:Black Sea countries Category:Member states of La Francophonie Category:Liberal democracies Category:Former empires Category:Republics Category:Slavic countries Category:States and territories established in 681 Category:States and territories established in 1878 Category:States and territories established in 1908 Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean Category:Member states of NATO Category:Member states of the United Nations

ace:Bulgaria kbd:Болгариэ af:Bulgarye als:Bulgarien am:ቡልጋሪያ ang:Pulgaraland ab:Былгариа ar:بلغاريا an:Bulgaria arc:ܒܘܠܓܐܪܝܐ roa-rup:Vurgaria frp:Bulgarie ast:Bulgaria gn:Vugaria az:Bolqarıstan bn:বুলগেরিয়া zh-min-nan:Bulgariya ba:Болгария be:Балгарыя be-x-old:Баўгарыя bcl:Bulgarya bi:Bulgaria bg:България bar:Bulgarien bo:པུ་ར་ག་རི་ཡ། bs:Bugarska br:Bulgaria ca:Bulgària cv:Тăнайçи Пăлхарĕ ceb:Bulgaria cs:Bulharsko co:Bulgaria cy:Bwlgaria da:Bulgarien pdc:Bulgarien de:Bulgarien dv:ބަލްގޭރިއާ nv:Bálgaa Bikéyah dsb:Bulgarska et:Bulgaaria el:Βουλγαρία eml:Bulgarî myv:Болгария Мастор es:Bulgaria eo:Bulgario ext:Bulgária eu:Bulgaria ee:Bulgaria fa:بلغارستان hif:Bulgaria fo:Bulgaria fr:Bulgarie fy:Bulgarije fur:Bulgarie ga:An Bhulgáir gv:Yn Vulgeyr gag:Bulgariya gd:Bulgàiria gl:Bulgaria - България gu:બલ્ગેરિયા got:𐌱𐌿𐌻𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌹𐌰 hak:Pó-kâ-li-â xal:Болгармудин Орн ko:불가리아 haw:Pulukalia hy:Բուլղարիա hi:बुल्गारिया hsb:Bołharska hr:Bugarska io:Bulgaria ilo:Bulgaria bpy:বুলগেরিয়া id:Bulgaria ia:Bulgaria ie:Bulgaria os:Болгари zu:IBulgariya is:Búlgaría it:Bulgaria he:בולגריה jv:Bulgaria kl:Bulgaria kn:ಬಲ್ಗೇರಿಯ pam:Bulgaria krc:Болгария ka:ბულგარეთი csb:Bùlgarskô kk:Болгария kw:Bulgari rw:Bulugariya rn:Bulgaria sw:Bulgaria kv:Болгария kg:Balgaria ht:Bilgari ku:Bulgaristan ky:Болгария mrj:Болгари lad:Bulgaria ltg:Bulgareja la:Bulgaria lv:Bulgārija lb:Bulgarien lt:Bulgarija lij:Bulgâia li:Bölgarije ln:Bulgaria jbo:bylgAri,as lmo:Bülgaria hu:Bulgária mk:Бугарија ml:ബൾഗേറിയ mt:Bulgarija mi:Purukāria mr:बल्गेरिया xmf:ბულგარეთი arz:بلجاريا ms:Bulgaria mwl:Bulgária mdf:Болгарие mn:Болгар my:ဘူလ်ဂေးရီးယားနိုင်ငံ nah:Bulgaria na:Borgeriya nl:Bulgarije nds-nl:Bulgarije ne:बुल्गेरिया new:बुल्गेरिया ja:ブルガリア nap:Bulgaria ce:Болгари frr:Bulgarien pih:Bulgeriya no:Bulgaria nn:Bulgaria nrm:Bulgarie nov:Bulgaria oc:Bulgaria mhr:Болгарий or:ବୁଲଗାରିଆ uz:Bolgariya pfl:Bulgarije pnb:بلغاریہ ps:بلغاریا koi:Бӧлгария pcd:Bulgarie pms:Bulgarìa tpi:Balgeria nds:Bulgarien pl:Bułgaria pnt:Βουλγαρία pt:Bulgária kaa:Bolgariya crh:Bulğaristan ksh:Bulgarije ro:Bulgaria rmy:Bulgariya rm:Bulgaria qu:Bulgarya rue:Булгарія ru:Болгария sah:Болгария se:Bulgaria sm:Bultalia sa:बुल्गारिया sc:Bulgaria sco:Bulgarie stq:Bulgarien sq:Bullgaria scn:Bulgarìa simple:Bulgaria ss:IBhulgariya sk:Bulharsko sl:Bolgarija cu:Блъгарїꙗ szl:Bułgaryjo so:Bulgaria ckb:بولگاریا srn:Bulgarikondre sr:Бугарска sh:Bugarska su:Bulgaria fi:Bulgaria sv:Bulgarien tl:Bulgarya ta:பல்காரியா roa-tara:Bulgarie tt:Болгария te:బల్గేరియా tet:Bulgária th:ประเทศบัลแกเรีย tg:Булғористон tr:Bulgaristan tk:Bolgariýa udm:Болгария uk:Болгарія ur:بلغاریہ ug:بۇلغارىيە vec:Bulgaria vep:Bolgarii vi:Bulgaria vo:Bulgarän fiu-vro:Bulgaaria wa:Bulgåreye zh-classical:保加利亞 vls:Bulgareye war:Bulgarya wo:Bulgaari wuu:保加利亚 yi:בולגאריע yo:Bùlgáríà zh-yue:保加利亞 diq:Bulğarıstan zea:Bulharije bat-smg:Bulgarėjė zh:保加利亚

