Bulgaria with Dobruja during the Berlin Conference

This thread is simple. The idea is that Bulgaria gets Dobruja instead of Romania. East Rumelia is still autonomous.

Dobruja used to be a strong Islamic part of the Ottoman Balkans. What happens to that as a part Bulgaria?

The likeliness of a Romanian-Bulgarian rivalry?

The interest of a bigger Bulgarian Navy?
 
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Romania would be landlocked. Maybe there could be a Bulgarian-Romanian cooperation to build the Danube-Black sea canal? Or maybe there will be more interest in Romania to develop ships to traverse the Danube delta?
 
Romania gears up to seize it, because no one wants to be landlocked if they can help it.

If everything else goes as OTL, they at least gain a Black Sea port after the WWI analogue.
 
Bulgaria is automatically more powerful, and quite likely to have a stronger navy. This might not create a big rivalry between Romania and Bulgaria, since the region is historically Bulgarian land, however, the Romanians would want access to the sea, so it could. Assuming Bulgaria has a larger navy, it makes it easier for it to split off from turkey when the time comes, and means that the Balkan League has another member with a significant navy (OTL Greece carried them at sea). The greater control over the black sea means the possibility of naval attacks in northern Anatolia, so basically, the Balkan League does better/the war ends quicker.

I have a feeling that the Romanians would try to take Dobruja in the second Balkan war, prompting an earlier entry. TTL the Bulgars might fare a bit better in the eastern theatre of the second Balkan war, but would still lose land to Greece and make no gains in Serbia. They would likely end up losing at least part of Dobruja to Romania, and the border in Thrace would still be moved.

ends up looking something like this:

bulgarian dobruja.jpg

Northern (OTL) Bulgaria has a larger Muslim population than Dobruja, and the Turks there are generally on good terms with the Bulgarian government. I think they'd be able to deal with it just fine.
Southern Dobruja would likely be seen as "naturally" Bulgarian(due to history and the majority Bulgarian population), and they wouldn't lose it post-WWI.

The larger Bulgarian navy wouldn't be too useful in WWI.
 
That's true. Although that is only the case in a war between Russia and Bulgaria. I assume the chances are slim for that to happen.
If Romania does not controll Budjak then a war between Bulgaria and Romania could have the same effect. Also even if Bulgaria controlls Budjak is is likely to be some disruption, only it will not be as decided as if Romania does not controll Budjak.

Romania would also be more vulnerable in a possible war with Russia. It could still trade, but would be more dependent on trade passing foreign territory.
 
If Bulgaria has Northern Dobruja (as the title should probably be written, part of Dobruja is in Bulgaria) after the 1877-78 war, it's almost certain that southern Bessarabia has not been taken from Romania, as the idea of giving Northern Dobruja to Romania only arose as a way to compensate Romania for the loss of southern Bessarabia. And with Romania having sea access via Budjak, and the traditional Romanian view of their natural border being the Danube preserved, I would say that a chance for a conflict between the two countries would be significantly reduced.
As for the population, while northern Dobruja was heavily Muslim, it was also very sparsely settled, so not significant enough to influence the ethnic situation in Bulgaria.

I see. Back to Bulgarian Dobruja... will it affect the view on a Bulgarian annexation of East Rumelia? (Ie will Russia tolerate it anyway?)
The Russian objections to the unification with Eastern Rumelia was never based on any point of principle (since the natural Russian position was to support such a move) but on the petulant dislike by Alexander III of his cousin, the Bulgarian prince. So it's not really connected to the possession of Dobruja.
 
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