The Bulgarian History Podcast

As the young Abdulmejid I takes the throne, he has to immediately contend with the "Eastern Crisis" of 1840. Meanwhile, he launches the Tanzimat reforms, kicking off a continuation of his fathers reforms which trigger yet more revolts in Bulgaria and beyond. Now, more than ever, these revolts are being spearheaded by a growing young class of professional revolutionaries. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Bu...

As the Bulgarian National Revival ramps up with more and more books being published, rebellions break out throughout the Balkans. Mahmud's reforms trigger elites angry about their status being threatened and Balkan Christians angry the reforms are not being implemented. Meanwhile, Sultan Mahmud II is feeling confident that his reformed military can take on the Egyptians. Supporters like you make t...

In the aftermath of the fighting over Greece's independence, we take a moment to reflect on the stage being set for Bulgaria in the 19th century: the great power politics, mismatch between political dreams and realities, and changing Ottoman reality. Meanwhile, Egypt make a move to form an Empire and the Ottomans find an unlikely ally. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.pa...

As the Greek situation in their war of independence looks worse and worse, Sultan Mahmud II finally executes his masterstroke to begin reforming the Empire. But, with European sentiments towards the Greeks and Ottomans changing, the geopolitics of the Balkans are about to change dramatically. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the...

Following Serbia's successful revolt, the Greeks no see whether they can overcome the Ottoman military and Europe's newfound anti-revolutionary conservatism to gain their independence. Meanwhile, new wealth, stability, and writings are laying the groundwork for the Bulgarian National Revival. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the...

With the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the European powers are defining a new way to relate to one another. Alongside this new "concert of Europe" comes a new distaste for revolutionary anti-Ottoman movements. In this new context, the Second Serbian Uprising will rise with a new leader and aim to fulfill at least some of the promises of the first. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire itself will finally be...

As the Serbian Uprising and the Napoleonic Wars rage, shifting alliances create new geopolitical realities before anyone can adapt. Meanwhile, the Ottomans frantically try to reform themselves to survive in this fast-changing world. Amidst the chaos, a new Sultan comes to power who may just have what it takes. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistory...

This episode recaps the second half of Season 5, beginning with the 1683 Battle of Vienna and following how the 18th century fundamentally reshaped the Ottoman Empire as the central government lost power to the Janissaries and local Ayans as the Ottomans gradually lost territory. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks...

This episode recaps the first half of Season 5, beginning from the death of Suleiman and covering the long Ottoman wars with the Habsburgs, Safavids, Russians, and Principalities. In the process, we see how the Empire weakens as the Sultans lose power and the Janissaries gain it. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks...

As the Ottomans struggle to fight Janissary supremacy and rampant banditry within their own borders, the twists and turns of the Napoleonic Wars are throwing redrawing the map of Europe. In the midst of it all, new alliances will be created as the Serbs fight to gain their independence. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great...

With internal rebellions and powerful empires at the gates, the Ottomans are looking weaker than ever. However, the entrance of a certain Napoleon Bonaparte onto the stage will reshape the entire European world, Ottomans included. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks you can get for supporting us. You can find images...

As war between the Ottomans and the powerful Russian Empire intensifies, the resulting treaty will help redefine the Ottoman place in Europe and set in motion a set of Russian ambitions that defines Europe even today. Bulgaria for its part will find a new direction to look for aid as abuse at the hands of local Ottoman officials intensifies. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out...

The longest ever period of peace between the Ottomans and the European powers comes to an end just as Ottoman decentralization and increasing religious conservatism are making life unbearable for many Bulgarians. The resulting war will yet again reshape the Ottoman world, but will it bring any respite for Bulgaria? Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhi...

For the first all, all of the neighboring empires of the Ottomans decide it's time to strike the weakened power. Meanwhile, further state decentralization is bringing abuses of power and unrest to Bulgarian lands as the groundwork for the coming national revival is slowly laid. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks yo...

Following the devastating losses of the Treaty if Karlowitz, the Ottomans enter a period of sumptuous consumption which begins to reshape the Empire politically, economically, and administratively. But the rest of the world isn't holding still as events quickly reshape the world to the East, bringing new wars to the Ottoman doorstep. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patr...

In the aftermath of the Treaty of Karlowitz, the Ottomans have suffered perhaps the greatest series of setbacks in their history. With a new Sultan on the throne, the question of whether and how they can recover hangs in the air. It's the year 1700 and the world is changing fast. But, can the Ottomans change with it? Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarian...

As the Austrian army closes in on Bulgarian lands, uprisings begin anew. But will the inspiration of men like Petar Parchevich and Petar Bogdan be enough? And when this long series of wars with the Ottomans finally comes to an end, what new world will emerge? In short, some things will change forever while others will stay exactly the same... Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out...

As the Great Turkish War expands and intensifies, the Ottomans are pushed back on nearly every front. Greece and Hungary see historic changes as palace intrigue struggles to cope with the disasters facing the Ottomans. But is it all enough for a new Bulgarian uprising to find success? Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great p...

Despite a recent failed attack on Austria, Ottoman support for Protestant Hungarian Rebels against the Austrians has made war inevitable. As the largest Ottoman army ever assembled arrives at the gates of Vienna, the most consequential clash in a century begins. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks you can get for su...

As the Venetian war in Crete winds down, new ones pop up with the Hapsburgs, Poles, and Russians. The Ottomans, led by the Köprülü Viziers are still expanding their territory and reforming themselves, but how long can it last as the pressures of a changing Europe make themselves felt on the Ottoman world? Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodca...

One of the most devastating wars in European history is coming to an end, shaping the continent for centuries to come. At the same time, a new state is rising on the Ottoman frontier, a great European power is in terminal decline, murder and intrigue are ravaging the palace, and a new dynasty is stepping up to rule the Empire. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com...

An Ottoman governor goes rogue and starts a war, the Sultan marches East at the head of his army for the first time in decades, and palace intrigue threatens everyone alike. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks you can get for supporting us. You can find images for this episode at: https://www.bghistorypodcast.com/po...

As the dynamic young Sultan Osman II tried to reform the Empire, it turns out the Empire would rather not be reformed. Rebellions, invasions, corruption, and murder follow as the Ottoman Empire continues its struggle to modernize in a fast changing world. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypodcast to see the great perks you can get for supportin...

The Ottomans are being challenged by the Spanish on the seas, by the Safavids in the East, and by a chaotic political situation in the Balkans. Meanwhile, the Sultanate will experience an unprecedented transition of power and two mad men will lead whole regions of the Ottoman world into an uncertain future. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bulgarianhistorypod...

From taxes and the army to trade and the economy, the Ottoman Empire is changing. In the first half of this episode, we go over those changes as the 17th century finally dawns. Then, we see the Ottomans face a two front war as rebellions continue to tear the world apart as the Empires desperately search for some stability. Supporters like you make this podcast happen! Check out www.patreon.com/bul...