6000 B.C.

Neolithic settlements on the territory of present-day Bulgaria.

2^nd Millennium B.C.

Thracian civilization encompasses the region.

8^th-6^th century B.C.

Thracians mentioned in Greek epics.

336-323 B.C.

Alexander the Great of Macedonia creates a great Hellenic empire, which includes Bulgaria.

3^rd century B.C.

Celtic invasion from Central Europe.

46 A.D.

Thrace becomes Roman province after two and a half centuries of military attacks.

5^th century

Roman Empire begins to crumble in the face of invading barbarian tribes, including the Slavs and Bulgarians on the territory of present day Bulgaria.

681

Han Asparouh, the Bulgarians leader, defeats the defending Byzantine army, already weakened by Slav incursions, at the Danube and takes the Bulgarian territory. He goes on to establish the First Bulgarian Kingdom with its capital in Pliska.

855 or 862-863

Byzantine missionaries Cyril And Methodius create the 1^st Slavic alphabet, the Glagolic to give the Slavs and Bulgarians an unified language and to assist in their adoptions of Christianity.

866

Boris I converts to the Christianity and begins the conversion of the Bulgarian people.

893

Pliska at the height under Tsar Simeon (893-927) covered not only present day Bulgaria but also Serbia and Macedonia and part of Northern Greece.
Simeon I comes to power and the capital moves from Pliska to Preslav.

927

Capital moves to Ohrid in present day Macedonia.

1018-1187

Bulgaria is incorporated into the Byzantine Empire.

1218-1241

The zenith of the IInd Bulgarian Kingdom under Ivan Assen II with its capital in Veliko Turnovo, when it reaches the Adriatic and Aegean Seas.

1393-1898

Bulgaria becomes part of the Ottoman Empire. A dark age for Bulgarian cultural development.

1762

Beginning of the Bulgarian cultural renaissance (known as National Revival) marked by Father Paissy’s Slav-Bulgarian History. In this period Bulgarians rediscover their cultural heritage and their own language. There are many armed uprisings against the Ottomans and many massacres.

1877

Russia declares war on Turkey.

3^rd March 1878

Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. The Treaty of San Stefano, in which Bulgaria was supported to regain its former territories including Macedonia.

13 July 1878

Treaty of Berlin in which the great powers take away 2/3 of the territorial gains accorded by the San Stefano Treaty.

1878

Prince Alexander of Battenberg arrives to take charge of Bulgaria at the age of 22.

1879

Sofia becomes capital.

6 September 1885

Unification of Eastern Rumelia with the Principality of Bulgaria.

1886

Alexander Battenberg is dethroned.

1886-1918

Prince Ferdinand I of Saxe-Coburg Gotha is elected Prince.

22 September 1908

Declaration of Independence (from Ottoman rule). Prince Ferdinand becomes Tsar Ferdinand.

17 October 1912

East Balkan War: Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece against Turkey.

1913

II Balkan War. Bulgaria defeated by Serbia, Greece, Romania and Turkey, Ioses territory on all sides.

10 August 1913

Peace treaty in Bucharest - the territory of Macedonia was partitioned into three parts among Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.

24 August 1915

Bulgaria signs a military pact with Germany and Austro-Hungary.

14 October 1915

Bulgaria enters WWI on the German side, in the hope of reclaiming its lost territories.

29 September 1918

Bulgaria surrenders to the Allies.

late 1918

Peasant led 'Agrarian' government takes control.

1918-1943

A time of instability under Tsar Boris III.

27 November 1919

Peace Treaty of Neuilly in which Bulgaria loses land on all sides to Serbia, Romania and Greece.

June 1923

Bloody military coup deposes Agrarian government.

1934

Government of 'national regeneration' installed by military coup.

1935

Czar Boris establishes quasi-fascist royal dictatorship.

15 September 1939

Bulgaria declares neutrality in World War II.

21 September 1940

Bulgarian Army enters South Dobrudja.

1 March 1941

Bulgaria signs Axis Tripartite Pact.

3 March 1941

Bulgarian bases used by German forces for the invasion of Greece.

13 December 1941

Bulgaria enters World War II on the side of Germany.

1941

The Bulgarian military forces invade and occupy Macedonia, Thrace and South Dobrudja.

1943

Tsar Boris dies (was virulent probably) and his son in 6 year old Simeon becomes Tsar (In present day Bulgaria Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha is Minister chairman).

5 September 1944

Russia declares war on Bulgaria.

6 September 1944

Bulgaria declares war on Germany.

9 September 1944

Soviet army crosses into Bulgaria: Sofia invaded by partisans who arrest the monarchy and the government.

1945

Control of Macedonia transferred to Yugoslavia, of Thrace to Greece and of South Dobruja to Romania

9 September 1946

Establishment of People’s Republic of Bulgaria with its leader Georgi Dimitrov.

15 September 1946

8 years old Tsar Simeon and his family leave Bulgaria for exile.

1947

People's Republic of Bulgaria established

December 1948

5^th Congress of the communist Party imposes a Soviet model on the country’s future development.

1949

Georgi Dimitrov dies and is replaced by Vulko Chervenkov.

1954

Todor Zhivkov is elected Ist secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

10 November 1989

Todor Zhivkov is deposed. Replaced by Peter Mladenov.

18 November 1989

UDF (Union of Democratic Forces) is formed from 16 opposition political organizations.

January 1990

Andrej Lukanov former member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, announced as Prime Minister.

October 1991

UDF wins the elections with Filip Dimitrov as Prime Minister only to resign and be replaced by a caretaker government under Lyuben Berov.

December 1994

BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) wins elections with Jan Videnov as PM.

1996

Hyper inflation cripples the country. It reaches 579 %.

January 1997

Mass street protects against the government, parliament is attacked and unrest and strikes continues until February 4^th when the Socialist government announces its resignation. Stefan Sofiyanski (now mayor of Sofia) manages a caretaker government.

April 1997

UDF government, led by Ivan Kostov wins parliamentary elections. A period of relative Stability ensues. Currency is Stabilized by an agreement with the IMF establishing a currency board in Bulgaria.

June 2001

There is all-round incredulity when Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, Tsar in exile, arrives in the country only 2 months before the parliamentary elections and forms a party which manages to win the majority vote.

November 2002

Bulgaria receives its invitation to join NATO in 2004.

December 2002

Bulgarian receives a road map to join the EU with a probable date of 2007.

2 April 2004

Bulgaria joins NATO.

12 January 2005

Bulgaria and Romania will sign their accession treaties with the European Union on April 25. Romania and Bulgaria completed tough membership negotiations with the European Union that will bring them into the EU in April 2007, although EU leaders did not specify a date.

25 April 2005

Should be inked treaty for join to EU. The probable date is 1 January 2007.

01 January 2007

Bulgaria become a member of European Union.