Bulgarian Suggestions

[oim8]

This map demonstrates my suggestions for Bulgaria. Several settlements have been placed in incorrect locations in the current game, so the blue dot represents their corrected position. Varna Bay also wasn't very well drawn as a coastal feature, so I redrew it. The same has been done for the island of Nessebar in the Bay of Burgas.

Province Suggestions:

1.) Name: Dobruja (Bulgarian name), Dobrogea (Romanian name)
Capital: Kötence (Turkish name), Kyustendja (Bulgarian name), Constanta (Romanian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Steppe

The region had previously been part of the Bulgarian-speaking Principality of Karvuna until the early 15th century, when it was conquered and briefly held by Wallachia until falling to the Ottomans. I don’t know when Romanian settlement began, but from the 13th to 15th centuries, it belonged to the Bulgarian state and its appendages, hence the culture.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/DobrXIV.png

2.) Name: Silistre (Turkish name), Silistra (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Silistre (Turkish name), Silistra (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Steppe

From the late middle ages to around the 16th century, the region of Dobruja was (and to a reasonable extent, still is) very arid and sparsely populated. It was even described as a desert by then-contemporary authors. Only fortified settlements retained any population while vast, wild steppe dominated until the 19th century when the steppe became agricultural land.

Below is a PDF of a book describing late medieval Dobruja. Part of it is in English, and describes the topographic character of the region during the time period. It is more extensively described in Bulgarian, and I can translate it by request.
http://www.bulgari-istoria-2010.com/booksBG/G_Atanasov_Dobrudzjanskoto_despotstvo.pdf

3.) Name: Varna (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Varna (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Grassland

4.) Name: Kirk Kilise (Turkish), Lozengrad (Bulgarian)
Capital: Kirk Kilise (Turkish), Lozengrad (Bulgarian)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Grassland

5.) Name: Magna Silva Bulgarica
In Western sources, the Balkan Mountains were referred to as "Magna Silva Bulgarica" and they represent an impassable wasteland. It was densely forested and virtually uninhabited until only a few centuries ago.
https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Българска_гора

It could form a natural border/boundary between the Ottomans and any potential stronger conqueror who could gain a foothold in the region.

6.) Name: Filibe (Turkish name), Plovdiv (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Filibe (Turkish name), Plovdiv (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Farmlands

7.) Name: Kircaali (Turkish name), Zherkovo (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Kircaali (Turkish name), Zherkovo (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Mountains

8.) Name: Tirnova (Turkish name), Tarnovo (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Tirnova (Turkish name), Tarnovo (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Farmlands

9.) Name: Lovech (Bulgarian name), Lofca (Turkish name)
Capital: Lovech (Bulgarian name), Lofca (Turkish name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Hills

Before the Bulgarian state fell in 1396, Lovech was its autonomous appendage, and the fortress of Lovech didn’t fall until after 1444 (sources date the fall between 1446 and 1462). Thus, I propose that Lovech be an independent OPM in 1444. It would be headed by Voivode Stanko of Lovech. It could an Ottoman core like Albania. Perhaps a decision/mission to form Bulgaria after acquiring all cores could be available?

Sources:

Here's a German-language version of 1628 book "Rumelia and Bosnia" by Ottoman historian Hadji Kalfa, republished in Vienna in 1812. It says that Lovech fell in 866 (1461-1462).
https://books.google.ca/books?id=DzsLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=snippet&q=866&f=false

http://lovech.court-bg.org/img/File/Lovech_History.pdf (municipal website, cites 1446 as the year of the town’s fall, but I don’t know where that figure came from)

https://books.google.ca/books?id=HDQn3tJkyUcC&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq="станко+войвода"&source=bl&ots=qgw8w-zKhY&sig=j1Xdff1-er88_wS6SirBzLjFhiQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFsLHrkMjVAhXmx4MKHeCPAoQQ6AEIOjAD#v=onepage&q="станко войвода"&f=false
Book, details the folklore regarding Stanko, the last Voivode of Lovech.

This site presents the borders of medieval Lovech:
http://www.euratlas.net/history/europe/1300/1300_Southeast.html

My proposed national idea set of Lovech is on the bottom of the second page.