{|align=right |

Name	Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Office	Prime Minister of Bulgaria
President	Petar StoyanovGeorgi Parvanov
Term start	24 July 2001
Term end	17 August 2005
Predecessor	Ivan Kostov
Successor	Sergei Stanishev
Office2	Tsar of Bulgaria
Alongside2	Kiril (Regent)
Primeminister2	Bogdan FilovPetur Gabrovski (Acting)Dobri BozhilovIvan Ivanov BagryanovKonstantin MuravievKimon Georgiev
Term start2	28 August 1943
Term end2	15 September 1946
Predecessor2	Boris III
Successor2	Vasil Kolarov (as Acting President)
Birth date	June 16, 1937
Birth place	Sofia, Bulgaria
Party	National Movement for Stability and Progress
Spouse	Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela
Children	KardamKyrillKubratKonstantin-AssenKalina
Alma mater	Valley Forge Military Academy and College
Signature	Signature of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.png }}

|- | |- |} Simeon Borisov of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Tsar Simeon II (Bulgarian: Симеон Борисов Сакскобургготски, transl. ''Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski''; Цар Симеон II; German: Simeon von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha or Simeon von Wettin) or Simeon II of Bulgaria (born 16 June 1937) is an important political and royal figure in Bulgaria. During his reign as the Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946 he was a minor, the monarchical authority being exercised over the kingdom on his behalf by a regency. The regents were Simeon's uncle Prince Kiril of Bulgaria, General Nikola Mihov and the prime minister, Bogdan Filov. In 1946 the monarchy was overthrown as a consequence of a greatly manipulated referendum won by the communist republicans. Simeon went into exile. Fifty-five years later, on 6 April 2001, Simeon resumed the role of leader of the nation upon taking office as Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria from July 2001 until August 2005.

As of 2012, Simeon is one of the last living heads of state from the World War II-era, the only living person who has borne the Bulgarian title "Tsar", and one of the few monarchs in history to have become the head of government through democratic elections.

Royal history

Simeon was born the son of Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Giovanna di Savoia and is related to various European royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Albert II of the Belgians and the Kings Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Umberto II of Italy. Following his birth, Boris III sent an air force officer to the River Jordan to obtain water for Simeon's baptism in the Orthodox faith. He became Tsar on 28 August 1943 on the death of his father, who had just returned to Bulgaria from a meeting with Adolf Hitler. Since Tsar Simeon was only six years old when he ascended the throne, his uncle Prince Kyril of Bulgaria, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, and Lieutenant-General Nikola Mihailov Mihov of the Bulgarian Army were appointed regents.

On 5 September 1944 the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria and three days later the Red Army entered the country without encountering resistance. On the next day, 9 September 1944, Prince Kyril and the other regents were deposed by a Soviet-backed coup and arrested. The three regents, all members of the last three governments, Parliament deputies, heads of the army and eminent journalists were executed by the Communists in February 1945.

