The Balkan Wars put an end to the Bulgarian presence in Salonica, but not to the Bulgarian imagin... more The Balkan Wars put an end to the Bulgarian presence in Salonica, but not to the Bulgarian imagination relative to the city. Almost until the second decade of the 20th c., Ottoman Salonica used to be a bigger, richer, and more modern city than the Bulgarian capital. It evoked feelings and interest among Bulgarians who saw in it many economic, political, and cultural opportunities. For Bulgarians, however, Salonica was primarily linked with their liberation struggles, so its image is dominated by themes of death and self-sacrifice, timidity and bravery, prisons and concentration camps. It is simultaneously a city of prisons and city of light, of youth and nostalgia, enlightenment and pogroms, economic opportunities and lost labors.
The 1906 pogroms against the Greeks in Bulgaria have no precedent in the Bulgarian history. Bulga... more The 1906 pogroms against the Greeks in Bulgaria have no precedent in the Bulgarian history. Bulgarian society has always taken pride in its tolerant attitude towards the various national, religious and other minority groups living on the territory of the country 1. Probably it is precisely because of the unwillingness to put the national tolerance into doubt that there is no complete study of these events in the Bulgarian historiography. In the last years various aspects of the problem have been discussed in the research papers of Bulgarian and Greek historians 2 , which makes me hope that soon there may be a monograph dedicated to the anti-Greek movement in Bulgaria.
The aim of the proposed study is to trace the creation and the development of the Greek consular ... more The aim of the proposed study is to trace the creation and the development of the Greek consular network in Bulgaria in the second half of the 19th century. The topic has not been the subject of scientific research so far, but is important for understanding the unequal positions with which the Balkan states enter the period of their independent existence. The study of the Greek consular network on the Balkans also makes it possible to outline the priorities in Athens’ foreign policy, as well as to trace the importance it assigns to its compatriots left outside the borders of the free Greek state. Last but not least, it is of interest to Greece to fight to preserve the privileged status it enjoys under the regime of capitulations. However, this effort creates serious problems in Greece’s bilateral relations with the Ottoman Empire and with Bulgaria in post-liberation period.
1821 in the History of Balkan Peoples (On the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution)
Based mainly on archival materials and sources from the 19th century, this chapter traces the for... more Based mainly on archival materials and sources from the 19th century, this chapter traces the formation of the Bulgarian national community in Salonica, where it happened with some delay. However, it fi t into the general processes of development of the Bulgarian communities in the Ottoman Empire. In the capital of the Ottoman province of Macedonia, the process of national emancipation of Bulgarians was complicated by a number of factors. Nevertheless, despite the strong Greek infl uence among the Bulgarians in Salonica, in the 1860s and 1870s, they emancipated themselves and created their fi rst institutions, which was an important step in process of formation of independent Bulgarian national community. Before the beginning of the Eastern crisis (1875–1878) Bulgarians became a visible part of the population of the port city. They created their own Church community, which after the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate was recognized by the authorities and maintained two primary...
Russia: A Look at the Balkans. Eighteenth - Nineteenth Centuries. On the 100th anniversary of Irina S. Dostyan's, 2021
The article analyses views of the Bulgarians and Greeks on the role of Russia in the Balkans. Per... more The article analyses views of the Bulgarians and Greeks on the role of Russia in the Balkans. Perception of the Russian plans in the region evoked expectations, hopes and fears among the Bulgarians and Greeks, which gradually developed into persistent stereotypes that still affect their relations with Russia. The essay discusses specific examples in which Slavic and anti-Slavic ideas are used for political purposes by the Bulgarian and Greek elites, respectively.
The Balkan Wars put an end to the Bulgarian presence in Salonica, but not to the Bulgarian imagin... more The Balkan Wars put an end to the Bulgarian presence in Salonica, but not to the Bulgarian imagination relative to the city. Almost until the second decade of the 20th c., Ottoman Salonica used to be a bigger, richer, and more modern city than the Bulgarian capital. It evoked feelings and interest among Bulgarians who saw in it many economic, political, and cultural opportunities. For Bulgarians, however, Salonica was primarily linked with their liberation struggles, so its image is dominated by themes of death and self-sacrifice, timidity and bravery, prisons and concentration camps. It is simultaneously a city of prisons and city of light, of youth and nostalgia, enlightenment and pogroms, economic opportunities and lost labors.
The 1906 pogroms against the Greeks in Bulgaria have no precedent in the Bulgarian history. Bulga... more The 1906 pogroms against the Greeks in Bulgaria have no precedent in the Bulgarian history. Bulgarian society has always taken pride in its tolerant attitude towards the various national, religious and other minority groups living on the territory of the country 1. Probably it is precisely because of the unwillingness to put the national tolerance into doubt that there is no complete study of these events in the Bulgarian historiography. In the last years various aspects of the problem have been discussed in the research papers of Bulgarian and Greek historians 2 , which makes me hope that soon there may be a monograph dedicated to the anti-Greek movement in Bulgaria.
The aim of the proposed study is to trace the creation and the development of the Greek consular ... more The aim of the proposed study is to trace the creation and the development of the Greek consular network in Bulgaria in the second half of the 19th century. The topic has not been the subject of scientific research so far, but is important for understanding the unequal positions with which the Balkan states enter the period of their independent existence. The study of the Greek consular network on the Balkans also makes it possible to outline the priorities in Athens’ foreign policy, as well as to trace the importance it assigns to its compatriots left outside the borders of the free Greek state. Last but not least, it is of interest to Greece to fight to preserve the privileged status it enjoys under the regime of capitulations. However, this effort creates serious problems in Greece’s bilateral relations with the Ottoman Empire and with Bulgaria in post-liberation period.
1821 in the History of Balkan Peoples (On the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution)
Based mainly on archival materials and sources from the 19th century, this chapter traces the for... more Based mainly on archival materials and sources from the 19th century, this chapter traces the formation of the Bulgarian national community in Salonica, where it happened with some delay. However, it fi t into the general processes of development of the Bulgarian communities in the Ottoman Empire. In the capital of the Ottoman province of Macedonia, the process of national emancipation of Bulgarians was complicated by a number of factors. Nevertheless, despite the strong Greek infl uence among the Bulgarians in Salonica, in the 1860s and 1870s, they emancipated themselves and created their fi rst institutions, which was an important step in process of formation of independent Bulgarian national community. Before the beginning of the Eastern crisis (1875–1878) Bulgarians became a visible part of the population of the port city. They created their own Church community, which after the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate was recognized by the authorities and maintained two primary...
Russia: A Look at the Balkans. Eighteenth - Nineteenth Centuries. On the 100th anniversary of Irina S. Dostyan's, 2021
The article analyses views of the Bulgarians and Greeks on the role of Russia in the Balkans. Per... more The article analyses views of the Bulgarians and Greeks on the role of Russia in the Balkans. Perception of the Russian plans in the region evoked expectations, hopes and fears among the Bulgarians and Greeks, which gradually developed into persistent stereotypes that still affect their relations with Russia. The essay discusses specific examples in which Slavic and anti-Slavic ideas are used for political purposes by the Bulgarian and Greek elites, respectively.
Uploads
Papers