10.) Name: Ivraca (Turkish name), Vratitsa (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Ivraca (Turkish name), Vratitsa (Bulgarian name)
Terrain: Hills

The town of Vratitsa (modern-day Vratsa)/Ivraca was situated on an important pass of the Balkan Mountains, thus warranting the hills terrain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vratsa

11.) Name: Vidin (Turkish name), Badin (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Vidin (Turkish name), Badin (Bulgarian name)
Terrain: Grassland

When controlled by a nation of Bulgarian culture, the game currently assigns it the name “Vidin”, but Vidin is the Ottoman Turkish name of the town, while at the time, it was called “Badin” in Bulgarian.

12.) Name: Sofya (Turkish name), Sofia (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Sofya (Turkish name), Sofia (Bulgarian name)
Terrain: Highland

The province contains a sizeable part of the Central Balkan Mountain Range, Mount Rila and Mount Pirin, all of which are nearly 3000 meters tall; hence I don't believe that the current in-game "woods" terrain is suitable for the province.

13.) Name: Kosten (Turkish name), Velbazhd (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Kosten (Turkish name), Velbazhd (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Highland

14.) Name: Uskup (Turkish name), Skopje (Bulgarian name)
Capital: Uskup (Turkish name), Skopje (Bulgarian name)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Highland

The dialect spoken in the Macedonia region is classified as being of the Eastern-South Slavic variety (grouped with Bulgarian), as opposed to the West-South Slavic variety including Serbo-Croatian and Slovenian. The populace held a Bulgarian identity as attested by the existence of organisations such as the IMRO during late Ottoman times which sought to cede the area to Bulgaria. I don’t know where the idea that the Vardar valley was of Serbian culture comes from, I’ve never heard that suggested outside of this game.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Macedonian_Revolutionary_Organization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonian_language

15.) Name: Sozopolis (Greek), Sozopol (Bulgarian), Sizebolu (Turkish)
Capital: Sozopolis (Greek), Sozopol (Bulgarian), Sizebolu (Turkish)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Grassland

The are belonged to Byzantium from the end of the Savoyard crusade to 1453.

I suggest that the provinces be organised into the following states:

Macedonia (existing state, includes provinces 13 and 14)
Thrace (existing state, includes province 4 and 15)
Bulgaria (existing state, contains provinces 1, 2, 3 and 8)
Shopluk (new state, includes provinces 10, 11 and 12)
Zagore (new state, includes provinces 6, 7 and 9)

Shopluk means "the land of the Shopi", the Shopi being an ethnographic group native to the region (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopi#Shopluk_area).

Zagore means “the lands behind the mountains”, in this case referring to the lands south of the Balkan Mountains. During the middle ages, the term was often synonymous with Bulgaria as a whole in western sources (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagore).

Here's a topographic map of the region to add some reasoning to the terrain suggestions.

As a native speaker of Bulgarian, I would gladly offer my services to Paradox in translating and providing material/sources relating to the subject.

 

[BeyondExpectation]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kirk_Kilisse
But more than four added provinces in Bulgaria is overkill in my opinion.

In that case, there's a significant chance you would be interested in by proposed Balkan changes: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/balkans-redraw.1030786/

 

[Ilightmaster]

From another thread : Shouldn't Bulgarian revolts be considered aswell ?

"At 1448, John Hunyadi saw the right moment to lead a campaign against the Ottoman Empire. After the Defeat of Varna (1444), he raised another army to attack the Ottomans. His strategy based on possible revolt of Balkan people and the surprise attack, also the assumption to destroy the main force of the Ottomans in a single battle. Hunyadi was totally immodest and led his forces without leaving any escort behind"

 

[Playerrebloch]

Populated, yes, rich... not as much, comparably. It was internally wealthy of course, with a well developed (and highly taxed) agricultural economy, but little in the way of trade compared to, to use a previous example, Persia - which has less provinces than Japan, provinces which are harder to develop because of inaccurately represented mountain terrain everywhere, despite Persia as a whole being richer than Japan during this time period.

Persia had trade goods of value to countries in the East and West, and flourished because of this despite having less agricultural output per capita than Japan. One of the main imports of Persia was rice, in fact, which in turn fueled its trade with India, while fruits and spices went West to Europe. Japan didn't really make anything that anyone in its neighbourhood wanted, or didn't already have or make themselves. Its copper exports were somewhat important to its foreign economy, but Europe and China especially didn't have a particularly nagging need for that from Japan.

