According to the Treaty of Berlin Southern Bulgaria became an autonomous province within the Ottoman Empire. It was called Eastern Rumelia and was headed by a General Governer, appointed by the Ottoman Sultan for period of 5 years.
The General Governor rules under the Organic Statute /the Constitution/. From the moment of its adoption to the Unification of Bulgaria in 1885 the post of General Governor is occupied by Alexander Bogoridi (1879-1884) and Gavril Krastevich (1884-1885).
On September 6, 1885 in Plovdiv was proclaimed the Unification of Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. All institutions of Eastern Rumelia were replaced by administration, appointed by Alexander I Battenberg. Despite the victory in the Serbian – Bulgarian war the Bulgarian government failed to strengthen the legal accession to Southern Bulgaria.
On March 24, 1886 in Istanbul was signed the Tophanen Act which was an agreement between the Ottoman Empire and the ambassadors of the Great Powers /Russia, Austria – Hungary, Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy/. This document arranged the Unification between Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. The area remains formally a province of the Ottoman Empire, but the General Governor is the Bulgarian Prince Alexander I.
His successor Ferdinand I received such decree in 1896 – nearly nine years after his accession to the throne. During this period the title General Governor was purely formal. It was finally removed after declaring Independence of Bulgaria on September 22, 1908.
