The rivalry between Russia and Great Britain in Eastern Rumelia 1878-1885

The purpose of this study is to examine the rivalry between Russia and Britain over the autonomous Province of Eastern Rumelia. The study focuses on two historical events concerning the development of the Province - the process of establishment and administrative organization of Eastern Rumelia (1878-1879) and the event of unification between the Province and the Principality of Bulgaria. The presentation procedure of this work follows the topics pattern as well as the comparative method of presenting historical facts from several viewpoints and in chronological order. The first chapter presents different aspects from the policy of the Great Powers regarding the European possessions of the Ottoman Empire and the process of modernization and reformation of the Balkan territories, applied by the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. The next chapter continues tracing the British and Russian policy pursued towards the Balkan national movements and the process of disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. Also, it describes the origins of the British - Russian political rivalry in the Balkans. The third chapter examines the political activities of Britain regarding the organization of the governmental system established in Eastern Rumelia and the political attitude towards the act of union in 1885. The fourth chapter studies the political course of the Russian authorities and their attitude to oppose the British policy and preserve the Province within the Russian sphere of influence. The last chapter examines the political response of the Ottoman Empire to the events concerning the integrity of its Balkan territories. Our argument is that the British authorities created the Province of Eastern Rumelia and later they defended the act of unification with the purpose to thwart the Russian political advancement in the Balkans. The British political aim was successfully accomplished as Russia achieved to preserve its political domination in the Province only until 1885 when it opposed the act of unification. This research is based on archival documentary sources and secondary sources. The archive collections used for preparation of this work are the collections of the Foreign Office of the National Archive. The existing historiography on the issue of Eastern Rumelia is very limited as regards the variety of examined topics, though a considerable number of researches are dedicated to the act of unification and the political, cultural and economic development of the Province from 1879 to 1885.