(sorry, I'm just mad that Persia is terribly represented, not trying to be rude :x )

Any, fact is, provinces in Bulgaria, Romania, Anatolia and a few other places in Eurasia are huge. Like, unreasonably so. What was done with Hungary - not inherently a hugely rich, populous place by anyone's standards, I'd imagine - in my opinion, is a decent model for the rest of chunky-provinced Europe. That shouldn't be too much to ask.

I see your point now.
Yes I suppose that Bulgaria and Romania should have their patch to have better provinces. But there are situation that should have Paradox's attetion before : Anatolia (a very omplex region and intersting region), Persia and France.

When I saw the map in the first post that juste angered me I confess. I mean a 12 provinces Bulgaria when France has 21 at the beginning of the game. Bulgare should have more representative provinces but seriously 12 ?
I'm a little desespreated Paradox makes patches and Silesia and leave France with provinces the size of 3 or 4 german one.

I is a good suggestion but there are far more pressing matters.

 

[Mingmung]

The developers still have plenty of ideas. All in due time, folks. EU4 will be here for years to come.

 

[oim8]

Upon further reading, most of Sizebolu/Sozopol's coast remained part of Byzantium until 1453, including the towns of Sozopol, Ahtopol, Pomorie and others.

https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Созопол#.D0.98.D1.81.D1.82.D0.BE.D1.80.D0.B8.D1.8F
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomorie#Byzantine_and_Bulgarian_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahtopol

Thus, I suggest that Sozopol start the game as part of Byzantium, and as a result, Messembria doesn't need to exist.

 

[oim8]

Map and Proposal in the OP have been updated.

 

[Mingmung]

Upon further reading, most of Sizebolu/Sozopol's coast remained part of Byzantium until 1453, including the towns of Sozopol, Ahtopol, Pomorie and others.

https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Созопол#.D0.98.D1.81.D1.82.D0.BE.D1.80.D0.B8.D1.8F
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomorie#Byzantine_and_Bulgarian_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahtopol

Thus, I suggest that Sozopol start the game as part of Byzantium, and as a result, Messembria doesn't need to exist.

The province's shape needs some adjusting then, as it would look horrible if its given to Byzantium. A rename would also be fitting, great suggestion by the way. Keep it going.

EDIT: There is a slight problem, as Kirk Kilise was in fact under Ottoman control during that time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kırklareli Its a slightly more inland town.

Here is a nice map that shows some of the Bulgarian coast still under Byzantine control a few years before the conquest of Constantinople:

So we have a few options:
1: Keep Kirk Kilise under Ottoman control and slightly adjust the province shape of the Constantinople-province according to the map above. The name of the province when under Bulgarian control should be Lozengrad, as Sozopol was under Byzantine control and Burgas didn't really exist yet. (this is my prefered option out of the three)
2: Give the whole province to Byzantium and change the name to Sozopol, as cutting the current Burgas-province in two is near impossible to pull-off nicely. It would be a bit ahistorical to do, though.
3: Dissolve the whole province and give its territory to the adjusting provinces. This would give some trouble later on with historical province-borders, so I don't like this option at all.

I know the map isn't the best, but it shows exactly what we want to know.

 

[oim8]

The province's shape needs some adjusting then, as it would look horrible if its given to Byzantium. A rename would also be fitting, great suggestion by the way. Keep it going.

EDIT: There is a slight problem, as Kirk Kilise was in fact under Ottoman control during that time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kırklareli Its a slightly more inland town.

Here is a nice map that shows some of the Bulgarian coast still under Byzantine control a few years before the conquest of Constantinople:
So we have a few options:
1: Keep Kirk Kilise under Ottoman control and slightly adjust the province shape of the Constantinople-province according to the map above. The name of the province when under Bulgarian control should be Lozengrad, as Sozopol was under Byzantine control and Burgas didn't really exist yet. (this is my prefered option out of the three)
2: Give the whole province to Byzantium and change the name to Sozopol, as cutting the current Burgas-province in two is near impossible to pull-off nicely. It would be a bit ahistorical to do, though.
3: Dissolve the whole province and give its territory to the adjusting provinces. This would give some trouble later on with historical province-borders, so I don't like this option at all.

I know the map isn't the best, but it shows exactly what we want to know.

