Bulgaria, 1976 AD., People's Republic, 100th Anniversary of the April Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, commemorative, Sofia mint, 1 Lev, KM 94.

Bulgaria, People's Republic (1946-1990), 100th Anniversary of the April Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, commemorative, Sofia mint, engravers Stefan Nenov ("CH") and Georgi Chapkunov ("ГЧ"), 1976 AD.,
1 Lev (ø 27 mm / 8,32 g), bronze, 8,28 g. theor. mint weight, mintage 300.000 , axes medal alignment ↑↑ (0°), plain edge with recessed inscription: " ∙ БУНТ ∙ БУНТ ∙ НА ОРЪЖИЕ " (mutiny, mutiny, to arms! - citation from Notes on Bulgarian Uprisings by Zahari Stoyanov) ,
Obv.: АПРИЛСКО ВЪСТАНИЕ / СВОБОДА ИЛИ / СМЪРТ / CH - ГЧ / 1876 / ·СТО ГОДИНИ· , crossed weapons (sabre and pistol) above date within circle, engraver´s initials below weapons. СВОБОДА ИЛИ СМЪРТ (freedom or death - motto written on flags of insurgents), АПРИЛСКО ВЪСТАНИЕ - СТО ГОДИНИ (the April Uprising - hundred years),
Rev.: НАРОДНА РЕПУБЛИКА / 1976 1 ЛЕВ / * БЪЛГАРИЯ * , rampant lion above value, date at left, all within circle, legend ("People's Republic / 1976 1 lev / of Bulgaria") surrounds.
KM 94 .

Year / Mint Mark / Mintage
1976 300.000
1976 ? (proof issue)

The emergence of a unified Bulgarian state dates back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 CE, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavs during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. The Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) led to the formation of the Third Bulgarian State.

In the 18th century, the Enlightenment in Western Europe provided influence for the initiation of a movement known as the National awakening of Bulgaria. It restored national consciousness and became a key factor in the liberation struggle, resulting in the 1876 April Uprising. Up to 30,000 Bulgarians were killed as Ottoman authorities put down the rebellion. The massacres prompted the Great Powers to take action. They convened the Constantinople Conference in 1876, but their decisions were rejected by the Ottomans. This allowed the Russian Empire to seek a solution by force without risking military confrontation with other Great Powers, as had happened in the Crimean War. In 1877 Russia declared war on the Ottoman empire and defeated its forces with the help of Bulgarian volunteers.

The April Uprising (Bulgarian: Априлско въстание, Aprilsko vastanie) was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, which indirectly resulted in the re-establishment of Bulgaria in 1878. Тhe regular Ottoman Army and irregular bashi-bazouk units brutally suppressed the rebels, leading to a public outcry in Europe and the United States, with many famous intellectuals condemning the Ottoman atrocities and supporting the oppressed Bulgarian population.
The 1876 uprising involved only those parts of the Ottoman territories populated predominantly by Bulgarians. The emergence of Bulgarian national sentiments was closely related to the re-establishment of the independent Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1870. Together with notions of romantic nationalism the rise of national awareness became known as the Bulgarian National Revival.