Towards exile

The royal family (Queen Giovanna, Simeon II, and his sister Maria-Louisa) remained at Vrana Palace near Sofia, while new communist regents were appointed. In her memoirs, Queen Giovanna recounts that Soviet soldiers at that time entertained themselves by shooting at random in the direction where she was walking with the children. On 15 September 1946, a plebiscite was held in the presence of the Soviet army. It allegedly resulted in over 97% approval for the Soviet established republic and abolished the monarchy. On 16 September 1946, the royal family was exiled from Bulgaria. However, Simeon II never signed any abdication papers (which were unlikely to have any legality anyway, as he was only 9 years old). The royal family first went to Alexandria, Egypt, where Queen Giovanna's father Victor Emanuel III, King of Italy, lived in exile. There, Simeon II finished Victoria College (along with Crown Prince Leka of Albania). In July 1951, the Spanish government of Francisco Franco granted asylum to the family.

Education and business career

In Madrid, Simeon studied at the Lycée Français, but did not graduate. On 16 June 1955, upon turning 18, in accordance with the Tarnovo Constitution Simeon II read his proclamation to the Bulgarian people as the Tsar of Bulgaria, confirming his will to be king of all Bulgarians and follow the principles of Tarnovo Constitution and free Bulgaria. In 1958, he enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States, where he was known as "Cadet Rylski No. 6883", and graduated as a second lieutenant. Once again in Spain, Simeon studied law and business administration.

He became a businessman. For thirteen years, he was chairman of the Spanish subsidiary of Thomson, a French defence and electronics group. He was also an adviser in the banking, hotel, electronics, and catering sectors.

Monarch in exile

Simeon issued several political declarations during his exile through his "chancellery" in Madrid directed at the Communist regime in Bulgaria and his exiled compatriots. His early attempts at forming an official government in exile did not come to fruition, however.

Marriage and family

In 1962 Simeon married a Spanish aristocrat, ''doña'' Margarita Gómez-Acebo y Cejuela. The couple have five children – four sons (Kardam, Kiril, Kubrat and Konstantin) and a daughter, Kalina, all of whom subsequently married Spaniards. All of his sons received names of Bulgarian kings.

Kardam (born 1962) married ''doña'' Miriam de Ungría y López. They have two sons, Boris and Beltran.

Kirill (born 1964) married ''doña'' María del Rosario Nadal y Fuster-Puigdórfila. They have two daughters, Mafalda and Olimpia, and one son, Tassilo.

Kubrat (born 1965) married ''doña'' Carla María de la Soledad Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu. They have three sons: Mirko, Lukás and Tirso.

Konstantin-Assen (born 1967) married ''doña'' María García de la Rasilla y Gortázar. They have twins, Umberto and Sofia.

Kalina (born 1972) married ''don'' Antonio "Kitín" Muñoz y Valcárcel. They have one son, Simeon Hassan.

Political return

In 1990, after the fall of communism, Simeon was issued a new Bulgarian passport. In 1996, 50 years after the abolition of the monarchy, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and was met in many places by crowds cheering: "We want our King!" He did not, at that point, make any political announcements or moves.

Various estates in Bulgaria that had been nationalized under the republic were returned to Simeon and his family. In 2001, Simeon announced he would return to Bulgaria to form a new political party, the National Movement Simeon II (NMSII), dedicated to "reforms and political integrity." Simeon promised that in 800 days the Bulgarian people would feel tangible positive effects of his government and would enjoy significantly higher standards of living.

NMSII won a large victory in the parliamentary elections held on 17 June 2001, capturing 120 of the 240 seats in Parliament and defeating the two main pre-existing political parties. Simeon gave an oath as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on 24 July, forming a coalition with the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). He gave ministerial positions in his government mainly to technocrats and Western-educated economic specialists. In 2002, his efforts were recognized by his receiving the 2002 Path to Peace Award from the Path to Peace Foundation. The development of Bulgaria's capital markets moved forward, with the first Eurolev issue in 2004. During his time in power, Bulgaria joined NATO and EC.

In the 2005 elections, Simeon's party ranked second and participated in the grand coalition government with the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Simeon II was given the unofficial ceremonial post of Chairman of the Coalition Council.

The party got just 3.01% of votes and no seats at the parliamentary elections of 2009. Shortly after, on 6 July, Simeon also resigned as NMSII leader .

