| Kingdom of Bulgaria Царството на България Tsarstvoto na Bŭlgariya |
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| Motto: "Съединението прави силата" "Saedinenieto pravi silata" ("Unity makes strength") |
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| Capital | Sofia | ||||
| Official languages | Bulgarian | ||||
| Demonym | Bulgarian | ||||
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | ||||
| - | Tsar | Cyril I | |||
| - | Field Marshal | Vladimir Kostov | |||
| - | Prime Minister | Nikolay Barekov | |||
| Population | |||||
| - | census | 8,200,000 | |||
| GDP (nominal) | estimate | ||||
| - | Total | $563.4 billion | |||
| Currency | Lev | ||||
The Kingdom of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Царството на България, Tsarstvoto na Bŭlgariya) is a country in southeastern Europe. It borders Romania to the north, Greece to the east and Yugoslavia to the west,
The country is currently known as a "crossroads nation", having been influenced by the many civilizations that ruled it or have come into contact with it, namely the Bulgars (country's namesake), South Slavs, Ottomans, Germans and Russians. The country is also considered to have housed one of the beginning cradles of Slavic civilization, being the first to utilize the Cyrillic alphabet and having the old Slavic Orthodox Church.
The country is currently a member of the United Nations, CSTO and the Balkan Federation.
History[]
Marshal Hristo Lukov
World War II[]
During the Second World War, Bulgaria was left in a quagmire. Although Bulgarian leaders quivered at the idea of having to go to war against Russia again, but Nazi Germany and the Axis catered to Bulgarian national interests. Boris III therefore reluctantly joined the Axis, but with specific provisions forebidding Germany or the Axis from going to war against Russia or being used as an invasion base against Russia.
Bulgaria would invade Yugoslavia, but only stuck to territory it felt were part of Bulgaria. As the Allies emerged victorious, Boris III again, switched his alliance, and replaced Hristo Lukov with Vladimir Stoychev.
Cold War[]
During the Cold War, Bulgaria joined the Warsaw Pact. However, many of the Warsaw Pact states held deep distrust against the country, due to it switching sides "for personal interest". While the Russians enthusiastically welcomed the country into the Warsaw Pact, Poland's leaders were very skeptical. Yugoslavia too, rejected Bulgaria.
Under Russian influence, Bulgaria experienced its modernization, as it cooperated heavily with the other Warsaw Pact in the sciences and industry. As the economy of Bulgaria was largely-agrarian, the country became a participant in the Warsaw Pact's modernization program, connecting it to the rest of the Warsaw Pact.
The number of transit systems improved, funneling movement of goods to and between not only Balkan nations, but all the way into Russia, Poland and the rest of the Warsaw Pact. In addition, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church also changed its calendar to in-line with the other Orthodox factions.
Many Bulgarians also were part of the Imperiya space program with Roscosmos. Georgi Ivanov became the first Bulgarian cosmonaut into outer space. Many Bulgarian scientists and cosmonauts worked in Russia as overseas, and under the Warsaw Pact Prosperity Program, returned to Bulgaria using their capital.
In addition, the country opened to Russian gas companies exploiting its natural gas resources. For the first time in its history, Bulgarians experienced wealth and success, with the massive growth of towns into cities and urban centers and increased birth rates.
Tumultuous Era - 1990s[]
During the 1990s, the Eastern Bloc was becoming threatened by democratic revolutions and the such, and marked the rise of pro-Western parties and groups across the country. The Bulgarian economy, which had been very reliant on Russia via the Warsaw Pact, causing for pro-Western and pro-European sentiments across the country. Therefore, the Bulgarian government started to foment close ties with other nations, mostly the Western countries and like its Yugoslavian neighbor, flirted with the West and signed a partnership with NATO and the European Union. Bulgaria increased its economic and political relations with Greece, which during the Tumultous 1990s, many people saw as an alternative to Russia.
Most of the modern history of Bulgaria is fairly quiet, and quite proseprous. In 2004, Bulgaria, alongside with Yugoslavia, joined the CSTO and the Vostok Bloc under the leadership of Prime Minister Georgi Parvanov.
Economy[]
Bulgaria's economy can be compared to what OTL Israel is, but wealthier. In spite of the small population, Bulgaria's economy has been ranked as being healthy, quite prosperous. It is a member of the Balkan Economic Federation, with Yugoslavia and Greece. and the Vostok Bloc, which not only includes Yugoslavia and Romania, but also most of the other Slavic countries.
In spite of having cash crops, tourism and services have been an extremely important source of revenue for the Bulgarian economy. The Bulgarian coasts have been transformed into beachside locations. It is a member of the Vostok Bloc. however, like most Balkan nations, is very reliant on foreign trade, with over 74% of businesses in Bulgaria being foreign-owned, namely companies from Greece, Russia, Germany, China, Yugoslavia, Japan and the United States The growth in Bulgarian wealth has been owed to the number of visa-free travel transit routes to the surrounding countries, a phenominon also seen in Yugoslavia.
