Tarnovo Constitution

The Tarnovo Constitution was the founding governing document of the modern Bulgarian state. It was adopted on 28 April 1879 (16 April by the Old Style calendar) by the Constituent National Assembly convened in Veliko Tarnovo, establishing the legal framework for the newly formed Principality of Bulgaria after the Russo-Turkish War. Drawing inspiration from Belgium's 1831 constitution, it was considered progressive for its era, dividing state power among executive, legislative and judicial branches, and providing for ministerial accountability and property protections. Its Article 61 explicitly barred the buying or selling of human beings and declared that any slave, of whatever sex, nationality or religion, became free upon setting foot on Bulgarian territory. The constitution endured for nearly seven decades, surviving suspensions during the 1934 and 1944 coups, until it was replaced on 4 December 1947 by the communist Dimitrov Constitution.