page_title: Principality of Bulgaria
section_title: Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
hierarchical_section_title: Principality of Bulgaria / 20th century / Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
caption_attribution_description: Flag of the Bulgarian rebels in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising. Since 1946 the flag has been kept in the National Museum of Military History in Bulgaria. Flag of the insurgents from Ohrid /79/ Made from double red silk fabric with dimensions 94x78 cm. Face side shows upright crowned lion stepping upon a crescent. Around him it is written [In Bulgarian]: "God is with us. Forward, brothers! The victory is ours. Ohrid, 1903." Left and Right of the lion shown are lyrics from Hristo Botev. On the back side of the fabric the is a figure of dark haired young woman holding a sword in her right hand and the tri-color with a slogan "Freedom or Death". Next to her: lion standing on the enemy's flag. The woman is stepping on broken slave chains and battle axes. On the side there is the sign: "Macedonia, 2nd region, area 6". The flag was made by Ohrid teachers Polyxena Mosinova, Vasilka Razmova, Klia Samadzhieva and Kostadina Bojadvieva /80/. It is blessed by father Vasil Popangelov, organizer of the uprising in Dolna Deburca, in front of 600 insurgents and peasants on 23 July 1903 in Visloec, Ohrid region. There are insurgents present from Kuratitza, Brezhani, Plake and Oleinitza. The ritual is concluded when insurgents go under the flag hats down and kiss it. In the end of the ceremony Hristo Uzunov and Anton Keckarov hold speeches. The flag is given to Uzunov and he leads his squad in the Ohrid, Debar and Struga regions. Since 1946 the flag is kept in the Musem of Military History in Sofia
context_page_description: The Principality of Bulgaria was a de facto independent, and de jure vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878.
  After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed by Russia and the Ottoman Empire on 3 March 1878. Under this, a large Bulgarian vassal state was agreed to, which was significantly larger: its lands encompassed nearly all ethnic Bulgarians in the Balkans, and included most of Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia, stretching from the Black Sea to the Aegean. However, the United Kingdom and Austria-Hungary were against the establishment of such a large Russian client state in the Balkans, fearing it would shift the balance of power in the Mediterranean. Due to this, the great powers convened and signed the Treaty of Berlin, superseding the Treaty of San Stefano, which never went into effect. This created a much smaller principality, alongside an autonomous Eastern Rumelia within the Ottoman Empire.
  Although an Ottoman vassal, Bulgaria only acknowledged the authority of the Sublime Porte in a formal way.
context_section_description: The main external political problem confronting Bulgaria throughout the period up to World War I was the fate of Macedonia and Eastern Thrace. At the end of 19th century the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization was founded and began the preparation of an armed uprising in the regions still occupied by the Ottoman Turks. Relying in part on nationwide support on the part of the Principality of Bulgaria, IMARO got down to organizing a network of committees in Macedonia and Thrace. In August 1903 a mass armed uprising, known in history as the Ilinden-Preobrajenie, broke out in Macedonia and Thrace. Its aim was to liberate those regions, or at least to draw the attention of the Great Powers and make them advocate for the improvement of the living conditions for the population through legal and economic reforms. After three months of fierce battles the Ottoman army crushed the uprising using much cruelty against the civilian population.
caption: An IMARO banner
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