Right... Here's the thing though, Kirklareli/Kirk Kilise (IRL) is currently within the borders of Erdine province (in-game), not Kirk Kilise province.

In game, the actual location of the town is already part of the Ottoman province of Erdine, so renaming current "Kirk Kilise" province to Sozopolis and granting it to Byzantium wouldn't be all that unhistorical.

True, you're giving them a little more inland territory than they really had, but that inland territory is mostly the sparsely-populated Strandja Mountains, so it really shouldn't matter that much.

Kirk Kilise province shouldn't even be called Kirk Kilise province because the town isn't even with said province's borders:

EDIT: I also wouldn't go for redrawing Constantinople simply because Byzantium could get a lot more benefit from having an extra province (force limit, navy size, manpower, sailors, more development). The Ottomans will get a buff from having more provinces if for the navy force limit alone, so Byzantium should probably deserve its own buff accordingly.

 

[Mingmung]

Right... Here's the thing though, Kirklareli/Kirk Kilise (IRL) is currently within the borders of Erdine province (in-game), not Kirk Kilise province.

In game, the actual location of the town is already part of the Ottoman province of Erdine, so renaming current "Kirk Kilise" province to Sozopolis and granting it to Byzantium wouldn't be all that unhistorical.

True, you're giving them a little more inland territory than they really had, but that inland territory is mostly the sparsely-populated Strandja Mountains, so it really shouldn't matter that much.

Kirk Kilise province shouldn't even be called Kirk Kilise province because the town isn't even with said province's borders:

EDIT: I also wouldn't go for redrawing Constantinople simply because Byzantium could get a lot more benefit from having an extra province (force limit, navy size, manpower, sailors, more development). The Ottomans will get a buff from having more provinces if for the navy force limit alone, so Byzantium should probably deserve its own buff accordingly.

Just edit the shapes of Edirne and Kirk Kilise a bit. Giving the whole Burgas-province to Byzantium is a bit of an overkill in my opinion, as only some coastal towns were under their control, nothing inland. Even though they're mountains, the Byzantine Empire would look very ugly with the whole of the current Burgas-province.

 

[oim8]

Just edit the shapes of Edirne and Kirk Kilise a bit. Giving the whole Burgas-province to Byzantium is a bit of an overkill in my opinion, as only some coastal towns were under their control, nothing inland. Even though they're mountains, the Byzantine Empire would look very ugly with the whole of the current Burgas-province.

Those coastal towns are the only well-settled places in the entire province (in 1444). Most inland areas are part of the Strandja Mountains and weren't settled until the 17th century. It's like drawing a line in the sand of the desert, it doesn't really matter. Nobody lived there, no one really had authority over wilderness, it could belong to anyone. If you were to redraw Constantinople to include all of the towns along the Black Sea that were part of Byzantium until 1453, it would look like this:

It's the choice between making the province of Constantinople look like a squiggly mess and giving Byzantium some underpopulated hinterland. It's not overkill because no one lived there, the inland areas wouldn't contribute additional development because no one lived there, only the coast would.

Redrawing Constantinople would also make "Kirk Kilese" redundant as a province due to just how few people lived there in 1444 (and how small the province would be), and redistributing "Kirk Kilise" land to Erdine, Filipe and/or Varna would make them too bloated and ugly. Inland-settlement in "Kirk Kilise" province did happen, but only later in the game. It should exist as a province, but removing its coast makes it redundant in the early-game, and removing it all together by redistributing its land just bloats neighbouring provinces.

The ramifications are much greater than this slight, very slight sacrifice in historicity. By making that one change, it'll throw the whole thing out of whack.

 

[Mingmung]

Those coastal towns are the only well-settled places in the entire province (in 1444). Most inland areas are part of the Strandja Mountains and weren't settled until the 17th century. It's like drawing a line in the sand of the desert, it doesn't really matter. Nobody lived there, no one really had authority over wilderness, it could belong to anyone. If you were to redraw Constantinople to include all of the towns along the Black Sea that were part of Byzantium until 1453, it would look like this:

It's the choice between making the province of Constantinople look like a squiggly mess and giving Byzantium some underpopulated hinterland. It's not overkill because no one lived there, the inland areas wouldn't contribute additional development because no one lived there, only the coast would.