Views on restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy

Simeon II has never renounced his royal claim to the Bulgarian throne. He used the title "Tsar of the Bulgarians" in his political statements during his exile. Since his return to Bulgaria, however, Simeon has consistently declined to reveal his views on the restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy. Upon taking office as prime minister, he took an oath to protect the country's republican Constitution.

Heir to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry

After the death of his distant cousin Prince John Henry of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in April 2010 and due to the exclusion of the late prince's uncle Philipp Josias Maria Joseph Ignatius Michael Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga (Walterskirchen, 18 August 1901 –) children and descendants from his morganatic marriage with Sarah Aurelia Halasz, Simeon became the Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, former Magnates of Hungary, and a claimant to the holding of the castles of Čabraď and Sv. Anton, both in modern day Slovakia, lost to Czechoslovakia in 1921. In early 2012 he ceded his rights to the headship of the princely house of Koháry to his sister Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Royal name	Simeon II
Dipstyle	His Majesty
Offstyle	Your Majesty
Altstyle	SirThe Rt. Hon }}

Titles

''His Royal Highness'' The Prince of Turnovo, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (1937–1943)

''His Majesty'' The Tsar of the Bulgarians (1943–1946)

''His Majesty'' Tsar Simeon II of the Bulgarians (''pretender'', 1946–present)

* Simeon Sakskoburggotski (used in Bulgaria)

''His Majesty'' King Simeon II of the Bulgarians (used outside Bulgaria)

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of Order of Leopold (Belgium)

Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur

Knight of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation

Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Knight of the Order of Saint Januarius Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece

Ancestors

{{ahnentafel-compact5 |style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; |border=1 |boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= 1. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha |2= 2. Boris III of Bulgaria |3= 3. Princess Giovanna of Italy |4= 4. Ferdinand I of Bulgaria |5= 5. Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma |6= 6. Victor Emmanuel III of Italy |7= 7. Princess Elena of Montenegro |8= 8. Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |9= 9. Princess Clémentine of Orléans |10= 10. Robert I, Duke of Parma |11= 11. Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies |12= 12. Umberto I of Italy |13= 13. Princess Margherita of Savoy |14= 14. Nicholas I of Montenegro |15= 15. Milena Vukotić |16= 16. Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |17= 17. Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág |18= 18. Louis-Philippe I, King of the French |19= 19. Princess Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies |20= 20. Charles III, Duke of Parma |21= 21. Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France |22= 22. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies |23= 23. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria |24= 24. Victor Emmanuel II of Italy |25= 25. Archduchess Maria Adelaide of Austria |26= 26. Ferdinand, 1st Duke of Genoa |27= 27. Princess Elisabeth of Saxony |28= 28. Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, Grand Duke of Grahovo |29= 29. Anastasija Martinović |30= 30. Petar Vukotić |31= 31. Jelena Voivodić }}

See also

List of monarchs who lost their thrones in the 20th and 21st centuries

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

References

Bibliography

Books

In addition to the books listed in the References, the following may be mentioned:

Walter J.R. Curley, ''Monarchs in Waiting''. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1975. (pp. 23–25: "Bulgaria: His Majesty King Simeon II")

Pashanko Dimitroff, ''Boris III of Bulgaria 1894–1943''. London, 1986. ISBN 0-86332-140-2

Charles Fenyvesi, ''Royalty in Exile''. London: Robson Books, 1981. (pp. 153–171: "Czar Simeon of the Bulgars") ISBN 0-86051-131-6

Stephane Groueff ''Crown of Thorns'', Lanham MD. and London, 1987. ISBN 0-8191-5778-3

Gregory Lauder-Frost, ''The Betrayal of Bulgaria'', Monarchist League Policy Paper, London, 1989.

Robert K. Massie and Jeffrey Firestone, ''The Last Courts of Europe''. New York: Greenwich House, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41472-4

Articles

''The Daily Telegraph'', Obituary for "HM Queen Ioanna of the Bulgarians", London, 28 February 2000.

