Eastern Rumelia

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. Its administration was regulated by the Treaty of Berlin and the Organic Statute. A governor-general appointed by the Porte governed jointly with the Provincial Assembly, whose members were partly appointed and partly elected by the population. A movement for unification emerged, involving Exarch Joseph and others, opposing the division of the Bulgarian lands. This mass movement also sought complete Bulgarian administration and encountered resistance from the Greek and Muslim communities. The tensions led to uprisings, including those around Haskovo and Aytos.