Redrawing Constantinople would also make "Kirk Kilese" redundant as a province due to just how few people lived there in 1444 (and how small the province would be), and redistributing "Kirk Kilise" land to Erdine, Filipe and/or Varna would make them too bloated and ugly. Inland-settlement in "Kirk Kilise" province did happen, but only later in the game. It should exist as a province, but removing its coast makes it redundant in the early-game, and removing it all together by redistributing its land just bloats neighbouring provinces.

The ramifications are much greater than this slight, very slight sacrifice in historicity. By making that one change, it'll throw the whole thing out of whack.

I don't know, both options look kind of ugly. I propose a less-tentacly looking Constantinople province and a complete dissolution of the Burgas-province together with a redrawal of Bulgaria.

Burgas looked ugly on the map anyway. So square-y.

 

[Itchel]

Those coastal towns are the only well-settled places in the entire province (in 1444). Most inland areas are part of the Strandja Mountains and weren't settled until the 17th century. It's like drawing a line in the sand of the desert, it doesn't really matter. Nobody lived there, no one really had authority over wilderness, it could belong to anyone. If you were to redraw Constantinople to include all of the towns along the Black Sea that were part of Byzantium until 1453, it would look like this:

It's the choice between making the province of Constantinople look like a squiggly mess and giving Byzantium some underpopulated hinterland. It's not overkill because no one lived there, the inland areas wouldn't contribute additional development because no one lived there, only the coast would.

Redrawing Constantinople would also make "Kirk Kilese" redundant as a province due to just how few people lived there in 1444 (and how small the province would be), and redistributing "Kirk Kilise" land to Erdine, Filipe and/or Varna would make them too bloated and ugly. Inland-settlement in "Kirk Kilise" province did happen, but only later in the game. It should exist as a province, but removing its coast makes it redundant in the early-game, and removing it all together by redistributing its land just bloats neighbouring provinces.

The ramifications are much greater than this slight, very slight sacrifice in historicity. By making that one change, it'll throw the whole thing out of whack.

Since when do we remove provinces and create large squigly borders? Simply, Ew.
edit: I know you didn't remove the province but you made it almost completely useless and landlocked..

 

[oim8]

I don't know, both options look kind of ugly. I propose a less-tentacly looking Constantinople province and a complete dissolution of the Burgas-province together with a redrawal of Bulgaria.

Burgas looked ugly on the map anyway. So square-y.

This is the cleanest partition I can make if both Ottomans and Byzantium are to keep historically accurate borders. The main post has been updated as such.

4.)
Name: Kirk Kilise (Turkish), Lozengrad (Bulgarian)
Capital: Kirk Kilise (Turkish), Lozengrad (Bulgarian)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Grassland
15.)
Name: Sozopolis (Greek), Sozopol (Bulgarian), Sizebolu (Turkish)
Capital: Sozopolis (Greek), Sozopol (Bulgarian), Sizebolu (Turkish)
Culture: Bulgarian
Terrain: Hills

 

[oim8]

Alright. If Lovech is to be implemented as an OPM, I have created a set of unique national ideas for it. They're a little better than average, but considering the precarious position of Lovech and the fact that they'll probably be among the first nations to vanish from the map, I think they ought to be.

Traditions:
Fort Defence: +15%
Hostile Core-Creation Cost On Us: +25%

The Last Citadel:
Our fortress is the last to remain free in the Bulgarian lands. Although decades have passed since the fall of the imperial capital to the Ottomans, we stubbornly hold on to independence. Let us continue to bear the torch of the Bulgarian state and someday pass our freedom to our brethren.
Core-Creation Cost: -10%

Militant Diplomacy:
Our fierce resistance to conquest has garnered us respect from would-be overlords. The Ottomans have offered us autonomy and favourable conditions for our incorporation into their Empire. Though we are small, our martial reputation allows us to bargain beyond our size.
Diplomatic Reputation: +1

Lessons of the Nikopol Crusade:
At Nikopol, Ottoman armies consolidated their rule over Bulgaria when they defeated a crusader coalition to retake the fortress. Let us learn from their rash tactics as to not fall as they did.
Shock Damage Received: -10%

The First Hajduk:
It is through Lovech that the tradition of brigandage spread through Bulgaria, when our Voivode turned to the rugged Balkan Mountains as a centre of resistance, thereby becoming the first Bulgarian hajduk.
Land Fire Damage: +5%
Movement Speed: +15%

