“I’M TIRED ALREADY” – PROBLEMS AND MISTAKES IN THE BUILDING OF THE NETWORK OF BULGARIAN TRADE AGENCIES IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY
Études balkaniques (Sofia) 2025, N 4, pp. 900-927, DOI: https://doi.org/10.62761/645.EB.LXI4.04
Angel ZLATKOV 
Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria
Abstract: At the end of the 19th century, the Principality of Bulgaria established a network of trade agencies across the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Although these agencies were formally entrusted with consular responsibilities, their primary purpose was overtly political: to advance the resolution of the Bulgarian national question. Acting on behalf of the government in Sofia, the Bulgarian agents were tasked with uniting and directing the various Bulgarian organizations operating within European Turkey. Drawing primarily on authentic documentation preserved in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this study seeks to examine the reasons behind the failure of this initiative. It further aims to identify the fundamental errors made in both the establishment of the consular network and the selection of personnel appointed to Bulgaria’s representations in European Turkey.
Keywords: Ottoman Empire, Macedonian Question, Balkan studies, Diplomatic relations, Consular relations