November 23, 1877 — Kozloduy Is Liberated from Ottoman Rule
On November 23, 1877, Kozloduy was liberated from Ottoman rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The town, located on the Danube, already held a special place in Bulgarian revolutionary memory because Hristo Botev and his detachment had landed nearby from the steamer Radetzky in 1876. Its liberation came after the fighting around Rahovo/Oryahovo and was carried out by Romanian forces operating within the wider Russian-led campaign. Romanian cavalry under Alexandru Perets entered Kozloduy, while Ottoman troops withdrew from the area. The event connected local history with the broader military advance that eventually led to Bulgaria’s restoration as an autonomous principality. For Kozloduy, the date became part of a layered memory: revolutionary sacrifice in 1876, liberation in 1877, and later national symbolism tied to Botev’s route.
November 23, 1923 — Bulgaria and the United States Sign a Naturalization Treaty
On November 23, 1923, Bulgaria and the United States signed a naturalization treaty in Sofia. The agreement regulated the status of people from either country who had acquired citizenship in the other through naturalization. It stated, in general terms, that Bulgarians naturalized in the United States would be treated by Bulgaria as having lost their former nationality, and that Americans naturalized in Bulgaria would be treated in the same way by the United States. The treaty also addressed issues such as military obligations and the possibility of returning to one’s country of origin. According to the U.S. Office of the Historian, it was the first treaty ever signed between the United States and Bulgaria. That gives the document significance beyond its technical legal subject: it marked an early formal step in Bulgarian-American relations.
Continue with November 22 or November 24. For more stories and places, explore Bulgaria From Above and the guides in our Bulgaria category on Bronicable.