Origin of the Imperial Dynasty:
Despot Ivan Alexander of Lovech founded the dynasty which ruled Bulgaria until its end.
Yearly Prestige: +1

Golden Lovech:
Called “Golden Lovech” by the Ottomans, our city controls one of the main commercial arteries across the Balkan Mountain passes, making it a rich trading hub.
Caravan Power: +20%

Ambitions:
Land Leader Fire: +1

Sources used:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=d0OwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA447&lpg=PA447&dq=despot+of+lovech&source=bl&ots=zbK6eySj09&sig=JpT1yvjyAtyFGDd3DadUgSGagL0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijqfuyv4TVAhXl7oMKHUCmDn0Q6AEITjAH#v=onepage&q=despot of lovech&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovech#Middle_Ages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Alexander_of_Bulgaria
https://books.google.ca/books?id=HDQn3tJkyUcC&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq="станко+войвода"&source=bl&ots=qfFdB_xKb_&sig=KgK47ZSn8AsRsFrmeWn1ZOTTlyU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkueeO6MTUAhUryoMKHZqaCjsQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q="станко войвода"&f=true
https://books.google.ca/books?id=DzsLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=snippet&q=866&f=false

Additionally, Lovech's flag could be this, allegedly the flag of Bulgaria before falling to the Ottomans. Being that Lovech was an appendage of Bulgaria, I think the usage would be appropriate.

 

[Mattymooz]

Alright. If Lovech is to be implemented as an OPM, I have created a set of unique national ideas for it. They're a little better than average, but considering the precarious position of Lovech and the fact that they'll probably be among the first nations to vanish from the map, I think they ought to be.

Traditions:
Fort Defence: +15%
Hostile Core-Creation Cost On Us: +25%

The Last Citadel:
Our fortress is the last to remain free in the Bulgarian lands. Although decades have passed since the fall of the imperial capital to the Ottomans, we stubbornly hold on to independence. Let us continue to bear the torch of the Bulgarian state and someday pass our freedom to our brethren.
Core-Creation Cost: -10%

Militant Diplomacy:
Our fierce resistance to conquest has garnered us respect from would-be overlords. The Ottomans have offered us autonomy and favourable conditions for our incorporation into their Empire. Though we are small, our martial reputation allows us to bargain beyond our size.
Diplomatic Reputation: +1

Lessons of the Nikopol Crusade:
At Nikopol, Ottoman armies consolidated their rule over Bulgaria when they defeated a crusader coalition to retake the fortress. Let us learn from their rash tactics as to not fall as they did.
Shock Damage Received: -10%

The First Hajduk:
It is through Lovech that the tradition of brigandage spread through Bulgaria, when our Voivode turned to the rugged Balkan Mountains as a centre of resistance, thereby becoming the first Bulgarian hajduk.
Land Fire Damage: +5%
Movement Speed: +15%

Seat of the Imperial Heir:
Lovech used to be the seat of the Bulgarian imperial heir, who held the title of despot while governing it.
Yearly Prestige: +1

Golden Lovech:
Called “Golden Lovech” by the Ottomans, our city controls one of the main commercial arteries across the Balkan Mountain passes, making it a rich trading hub.
Caravan Power: +20%

Ambitions:
Land Leader Fire: +1

Sources used:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=d0OwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA447&lpg=PA447&dq=despot+of+lovech&source=bl&ots=zbK6eySj09&sig=JpT1yvjyAtyFGDd3DadUgSGagL0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijqfuyv4TVAhXl7oMKHUCmDn0Q6AEITjAH#v=onepage&q=despot of lovech&f=false
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovech#Middle_Ages
https://books.google.ca/books?id=HDQn3tJkyUcC&pg=PA223&lpg=PA223&dq="станко+войвода"&source=bl&ots=qfFdB_xKb_&sig=KgK47ZSn8AsRsFrmeWn1ZOTTlyU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkueeO6MTUAhUryoMKHZqaCjsQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q="станко войвода"&f=true
http://www.bulgari-istoria-2010.com/booksBG/B_Iliev_Istor_ocherci.pdf

Additionally, Lovech's flag could be this, allegedly the flag of Bulgaria before falling to the Ottomans. Being that Lovech was an appendage of Bulgaria, I think the usage would be appropriate.

