IN DEFENSE OF THE NATIONAL INTERESTS: THE DIPLOMATIC MISSION OF D. TSANKOV AND M. BALABANOV IN 1876–1877

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the issue of the diplomatic mission of Dragan Tsankov and Marko Balabanov in 1876–1877. First of all, it was not an individual but a collective initiative to represent Bulgarian interests in Western European countries. In order not to arouse suspicion among the Turkish authorities, D. Tsankov and M. Balabanov traveled separately, agreeing to meet in Vienna, where the diplomatic visits began. The diplomats visited Vienna, London, Paris and Rome, and then went to the capital of the Russian Empire. Among the European countries, the trip to England was the most successful, and after that the attention of both the European press and influential people increased to the Bulgarian representatives. But, in addition to the great powers in Europe, the diplomats also enlisted the support of St. Petersburg. The work of D. Tsankov and M. Balabanov had several positive results for Bulgaria: Bulgarian events were reflected in the world press; extensive political activity in the capitals of Western European countries and Russia was crowned with success and recognition of existing problems; the delegates enlisted the support of European politicians, which was extremely important before the conference of the great powers in Constantinople. Despite the lack of official credentials and attempts to discredit the Bulgarian delegates by the Turkish authorities, it is safe to say that the delegation of Tsankov and Balabanov was the largest and most important diplomatic action in the history of the Bulgarian national liberation movement in terms of content, scale, and consequences.