External links

King Simeon II

The first website about Simeon II of Bulgaria focuses on his pre-1995 history

''Financial Times'' July 2001 Biography

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's address, 10 February 2005 concerning amending the constitution to bring it in line with EU requirements

Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's statement, 5 July 2002 concerning Bulgaria's candidacy for NATO membership: "The role of the international community should be gradually transformed from crisis response to integration. Palliative measures intended to mitigate yet another crisis cannot bring stability and prosperity. The best solution is the region's integration into the European and Euroatlantic institutions."

|- |- |- |-

Category:1937 births Category:20th-century Bulgarian monarchs Category:Bulgarian Orthodox Christians Category:Bulgarian people of Italian descent Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Simeon Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Bulgaria) Category:Leaders ousted by a coup Category:Living people Category:Knights Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece Category:Knights of the Order of Saint Januarius Category:Knights of the Order of the Most Holy Annunciation Category:Kohary family Category:Modern child rulers Category:Order of Leopold recipients Category:Orthodox monarchs Category:People from Sofia Category:Pretenders Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Simeon Category:Rulers deposed as children Category:Victoria College, Alexandria alumni Category:World War II political leaders

ang:Simeon II Pulgara cyning ar:سيميون الثاني ملك بلغاريا an:Simeón II de Bulgaria bg:Симеон Сакскобургготски ca:Simeó II de Bulgària cs:Simeon II. da:Simeon Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha de:Simeon Sakskoburggotski et:Simeon II es:Simeón de Bulgaria eo:Simeono la 2-a (Bulgario) fa:سیمئون زاکسن-کبورگ و گوتا fr:Siméon II de Bulgarie gl:Simeón II de Bulgaria ko:시메온 2세 id:Simeon Sakskoburggotski os:Сакскобургготский, Симеон Борисов it:Simeone II di Bulgaria he:סמיון סקסקובורגותסקי hu:II. Simeon bolgár cár mk:Симеон ІІ mr:सिमिओन सॅक्स-कोबर्ग-गोथा nl:Simeon van Saksen-Coburg en Gotha ja:シメオン・サクスコブルクゴツキ no:Simeon av Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha nds:Simeon II. pl:Symeon II pt:Simeão II da Bulgária ro:Simeon al II-lea al Bulgariei ru:Симеон II sk:Simeon II. sl:Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha sr:Симеон II од Бугарске fi:Simeon Sakskoburggotski sv:Simeon Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha th:พระเจ้าซาร์ซีโมนที่ 2 แห่งบัลแกเรีย tr:Simeon Sakskoburggotski zh:西美昂·萨克森-科堡-哥达斯基

Name	Simeon Djankov
Office	Vice Premier Minister
Term start	July 27, 2009
Office2	Finance Minister
Term start2	July 27, 2009
Predecessor2	Plamen Oresharski
Birth date	13 July 1970
Birth place	Lovech, Bulgaria
Nationality	Bulgarian
Spouse	Caroline Freund
Website	Official blog: www.simeondjankov.com }}

Simeon Djankov (, ''Simeon Dyankov''; b. 13 July 1970) is a Bulgarian economist and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria in the government of Boyko Borisov. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Simeon Djankov was a Chief economist of the finance and private sector vice-presidency of the World Bank. In his fourteen years at the World Bank, he worked on regional trade agreements in North Africa, enterprise restructuring and privatization in transition economies, corporate governance in East Asia, and regulatory reforms around the world. Simeon Djankov was a principal author of the World Development Report 2002. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Comparative Economics from 2004 to 2009.

Biography

Genealogy

Simeon Djankov comes from an old line of political leaders. Among his predecessors was Radi Popmihov, a revolutionary for Bulgarian freedom from Ottoman rule who established revolutionary committee in Novo Selo in 1872, alongside Vasil Levski. During the April Uprising in 1876 Popmihov was imprisoned together with Zahari Stoyanov and later hanged. Radi Popmihov's time in prison is described in one of the significant historical books of Stoyanov, ''Memoirs of the Bulgarian Uprisings'', in the chapter on Turnovo. Simeon Djankov's great-great-grandfather Miho Minkov was representative in the first five National Assemblies after the Liberation, beginning with the first Constitutive Assembly which wrote the Constitution and the first Grand National Assembly which appointed Bulgarian knjaz, Alexander of Battenberg. He was elected to represent the Sevlievo region and played important role in forming of then Bulgarian constitutional monarchist rule (Bulgaira is now republic).