In addition, reliance on OFWs in high in Bulgaria, with most wealthy Bulgarians finding their wealth and fortune overseas, with the top destinations for OFWs being Greece, Russia, Germany, France and the United States. In 2020, Forbes estimated that 79% of Bulgarian wealth was accumulated outside of the country. Bulgaria currently ranks the third-highest recipient of remittances from OFW, third only to Albania and Yugoslavia.
Politics[]
Bulgaria currently runs on a constitutional monarchy. The King, known as the "Tsar" in the nation, is considered the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of Government. The current ruling nobility is the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. By law, the monarchial Head of State is to be Bulgarian Orthodox.
The Tsar however, has become more-so a courtesy and figurehead title, due to the distrust of an absolute monarchy after World War I and II, and the country has truly chosen a democratic path. The Prime Minister is the one that truly contains civil powers. The Prime Minister is elected every six years in the Parliamentary elections. However, the Saxe-Coburg-Gothas have retained their prominence by becoming wealthy entrepreneurs of the nation, and accumulating their wealth elsewhere.
Like other monarchies, the Bulgarian state is divided between the Senate and the Assembly. The Senate is more-so a figurehead body, containing the nobilities and elites, while the Assembly is the true governing body of Bulgaria.
Unlike other constitutional monarchies, the Bulgarian state currently allows for political parties, as long as they don't contain anti-monarchist stances.
Sports[]
The most popular sports in Bulgaria are football (soccer), basketball, horseback riding and weight-lifting. Bulgaria is part of the Worldwide Equestrian Alliance, as horseback-riding is very popular due to the agrarian culture. In the recent of days, mixed-martial-arts and boxing and combat sports have also become very popular in Bulgaria, as the country touts itself as being the "Prussian Balkans", with a history of constantly being prone to wars and the such. However, with the peace that Bulgaria has enjoyed in the modern days, this is more-so folklore and tradition.
Nobility and hierarchy[]
King of Bulgaria[]
Kiril Simeonov Sakskoburgotski, the current King of Bulgaria
The King of Bulgaria, known officially as the "Tsar", is the highest noble title one can attain. The King is currently the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Currently, the ruling nobility bearing the title of King of Bulgaria is the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. However, the King of Bulgaria is mostly a figurehead position.
Crown Princes/Crown Princesses[]
The next-highest are Crown Princes and Crown Princesses, for these are the direct descendants of the King and Queen-Consort of Bulgaria. They bear the titles Prince of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: княз на България) and Princess of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Кинагиня на България) respectively.
Prince/Princesses[]
These are distinct from the Crown Princes and Crown Princesses, namely that they do not belong to the ruling houses, and instead, rule the many principalities across Bulgaria.
Barons/Baronesses[]
This title is fairly recent, having only been introducing during the Cold War, by descendants of Prussian migrants.
Religious law[]
Although Freedom of Religion is guaranteed for regular citizens, by law, all established nobilities in Bulgaria must be Bulgarian Orthodox, in order to be legally recognized as such.
Royal houses outside of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha[]
As of right now, other princely houses in Bulgaria are mostly of German origin, namely the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Hesse and Württemberg. Like in most modern-day constitutional monarchies, the majority of these maintain their powers via business, or public services such as the military.
Military[]
The Royal Armed Forces of Bulgaria is divided into the Royal Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Guards.. Most of its military utilizes mostly Russian, Yugoslav and Ukrainian military equipment, as the latter two are the largest defense exporters to Bulgaria. Service in the Bulgarian military is compulsory, with citizens aged-17 and over requiring to serve a minimum of two years. Although a relatively small military, the Bulgarian military follows an asymmetric warfare, and a doctrine of OTE Israel Defense Forces and is considered an advanced military.
Bulgaria's Royal Air Force operates both Russian Sukhoi and the Yugoslav Soko J-Orao series, and its air defense employs the Russian S-300 and S-400 systems. It domestically produces the S-300 and S-400 missiles under licence. The Royal Navy operates the Russian Sovremenny-class destroyers, and the Steregushchiy-class corvette.
In regards to national defense, the Bulgarian state has also adopted the "Balkan doctrine" and small-unit warfare, putting their emphases on skilled small and mobile forces, a lesson learned from World War II. Therefore, as small as the Bulgarian military is, it is considered one of the most well-trained forces in the world.
Religion[]
Eastern Orthodoxy, particularly the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, is the most-followed religion in the country as well as the oldest Slavic Orthodox Church. While the Constitution of Bulgaria guarantees Freedom of Religion, the nation considers itself an Orthodox Christian state, the Tsar, Prime Minister and Defense Minister must all be professing Bulgarian Orthodox.
Bulgarian Orthodox holidays are considered national holidays in the country.
This accounts for 80% of the population, with a 16% irreligious and 4% Muslim population, known as "Pomaks".