Today Is the 111th Anniversary of Bulgaria's Declaration of Independence

The 111th anniversary of Bulgaria's declaration of independence is celebrated today. On that day in 1908, Prince Ferdinand proclaimed that Bulgaria was no longer a vassal principality of the Ottoman Empire. The political and financial dependence imposed on Bulgarians by European powers through the Berlin Treaty remains in the past.

The independence of Bulgaria was formally proclaimed at the Holy Forty Matyrs Church in Tarnovo. As part of the proclamation, Ferdinand raised Bulgaria from a principality to a kingdom, increasing its international prestige. Ferdinand changed his title from knyaz (prince) to tsar (king), and the country would be ready to join the Balkan League and fight the Ottoman Empire in what would become the First Balkan War of 1912-1913.