The dissertation explores the political legacy of Stefan Stambolov, the regent and the prime minister of Bulgaria in 1886-1894, and its influence on the state-building processes in the principality/kingdom in 1895-1920. The research gives the insight into: a set of ideas and practices initiated by a prominent politician, of established routine and ideologue taken for effective management of mass consciousness, that finally founds its manifestation in various socioeconomic and political processes taken place in the country after the death of S. Stambolov; legal norms initiated by the statesman, which remained in force in subsequent years; collective memory of the statesman and its use for legitimizing any external or internal course. Although the legacy of S. Stambolov should not be regarded as a major factor in Bulgarian state-building processes, the effect of that phenomenon on the development of the country and its foreign policy vector was significant for a long time. The ideological views of the statesmen, as well as the methods of policy-making introduced in 1886-1894, that form the basis of his legacy, were formed not only due to the intellectual work and practice of S. Stambolov, but also due to the support of his entourage - successors, subordinate ministers, influential officials, who at the time occupied key bureaucratic positions. Among the methods of shaping the politics of the country by former regent and the head of government we can distinguish the original ones, inherent only to him, and those that were borrowed or became the answer to challenges of the era and typical for the statesmen of different European countries. Some aspects of S. Stambolov's activities are controversial. During his reign, the statesman advocated preservation of the constitutional order in the principality, thereby contributing to the establishment of mechanisms for controlled democracy, which often did not conform to the basic laws; from the one side, he ensured the strengthening of state sovereignty, from the other, he attempted to revive the idea of creating a dualistic Turkish-Bulgarian empire; he pursued the policy of secularization and at the same time contributed to cooperation between the government and the church in order to realize national interests in Macedonia and Thrace. This situation could be explained by the circumstances that determined the emergence of a particular idea or practice, and were constantly changing, and required prompt actions from the statesmen and his entourage. The legacy of the statesman was manifested in a collective memory of him and his activity in order to achieve political goals. "Stambolovists" used it to suggest ideas about genetic relations between different endeavors of the statesman and their own policies. Their opponents opposed their initiatives to the practices of the former regent and the prime minister, emphasizing the favorable advantages.
