Bozhidar Dimitrov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bozhidar Dimitrov
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| Born | 3 December 1945 Sozopol, Bulgaria
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| Died | 1 July 2018 (aged 72) |
| Alma mater | Sofia University |
| Political party | BSP, GERB |
Bozhidar Dimitrov Stoyanov (born December 3, 1945 – died July 1, 2018) was an important Bulgarian historian and politician. He was known for his strong opinions on Bulgarian history. This included the Middle Ages in Bulgaria, the time of Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, and the Macedonian Question. For many years, he was the director of the National Historical Museum. He started his political career with the Bulgarian Socialist Party but later joined the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party.
Life and Work
Bozhidar Dimitrov was born in Sozopol, a town in Bulgaria. His family were Bulgarian refugees from Eastern Thrace, which is now part of Turkey.
In the 1980s, he achieved something remarkable. He was given access to the Vatican Secret Archives. This was a big accomplishment, especially given the political situation at that time.
As the director of the National Historical Museum, he had a disagreement in the late 1990s. This was with President Petar Stoyanov. The debate was about whether to return an old copy of the Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya to the Zograf Monastery or keep it in Bulgaria.
Dimitrov was a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party's main council. However, in 2005, he openly went against his party. He chose to support Boyko Borisov for Mayor of Sofia instead of his party's candidate. Because of this, he lost his leadership role for the party's local council members in Sofia. Before the 2009 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Dimitrov officially left the Socialist Party. He then joined Borisov's GERB party. He won the election in his area, beating a well-known nationalist leader.
Dimitrov wrote many books and articles. He published 30 longer works and over 250 shorter papers. These were all about his historical research. Some of his famous books include The Ten Lies of Macedonism and Twelve Myths in Bulgarian History. He also studied palaeography, which is the study of old writing, in Paris. He hosted a TV show called Pamet Balgarska (Bulgarian Memory) on Kanal 1. This show focused on patriotic history.
Bozhidar Dimitrov believed that the Bulgars played a more important role. He thought they were more significant in forming modern Bulgarians than people usually thought.
From July 2009 to February 2011, he served as a Minister without portfolio in the GERB government. His job was to look after Bulgarians living abroad.
The Ten Lies of Macedonism
Bozhidar Dimitrov wrote a book called The Ten Lies of Macedonism. It was published in 2000, 2003, and 2007. This book is a strong argument based on historical documents. It speaks against the ideas of "Macedonism". This is a type of ethnic Macedonian nationalism that claims a deep difference between ethnic Macedonians and Bulgarians.
The book caused a lot of discussion and criticism from ethnic Macedonian sources. Dimitrov claimed it became a best-seller in the Republic of Macedonia. Here are the "10 lies" that Dimitrov described in his book:
- First lie: The idea that modern ethnic Macedonians are descendants of ancient Macedonians.
- Second lie: Ethnic Macedonians are "pure Slavs" and different from Bulgarians, who are called "Tatars".
- Third lie: Important medieval figures like Saints Cyril and Methodius were ethnic Macedonians.
- Fourth lie: Samuel of Bulgaria was an ethnic Macedonian, and the First Bulgarian Empire was a "Macedonian" state.
- Fifth lie: The Archbishopric of Ohrid was a "Macedonian" church.
- Sixth lie: The Bulgarian Exarchate took over the ethnic Macedonian people.
- Seventh lie: Revolutionary groups in the early 20th century, like the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), worked for a "Macedonian" national goal.
- Eighth lie: That Krste Misirkov is the most important ethnic Macedonian of the 20th century.
- Ninth lie: The "heroic struggle of the Macedonian people" against Bulgarian occupiers from 1941 to 1944.
- Tenth lie: The joy of the Macedonian people for their second inclusion in Yugoslavia in 1944 and the 250,000 ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria.
Honours
Dimitrov Cove in Antarctica is named after Bozhidar Dimitrov.
See also
In Spanish: Bozhidar Dimitrov para niños
