Education
Here he studied history and philology at Moscow State University, before serving as a tutor to a number of prominent families.
Here he studied history and philology at Moscow State University, before serving as a tutor to a number of prominent families.
Initially educated at the Greek language school at Enez, Karavelov was an apprentice weaver until he left for Moscow at the age of 16. He also served in the Russian Army during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878. In 1878, the Russians appointed him the deputy governor of Svishtov, before he was elected to the new Assembly for the Liberal Party.
Karavelov was first offered the premiership in 1879 when Prince Alexander asked him to head up a coalition administration.
Karavelov rejected the offer however, as Alexander required an anti-Russian government that would curb freedoms, both tenets being unacceptable to the Liberals. He first served as from 1880–1881 but was effectively declared persona non grata when Alexander suspended the constitution in 1881.
A number of Liberals followed Karavelov into exile although a sizeable group remained in Bulgaria, creating a division in the party. He relocated to Plovdiv, in the semi-autonomous Eastern Rumelia, where he found work as a teacher, before returning to Bulgaria proper in 1884.
He also served as a Mayor of Plovdiv during his exile.
Karavelov then returned as from 1884 to 1886, overseeing Bulgarian unification and the Serbo-Bulgarian War. His reigns as where characterized by close association with Russia. Karavelov was criticised as a poor public speaker who let his ego determine many of his political decisions, although supporters lauded him as a pragmatist and a statesman with a keen academic mind.
As a committed liberal, he became associated with the Democratic Party after the party split.
He broke from his former ally Stambolov and was imprisoned 1891-1894, after being accused of instigating the assassination of government Minister Hristo Belchev. During this and other shorter prison spells under Stambolov Karavelov was subjected to torture.
He was amnestied in 1894 with the resignation of Stambolov. In contrast to Karavelov"s earlier opinions, the new group favoured a free hand in foreign policy but preferred a closer relationship with the western European powers rather than Russia.
He briefly returned in 1901 to lead the party"s first government.
By this point he was recognised as the "grand old man" of democratic liberalism in Bulgaria and was the centre of a wide circle of influential followers in the nation"s capital Sofia.
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]
He joined Stefan Stambolov and others as a member of the Regency Council after the abdication of Alexander of Bulgaria in 1886, serving a brief third spell as in August of that year.