The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) President, Evelina Slavcheva, stated that the April Uprising of 1876 represents the definitive start of the Bulgarian national revolution and should be recognized as such in global historiography. Speaking at an assembly marking 150 years since the event, and under the patronage of Vice President Iliana Iotova, the BAS President emphasized the Academy’s role in preserving national memory. Slavcheva stated that as the oldest institution of modern Bulgaria, the Academy committed itself to unifying the efforts of the scientific community, civic groups, local authorities, and state institutions in safeguarding this memory.
She characterized the 1876 events as the decisive beginning of the Bulgarian national revolution, aligning with historian Prof. Nikolay Genchev’s view that the uprising constituted a radical state-building act. According to this perspective, the subsequent participation of Bulgarian volunteers in the Russo-Turkish War was viewed not solely as an imperial conflict but as a direct reaction to the atrocities of the April Uprising.
Slavcheva noted that this context allowed “the state of Bulgaria [to] reappear on the map of Europe” after a prolonged period. The BAS President also detailed the deep connection between the Academy and the legacy of the uprising. She pointed out that many members of the Bulgarian Literary Society, the predecessor to the BAS, were both intellectual inspirations and direct participants in the planning and execution of the uprising.
She highlighted prominent chroniclers, including Stoyan Zaimov, Zahari Stoyanov, and Dimitar Strashimirov, emphasizing that their documentation proved the path to freedom was built through both action and writing. In conclusion, Slavcheva urged contemporary Bulgarian historians to follow the intellectual precedent set by Nikolay Genchev, advocating for the scientific and national resolve to affirm the April Uprising as the legitimate commencement of the Bulgarian national revolution within world scholarship.
Topics: #president #uprising #bulgarian