Education

Born in Lovech, Bulgaria on 13 July 1970, Djankov attended high school "Ekzarh Yosif I" in Lovech (1984–89). In 1989, he passed the entrance exam to the formerly named "Karl Marx Institute of Economics" (today University of National and World Economy) with the highest scores nationally. Simeon Djankov also holds doctorates from University of Pittsburgh and University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Work in Georgia

In 1997, Simeon Djankov participated in a World Bank enterprise restructuring project in Georgia. For the next year, the project surveyed most of the manufacturing enterprises in Georgia, identifying those with good export opportunities.

Since 2004, after the Rose Revolution, Simeon Djankov has visited Georgia frequently and worked with the government on reforming the business environment. Zurab Nogaideli, prime minister between 2005 and 2007, won a Reformer of the Year award in 2007. Djankov has worked closely with Kakha Bendukidze, the main architect of Georgia's economic reforms.

The World Bank's Doing Business project

Simeon Djankov has had a long and distinguished career at the World Bank, starting in 1995. He worked in over 100 countries, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Macedonia, Moldova, Paraguay, Slovakia, Slovenia and Yemen.

Simeon Djankov is the creator of the annual Doing Business report, the top-selling publication of the World Bank Group. The report came out of joint research work with Professor Andrei Shleifer at Harvard University, and was inspired by Djankov's experience in overly-regulated socialist economies. Since its initial publication in November 2003, Doing Business has generated 19,000 media citations, and over 150,000 copies sold.

Ideas 42

In June 2008, Djankov established the think-tank Ideas42, jointly with Antoinette Schoar (MIT Sloan), Eldar Shafir (Princeton) and Sendhil Mullainathan (Harvard), a Harvard University-International Finance Corporation venture. The think tank applies the latest analysis to studying the economic lives of the poor, the development of small businesses, and access to finance. Several projects are co-sponsored with the Gates Foundation and the Institute for Financial Management and Research in India.

Minister of Finance of Bulgaria

On 27 July 2009, Simeon Djankov became Minister of Finance of Bulgaria. Minister Djankov reduced budget spending and managed to cut the budget deficit for 2009 to 4.7%. In 2010 it remained above the Maashtricht criteria - 3.2%, falling to 2,5% in 2011. On December 1, 2009, Standard&Poors; upgraded Bulgaria's investment outlook from "negative" to "stable," the only country in the European Union to receive an upgrade that year. In January 2010 Moody's followed with an upgrade of its rating perspective from "stable" to "positive."

At the second GERB party congress Djankov urged delegates to lead such policies that the party wins a second term with full majority in parliament. This is needed, he said, to complete the reforms that would lead Bulgaria from poorest to middle-income country by Central European standards. Djankov believes in his role as an expert rather than a politician and even though he is a member of the GERB cabinet, he is not a member of the GERB party.

Dr Djankov is the second-youngest finance minister in the European Union, after the UK's George Osborne. He champions low taxes as a way to come out of the global economic crisis.

In 2010, Simeon Djankov inaugurated the Burov Hall at the Ministry of Finance, in honor of Atanas Burov. The hall contains the original desk and bookcase of Burov, as well as the original national budgets from 1880 onward. The only surviving oilpaint portrait of Atanas Burov is also as the hall, on loan from the Bulgarian Development Bank. The Ministry of Finance has initiated a program to collect the Burov manuscripts.

Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria

As Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Djankov is responsible for the reforms in the public administration, healthcare, higher education, and pensions.

In July 2010, the results of the first year of administrative reform were reported. The number of public officials was reduced by 11%, and the number of government institutions by 8%. This is the first time since the fall of socialism that administrative reform has resulted in an actual optimization in government.

Family

Djankov is married to the American World Bank economist Caroline Freund, and has two children.

References

Bibliography

Hoekman, Bernard, and Simeon Djankov (1997). ''Determinants of the Export Structure of Countries in Central and Eastern Europe''. World Bank Economic Review, 11, 3: 471-87.

Hoekman, Bernard, and Simeon Djankov (1997). ''Effective protection and investment incentives in Egypt and Jordan during the transition to free trade with Europe''. World Development, 25, 2: 281-291.

Djankov, Simeon and Bernard Hoekman (1998). ''Conditions of Competition and Multilateral Surveillance''. The World Economy, 21, 8: 1109-1128.