Why wouldn't you just use the Bulgaria tag to save having to add another new one?

 

[oim8]

Why wouldn't you just use the Bulgaria tag to save having to add another new one?

Because Lovech was merely an appendage of Bulgaria. Bulgaria died with the last Tsar (Constantine II) in 1422. Lovech was just a vassal of Bulgaria. It was a remnant of the Bulgarian state, but it did not carry its institutions (i.e. the Tsardom of the Asen dynasty) and was thus just an independent Duchy in 1444, ruled by its own feudal lord. It's like equating (in-game) Morea to Byzantium.

 

[Mingmung]

Isn't it better to portray them as rebels?

The way they're described seems they're nothing more than some bandits holding out in a castle.

About Chilia: Chilia itself was under Moldavian control, it is also the capital of the Bessarabia province. Chilia Veche on the other side may have been under Genoese control, yes, but it was very small and I don't think it warrants its own province. At all. Genoa is a merchant republic who already owns its greater holdings, representing all the little trading towns across the Mediterannean and the Black Sea is nonsensical for EU4. Genoa, like other merchant republics, is also dealing with a maximum of provinces threshold; they can't own that much directly. Finally, there is the issue with its neighbours probably declaring for this province a.s.a.p. as we see with Caffa 9/10 times.

These little Genoan trading towns were also not conquered by the Genoese, bht concessions made by the local authorities and populations.

 

[oim8]

Isn't it better to portray them as rebels?

The way they're described seems they're nothing more than some bandits holding out in a castle.

I don't know. If they are, then I guess Albania should be rebels, too. That's what the League of Lezhe (Albania in-game) was, a loose military coalition of chieftains and feudal magnates under constant siege and controlling little territory, claimed by the Ottomans and in perpetual war.

The way the game handles that is that Albania is an Ottoman core, but has just enough autonomy to be considered independent. I envisioned a similar situation here. It starts as independent, but also an Ottoman core.

It's a fortified town, and it held out for a while. Like, for a half century after the Bulgarian state collapsed. It sustained sieges, and it bargained with the Ottomans. Is that bandits? Does that count as a state? I think it does. Something like Albania, a bandit-state.

 

[Mingmung]

I don't know. If they are, then I guess Albania should be rebels, too. That's what the League of Lezhe (Albania in-game) was, a loose military coalition of chieftains and feudal magnates under constant siege and controlling little territory, claimed by the Ottomans and in perpetual war.

The way the game handles that is that Albania is an Ottoman core, but has just enough autonomy to be considered independent. I envisioned a similar situation here.

It's a fortified town, and it held out for a while. Like, for a half century after the Bulgarian state collapsed. It sustained sieges, and it bargained with the Ottomans. Is that bandits? Does that count as a state? I think it does. Something like Albania, a bandit-state.

Fair enough, I see your reasoning. The influence the League of Lezhe had was arguably much bigger though, as all sorts of foreign powers like Venice, Hungary and Aragon played a role.

By the way, do you have some English sources on Lovech' independence? The English wikipedia mentions the fort falling in 1446, I don't think such a short timespan warrants its independence. Unlike Byzantium, Lovech doesn't carry much historical weight.

 

[oim8]

Fair enough, I see your reasoning. The influence the League of Lezhe had was arguably much bigger though, as all sorts of foreign powers like Venice, Hungary and Aragon played a role.

By the way, do you have some English sources on Lovech' independence? The English wikipedia mentions the fort falling in 1446, I don't think such a short timespan warrants its independence. Unlike Byzantium, Lovech doesn't carry much historical weight.

What? You were just telling me how important it was that Byzantium doesn't get slightly too much of Kirk Kilise province, but a state doesn't matter just because it (according to some sources) ceases to exist 2 years after game start? Albania ceases to exist 6 years after game start. It's almost the same situation.

That Wikipedia page doesn't cite any source for the date of Lovech's fall, let alone an English-language one. The municipality's website says 1446, but again, no citation as to where that figure came from.

No, there is no English-language source. Here's a German-language version of 1628 book "Rumelia and Bosnia" by Ottoman historian Hadji Kalfa, republished in Vienna in 1812. It says that Lovech fell in 866 (1461-1462). That's a primary source. It's the most reputable figure I can find, even if it isn't from an English-language source.
https://books.google.ca/books?id=DzsLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=snippet&q=866&f=false