In spite of the heroism of the Eftimi patriarch, the kingdom of Tcrnovo fell to the power from the Othomans in 1393 and that from Vidin (near Serbia) in 1396. During nearly five centuries, the people undergo the absolute power of the sultan and the religious supervision of the Greek patriarchate (the Bulgarian patriarchate was removed since 1393 by its will, and the Church grécisa and gave up the slavon). The majority of the peasants remained faithful to orthodoxy, except in the south-west of the country, where a minority of Bulgarian Moslems was formed, Pomaks. Turks of established in various areas.
The spirit of resistance however remained long-lived, as the folklore testifies some which celebrates the exploits of the haïdouks (“insurrectionists”). It is necessary however to await the XIX E century to see to be expressed the national alarm clock with the creation of schools, since 1835, and the fight for a Bulgarian Church, restored in 1870. Bulgarian patriots (Georgi Rakovski, Vasil Levski - which will be hung by the Turks in 1873 - and the poet Hristo Botev) tried to organize the movement for independence. The insurrection of 1876 failed, and its bloody repression (30 ' 000 victims) causes sharp international protests (of which that of Victor Hugo). Bulgaria, which will be able to release itself only with foreign aid, will undergo interested protections.
In 1877, Russia, supported by Romania, concluded the war of liberation against Turkey, but “Large Bulgaria” (understanding the major part of Macedonia), that the tsar Alexandre II imposed on the treaty of San Stefano, was reduced, with the congress of Berlin (July 1878): the territory was then limited to the neighborhoods of Sofia and the plain located between the Danube and Balkan (Stara Planina); Macedonia and Roumélie Eastern remained vassal Othomans.