The Public International Law of Bulgaria: Development and Status

Abstract

The formation of modern Bulgaria was a direct result of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and the Treaty of Berlin of July 13, 1878. These events terminated almost five centuries of Turkish rule over the Bulgarian lands. The Treaty of Berlin established a Bulgarian Principality north of the Balkan range under the nominal suzereignty of the Sultan, and Eastern Rumelia as part of the Ottoman Empire but subject to administrative autonomy. Pursuant to this Treaty a Constitutional Assembly convened at Tirnovo, the medieval capital of Bulgaria, and on April 16, 1879, adopted a basic act known as the Tirnovo Constitution. In 1885, the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia merged into one political unit which declared itself an independent Kingdom on October 5, 1908.