Country history · Europe

History of Bulgaria

33 recorded states lay in what is now Bulgaria, from Apollonia Pontica (610 BCE) to Bulgaria. 3 of them have a full profile, and 11 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)11 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

7th century BCE

  1. Apollonia Pontica610 BCE – 72 BCE · city state

6th century BCE

  1. Odessos585 BCE – 72 BCE · city state
  2. Kingdom of Paeonia535 BCE – 217 BCE · kingdom
  3. Getae514 BCE – 82 BCE · tribal confederation
  4. Mesembria510 BCE – 72 BCE · city state
  5. Bessi500 BCE – 29 BCE · tribal confederation
  6. Maedi500 BCE – 80 BCE · tribal confederation
  7. Triballi500 BCE – 29 BCE · tribal confederation

5th century BCE

  1. Odrysian Kingdom480 BCE – 46 CE · profile

4th century BCE

  1. Kingdom of Lysimachus306 BCE – 281 BCE · kingdom
  2. Moesi300 BCE – 29 BCE · tribal confederation

3rd century BCE

  1. Kingdom of Tylis277 BCE – 212 BCE · kingdom

1st century BCE

  1. Kingdom of Dacia82 BCE – 106 CE · kingdom

7th century

  1. Seven Slavic Tribes600 CE – 681 CE · tribal confederation
  2. Severians (Balkan)600 CE – 681 CE · tribal confederation
  3. Smolyani600 CE – 837 CE · tribal confederation
  4. Strymonians615 CE – 800 CE · tribal confederation
  5. First Bulgarian Empire681 CE – 1018 CE · profile

8th century

  1. Timočani700 CE – 818 CE · tribal confederation

12th century

  1. Second Bulgarian Empire1185 CE – 1396 CE · profile

13th century

  1. Despotate of Melnik1207 CE – 1230 CE · principality

14th century

  1. Despotate of Dobruja1325 CE – 1388 CE · principality
  2. Tsardom of Vidin1356 CE – 1396 CE · kingdom
  3. Despotate of Serres1365 CE – 1371 CE · principality
  4. Lordship of Dejanović1371 CE – 1395 CE · principality

18th century

  1. Pashalik of Vidin1794 CE – 1807 CE · other

19th century

  1. Eastern Rumelia1878 CE – 1885 CE · other
  2. Principality of Bulgaria1878 CE – 1908 CE · principality
  3. Republic of Tamrash1878 CE – 1886 CE · republic

20th century

  1. Strandzha Commune1903 CE – 1903 CE · republic
  2. Kingdom of Bulgaria1908 CE – 1946 CE · kingdom
  3. People's Republic of Bulgaria1946 CE – 1990 CE · republic
  4. Bulgaria1990 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Balkans and Hungary → States of Greece and the Aegean → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Bulgaria. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/bulgaria
MLA
“History of Bulgaria.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/bulgaria. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Bulgaria.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/bulgaria.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Bulgaria’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/bulgaria (Accessed: ).