Deardorff, Alan, and Simeon Djankov, (2000). ''Knowledge Transfer under Subcontracting: Evidence from Czech Firms''. World Development, vol. 28(10), pp. 1837–1847, October.

Claessens, Stijn, Simeon Djankov and Ashoka Mody (eds.), (2001) ''Resolution of Financial Distress (book)''. World Bank

Botero, Juan, Simeon Djankov, Rafael La Porta, Florencio López de Silanes and Andrei Shleifer (2004). ''The Regulation of Labor''. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 119: 1339-1382.

Djankov, Simeon, Rafael La Porta, Florencio López de Silanes and Andrei Shleifer (2002). ''The Regulation of Entry''. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 117: 1-37.

Djankov, Simeon, Rafael La Porta, Florencio López de Silanes and Andrei Shleifer (2003). ''Courts''. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118: 453-517.

Djankov, Simeon, Edward Miguel, Yingyi Qian, Gérard Roland and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya (2005). ''Who are Russia's Entrepreneurs?''. Journal of the European Economic Association, 3, 2: 587-597.

Djankov, Simeon, Yingyi Qian, Gérard Roland and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya (2006). ''Entrepreneurship in China and Russia Compared''. Journal of the European Economic Association, 4, 2: 352-365.

Djankov, Simeon, Caralee McLiesh and Andrei Shleifer (2007). ''Private Credit in 129 Countries''. Journal of Financial Economics, May.

Bertrand, Marianne, Simeon Djankov, Rema Hanna and Sendhil Mullainathan (2007). ''Obtaining a Driver's License in India: An Experimental Approach in Studying Corruption''. Quarterly Journal of Economics, November.

Djankov, Simeon, Rafael La Porta, Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes and Andrei Shleifer (2008). ''The Law and Economics of Self-Dealing''. Journal of Financial Economics, May.

Djankov, Simeon, Caroline Freund and Cong Pham, ''Trading on Time''. Review of Economics and Statistics, November 2008.

Djankov, Simeon, Jose Montalvo and Marta Reynal-Querol, ''The Curse of Aid''. Journal of Economic Growth, September 2008.

Djankov, Simeon, Oliver Hart, Caralee McLiesh and Andrei Shleifer, ''Debt Enforcement around the World''. Journal of Political Economy, December 2008

Djankov, Simeon, Rafael La Porta, Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes and Andrei Shleifer, ''Disclosure by Politicians''. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, March 2010.

External links

Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria

Ministry of Finance, Bulgaria

Doing Business report @ World Bank

Simeon Djankov @ World Bank

IDEAS/RePEc

Google Scholar

Editorial Board Journal of Comparative Economics

How Nations Prosper: Economic Freedom and Doing Business around the World (Cato Institute Event)

Ideas42

New Finance Minister Wins Austerity Praise

Bulgaria Seeks to Adopt the Euro in 2013

Bulgaria's Finance Minister Bullish Over Economy

Category:Finance ministers of Bulgaria Category:Bulgarian economists Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sofia

bg:Симеон Дянков de:Simeon Djankow fr:Siméon Djankov mk:Симеон Ѓанков pl:Symeon Djankow

name	Simeon Shterev
birth date	January 15, 1985
birth place	Sofia, Bulgaria
height
currentclub	Belasitsa
clubnumber	24
position	Striker
youthclubs1	Levski Sofia
years1	2003–2005
years2	2005–2007
years3	2008–
clubs1	Lokomotiv Sofia
clubs2	Messiniakos F.C.
clubs3	Belasitsa
caps1	10
goals1	0
goals2	? ?
pcupdate	July 1, 2008
ntupdate	}}

Simeon Shterev () (born 15 January 1985 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays for Belasitsa Petrich. He is a fast forward, currently playing by winger. His father Simeon Shterev is a former wrestling champion.

Career

Shterev was raised in Levski Sofia's youth teams. On 18-years old in 2003 gone in Lokomotiv Sofia and signed first professional contract. But for this team he played only 10 matches for two years. In July 2005 signed with Greek side Messiniakos F.C.. From summer'2008 playing for Belasitsa Petrich.

External links

Transfermarkt profile

footmercato profile

Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Bulgarian footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:PFC Lokomotiv Sofia players Category:PFC Belasitsa Petrich players Category:Bulgarian A Professional Football Group players

bg:Симеон Щерев (футболист)