Editing Bulgarian Armed Forces (section)

=== 19th Century ===
{{main|Medieval Bulgarian Army|Opalchentsi}}
[[File:Mihail ganchev captain.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Bulgarian [[militia]]men from the Ganchev Detachment in the region of Western Bulgaria, ca. 1900]]
The modern Bulgarian military dates back to 1878. On 22 July 1878 (10 July O.S.) a total of 12 battalions of ''[[opalchentsi]]'' who participated in the Liberation war, formed the Bulgarian Armed Forces.<ref>Попов, В., Иванова, Ц., Велкова, Й. ''Българската земска войска 1878–1879 г.'', София, 1959, Държавно Военно Издателство, с. 60</ref> According to the [[Tarnovo Constitution]], all men between 21 and 40 years of age were eligible for military service. In 1883 the military was reorganised in four infantry [[brigade]]s (in Sofia, Pleven, Ruse and Shumen) and one cavalry [[brigade]].