Tophane Agreement
Encyclopedia
The Tophane Agreement was a treaty between the Principality of Bulgaria
and the Ottoman Empire
signed on during an ambassadorial conference in Istanbul
. The agreement was named after the Istanbul neighborhood Tophane, located in Beyoğlu
district, where the treaty was signed.
Signed by the Ottoman Grand Vizier Mehmed Kamil Pasha
and the Bulgarian foreign minister Iliya Tsanov, as well the ambassadors of the Great Powers, the agreement recognized the Prince of Bulgaria (Alexander Batenberg at the time) as Governor-General of the autonomous Ottoman Province Eastern Rumelia
. In this way, the Unification of Bulgaria which had taken place on , was de facto recognized.
As compensation, the Ottoman Empire received the area around Kardzhali
, as well as the Republic of Tamrash
, for a total area of 1,640 km². With this treaty, the territory of the unified Bulgaria became 94,345 km². Bulgaria regained all the territory lost in this treaty during the First Balkan War
Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...
and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
signed on during an ambassadorial conference in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The agreement was named after the Istanbul neighborhood Tophane, located in Beyoğlu
Beyoglu
Beyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...
district, where the treaty was signed.
Signed by the Ottoman Grand Vizier Mehmed Kamil Pasha
Kibrisli Mehmed Kamil Pasha
Kâmil Pasha , also spelled as Kiamil Pasha was an Ottoman statesman of Turkish Cypriot origin in the late 19th century and early 20th century, who became, as aside regional or international posts within the Ottoman state structure, grand vizier of the Empire during four different periods.He was...
and the Bulgarian foreign minister Iliya Tsanov, as well the ambassadors of the Great Powers, the agreement recognized the Prince of Bulgaria (Alexander Batenberg at the time) as Governor-General of the autonomous Ottoman Province Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an administratively autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire and Principality of Bulgaria from 1878 to 1908. It was under full Bulgarian control from 1885 on, when it willingly united with the tributary Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution...
. In this way, the Unification of Bulgaria which had taken place on , was de facto recognized.
Kardzhali
Kardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam.-Geography:...
, as well as the Republic of Tamrash
Republic of Tamrash
The Republic of Tamrash was a short-lived self-governing administrative structure of the Pomaks, living in the Tamrash region of the Rhodope Mountains. It existed from 1878 to 1886.- Geography :...
, for a total area of 1,640 km². With this treaty, the territory of the unified Bulgaria became 94,345 km². Bulgaria regained all the territory lost in this treaty during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...