The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-01-02
Bulgaria, For Third Time,
Has Risen To World pouer

Greek general John Tsymich. took to
Constantinople the crown Of the enemy
OF the ByZantines, Boris H., and de-
prived Damian, the Bulgarian Pa
triarch. of his see.
Bulgaria, at that time, lacked far
seeing statesmen. She became a selfish
power within herself and against all
others. There was competition for
emolument within herself and the
B~yzantines did not find great dificulty
In destroying this disorganized state
In the year 1913, the Emperor Basil,
OF Byzantium, known as Slayer of the
Bulgarians," put a n end to Bulgarian
existence, particularly in the west, to-
ward the Adriatic. This war continued
for % years. n then for 107 years
Bulgaria and the Bulgarians remained
under the rule of the Byzantines.
Weakness Develops.
Byzantiun, however, was weak in
herself. She did not continue in a
position to cope with dangerous and
difficult problems. since her own rulers
were not firmly fixed upon their seats
and because Of Internal %jealousies ane
discussions. Here 1t was said that
graft weakened h Byzantines, just as
it is said to have made their success
sors, the Turks. weak in the present
war with the Balkan allies.
Dollars Asen and Peter, descendants
of the first Tsars OF Bulgaria, made a
successful revolution in Tirnovo in the
early part of the 18th century, obtained
independence Of the Bulgars and pro-
claimed the second Bulgarian empire.
Asen I n his successors, notably
Asen II, generally increased the pow
ers n territory of the second Bull
garia, waging victorious wars with the
Greeks and the Crusaders and extend
ing the boundaries Of the empire still
more widely han in the time Of Boris
III. They annexed Moesia, Thracia,
Macedonia and Albania as far as Dur
azzo, which is now the Adriatic port Of
contention between the Servians and
the Austrians.
But the second Bulgarian empire was
as weak as the first in lacking my
definite state policy. Apparently its
leaders were fighting for aggrandize-
ment without knowing why. They
formed no alliance. There was no
higher inspiration han rehabilitation
and revenge which prompted their war
like moves. Therefore, it was in the
sive when the throne vas held by a
strong and aggressive tsar and weak
and ineffectual when the ruler was in
capable.
The unstable internal condition Of the
country was aggravated by the many
wars and expeditions which were car
rfed on without definite purpose. These
weakened it and prepared it for catas-
trophe. These facts led to the estab-
lishment of a strong Servian kingdom,
which made it's capital at Uskub. I'M
der the Servian Tsar Doushan, in the
first half Of the 14th century. This
division Of owe made it easy for the
Turks TO q Bulgaria and later
the whole Balkan peninsula.
Bulgaria then disappeared as an in
dependent nation for five centuries, I'M
til the domination of the Turkish en-
pire was broken down by the efforts
of the Russians and the Roumanians
Then the Berlin treaty gave Bulgaria
practical liberty, and in 1908 Ferdin-
ond declared the absolute independence
of the Bulgarians and proclaimed him
self tsar. Until then he had been a
prince. The title tsar is clearly traced
trough 1900 wears from Caesar. One
form of 1T is kaiser.
For nearly 400 years the Bulgarians
ave been preparing for the war with
Tnrkev. The result of his training is
zen in the third appearance of the
~reat Bulgarian empire under Tsa1
] ferdinand.