Territories

Bessarabia, a historical region between the Prut and Dniester rivers, now part of the Republic of Moldova and southern Ukraine, is one of the most significant centres of the Bulgarian diaspora beyond Bulgaria's ethnic boundaries. From the late eighteenth century, the region became a refuge for thousands of Bulgarians who left their homeland in search of freedom, land and a new beginning. After the Russo-Turkish wars of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, particularly the war of 1806–1812, the Russian Empire occupied Bessarabia and actively encouraged Orthodox Slavs to settle in the region.

Budjak is a historical and geographical region between the Dniester and Danube rivers and the northern Black Sea coast. Today, it lies within Ukraine's Odesa region and partly in Moldova, but over the centuries it has played an important role in Bulgarian history, particularly during the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, Ottoman rule and the Bulgarian National Revival. The earliest known Bulgarian traces in Budjak date to Khan Asparuh in the seventh century.

Eastern Rumelia was an autonomous province established in southern Bulgaria under the Treaty of Berlin of 1878, which existed until its Unification with the Principality of Bulgaria in 1885. Its territory was defined in the Treaty of Berlin: bounded to the east by the Black Sea, its northern frontier followed the Balkan Mountains, descended towards the Topolnitsa River, passed east of Samokov and reached the Black Sea north of Tsarevo. Eastern Rumelia was an Ottoman province combining extensive self-government with financial obligations to the Ottoman Empire and no right to an independent foreign policy.

Lerin, now known as Florina in northern Greece, is a town with deep historical roots and particular significance for Bulgarian history, especially during the Middle Ages and later periods. The territory around Lerin was inhabited by ancient Thracian tribes and later entered the Roman Empire's sphere. In the early Middle Ages, after the Roman Empire broke apart, the area came under Byzantine control.

Moesia is the name Roman authors used for the ancient historical region and province on the southern bank of the Danube. Its name derives from the Thracian tribe of the Moesi. The region includes territories now lying within Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia.

Pannonia is an ancient region in Central Europe, roughly corresponding to modern Hungary, eastern Austria, northern Croatia, western Serbia and parts of Slovenia. For centuries, it was a strategic crossroads between the barbarian world and Roman civilisation, and between the Latin West and the Slavic and Turkic East. As early as the first century BC, the Romans turned their attention to this strategically situated, resource-rich region.

Prespa was one of Bulgaria's most significant historical and cultural centres in the final period of the First Bulgarian Empire, particularly during the reign of Tsar Samuel (997–1014). This region, situated in present-day North Macedonia, was a centre of political power, culture and religion in the western part of the Bulgarian state. Prespa lies in the western Balkan Peninsula, in the valley between the Jakupica and Šar Mountains.

Sredets is a historical region centred on Bulgaria's modern capital, Sofia. This territory has played a key role in Bulgarian history since the early Middle Ages, passing through various periods of development, rule and events connected with the Bulgarian state. The area around Sredets formed part of the Bulgarian lands from the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire by Khan Asparuh in 681.

The Belgrade region, in modern Serbia around the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, was an important strategic territory on the western periphery of the First Bulgarian Empire. During the tenth and eleventh centuries, it repeatedly came under Bulgarian control, most significantly under Tsar Peter I (927–969) and Tsar Samuel (997–1014). The Belgrade region encompasses lands along the middle course of the Morava, the Toplica River and the modern area of Belgrade, strategically situated where the Sava joins the Danube.

The Kastoria region, known in Bulgarian as Kostursko, around the modern town of Kastoria in north-western Greece, holds a special place in Bulgarian history and cultural memory. Despite its present political affiliation, for centuries it formed an integral part of the Bulgarian ethnic, linguistic and spiritual sphere. In the tenth century, under Tsar Samuel (997–1014), the Kastoria region was incorporated into the First Bulgarian Empire.

Morava is a region along the valley of the Great Morava, the largest river flowing entirely within modern Serbia. During the Middle Ages, the region occupied a key position in the struggle for influence between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Under Tsar Simeon the Great and, later, Tsar Samuel, it was an important part of Bulgarian territory and a military stronghold in the western part of the empire.

In the seventh century, Khan Kubrat succeeded in uniting numerous Bulgar tribes and founded Old Great Bulgaria, a powerful state extending from the areas around the North Caucasus to the lands between the Black and Caspian seas. Kubrat ruled Old Great Bulgaria until his death around 665. After his death, the state broke into several parts, and some Bulgar tribes settled permanently in the North Caucasus.