Bregovo Incident

The Bregovo Incident, also called the Bregovo Crisis or Bregovo Question, was an incidental battle between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria that caused a lasting deterioration in their relations. It concerned disagreement over which country should possess the lands around the Timok River, the natural border between the two states. The dispute arose because the settlement of the Principality of Bulgaria's western borders was delayed. This delay resulted from Serbia's refusal to accept the decisions of the European Delimitation Commission, taken under Articles 2 and 36 of the Treaty of Berlin. Serbia insisted that the border in the Kula area should follow the old bed of the Timok, which had formed the former Ottoman–Serbian border, while Bulgaria insisted that the border should follow the river's course as determined by the commission. During these negotiations, Serbian military forces occupied a number of Bulgarian territories. Moreover, the river itself shifted farther west in an area called Kralska Livada. A Serbian military base stood there, which the Serbs were unwilling to remove. To dislodge the Serbian troops from their post, the Bulgarians attacked the base.

The military post in the western part of Kralska Livada was captured by the Bulgarians, forcing the Serbian soldiers to withdraw from the area. In response, Serbia repeatedly threatened war, eventually breaking its peace treaty with Bulgaria and withdrawing its representative from Sofia.