Approximately 3500 BC Semi nomadic pastoralists from the central Asian steppes settled in the area and formed the Thracian community, about the middle of the 5th century BC The Thracian state was formed, it was planned to extend over Bulgaria, northern Greece, and northern Turkey.

In the fourth century BC Phillip the second and Alexander the Great of Macedonia waged largely unsuccessful campaigns against the Thracian Empire. AD 50 The Thracians were subdued and incorporated within the Roman Empire as the province of Moesia Inferior. The Thracian Empire was successively invaded and devastated by the Goths, Huns, Bulgars, and Avars. 681 The Bulgars, an originally Turkic group that had merged with earlier Slav settlers, revolted against the Avars and established, south of the River Danube, the first Bulgarian kingdom, with its capital at Pliska. 864 Orthodox Christianity was adopted by Boris I. 1018 Subjugated by the Byzantines, whose empire had its capital at Constantinople; led to Bulgarian Church breaking with Rome in 1054.

1185 Second independent Bulgarian Kingdom formed,in the mid 13th century Bulgarian state was destroyed by Mongol incursions. In 1396 Bulgaria became the first European state to be absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman Empire, the imposition of a harsh feudal system and the sacking of the monasteries followed. In 1859 The Bulgarian Catholic Church re-established links with Rome, later in 1876 A Bulgarian nationalist revolt against Ottoman rule was crushed brutally by Ottomans, with 15,000 massacred at Plovdiv, in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin, concluding a Russo Turkish war in which Bulgarian volunteers had fought alongside the Russians, the area south of the Balkans, Eastern Rumelia, remained an Ottoman province, but the area to the north became the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria, with a liberal constitution and Alexander Battenberg as prince. 1885 Eastern Rumelia annexed by the Principality, Serbia defeated in the war. 1908 Full independence proclaimed from Turkish rule, with Ferdinand I as Tsar.

1913 Following defeat in the Second Balkan War, King Ferdinand I abdicated and was replaced by his son Boris the third, In 1919 Bulgarian Agrarian Union government, led by Alexander Stamboliiski came to power and redistributed land to poor peasants. In 1923 Agrarian government was overthrown in a right-wing coup and Stamboliiski murdered. In1934 a semi fascist dictatorship was established by King Boris the third. In 1944 Soviet invasion of German occupied Bulgaria, In 1946 the monarchy was abolished and a communist dominated people's republic proclaimed following a plebiscite. In 1947 Bulgaria gained South Dobruja in the northeast, along the Black Sea, from Romania, soviet-style constitution established a one-party state, industries and financial institutions were nationalized and cooperative farming introduced. In 1954 Bulgaria became a loyal and cautious satellite of the USSR. Then in 1968 Bulgaria participated in the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

1971 A new constitution was introduced, from 1985 through till 1989 a haphazard administrative and economic reforms were undertaken, this was known as preustroistvo (restructuring), they were introduced under the stimulus of the reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

In 1989 A programme of enforced Bulgarianization resulted in a mass exodus of ethnic Turks to Turkey, opposition parties were only tolerated.

Then in 1991 a new liberal democratic constitution was adopted. The first non communist government was formed. In 1993 a voucher based mass privatisation programme was launched. In 1996 Radical economic and industrial reforms were imposed. There was mounting inflation and public protest at the state of the economy. In 1997 there was a general strike. The UDF leader Ivan Kostov became prime minister. The Bulgarian currency was pegged to the Deutschmark in return for support from the International Monetary Fund, a new political group, the Real Reform Movement (DESIR) was then formed. 1999 Bulgaria joined the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).