September 6, 1885 — Bulgaria Proclaims the Unification
On this day in 1885, the union of the Principality of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia was proclaimed in Plovdiv. The act overturned part of the Berlin Treaty settlement, which had divided Bulgarian lands after the Russo-Turkish War. Local activists, officers, and political figures in Eastern Rumelia moved decisively, and the provincial government was removed in a nearly bloodless action. The Unification was a bold national move made without prior approval from the Great Powers, and it soon had to be defended during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. September 6 later became one of Bulgaria’s most important public holidays, remembered as a moment when national initiative succeeded against difficult diplomatic odds.
September 6, 1916 — Bulgarian Forces Capture the Tutrakan Fortress
On this day in 1916, Bulgaria’s Third Army, commanded by General Stefan Toshev, captured the Tutrakan Fortress during World War I. The battle was part of the Dobruja campaign after Romania entered the war on the side of the Entente. Tutrakan was heavily fortified, and its fall became one of Bulgaria’s major military victories of the war. The success had both strategic and symbolic meaning because Southern Dobruja had been a painful issue in Bulgarian national politics since its loss after the Second Balkan War. The victory strengthened Bulgarian positions in the campaign and remains one of the most studied episodes of Bulgaria’s First World War military history.
Explore more of Bulgaria’s story on Bronicable, including our Bulgaria From Above series and our guides to the best of Bulgaria.
Continue with September 5 или September 7. For more stories and places, explore Bulgaria From Above and the guides in our Bulgaria category on Bronicable.
