During the 19th century, the Bulgarian national revival gained strength, especially in religion and culture. Bulgarians requested an independent national church because the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy wanted to maintain control over Bulgarian church affairs. The Greek Patriarchy refused all Bulgarian requests, trying to keep Bulgaria under its religious authority.
Interestingly, the Ottoman rulers did not stop the Bulgarian movement. In fact, they saw an independent Bulgarian Church as a way to control Bulgaria politically. In 1870, the Ottoman authorities officially recognized the Bulgarian request for an independent Church. This led to the creation of the Bulgarian Exarchate in 1871, organized by a Bulgarian National Synod (council) in Constantinople.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy immediately excommunicated the Bulgarian Exarchate, calling it schismatic. This split remained for decades and was not resolved until 1945, when both sides formally healed the breach. Despite these challenges, the Exarchate became a symbol of Bulgarian identity, giving Bulgarians control over religious and cultural matters in their own language Private Tour Istanbul.
Revolutionary Movements for Liberation
At the same time as the church revival, a revolutionary movement for political independence grew. Many Bulgarian revolutionaries operated from Romania, using it as a base to organize resistance against the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was weakening, and many Slavic peoples under Turkish rule began to rise for freedom.
One of the most famous uprisings occurred in 1876 in central Bulgaria. The revolt was brutally suppressed by the Ottomans. In the mountain towns of Batak and Perushtitsa, the Turks massacred thousands of Bulgarians. More than 1,000 people were burned alive in a church during the Batak massacre. These events shocked Europe and were widely reported as the “Bulgarian Massacres.”
International Response
News of the massacres drew the attention of England and Russia, who were both interested in controlling the strategic Balkan Straits, the key waterways of the eastern Mediterranean. The massacres created a diplomatic crisis. Both countries pressured the Ottoman Empire to make reforms and protect the Bulgarian population.
As a result, England and Russia proposed a plan to divide Bulgaria into two autonomous regions: an eastern and a western half. Each half was to govern itself locally, although still under nominal Ottoman control. This arrangement marked a step toward Bulgarian independence, laying the foundation for further political and national development in the coming years The Turkish Yoke.
