The present study is devoted to the activity of Nayden Gerov as a Russian diplomat and Bulgarian public figure during the years 1857–1877. It is conducted through the prism of the theory of social roles of the individual, which enables a more profound understanding of the actions and behavior of the vice-consul in each specific situation and in every aspect of his multifaceted activity. The research is based on an abundance of primary source material. Although a significant portion of Gerov’s documentary legacy has been published in two extensive documentary series, each consisting of two volumes, his archival collections – preserved in the Bulgarian Historical Archive at the National Library “Sts. Cyril and Methodius,” in the Bulgarian Historical Archive at the “Ivan Vazov” National Library in Plovdiv, and in the Regional Historical Museum of Plovdiv – still hold considerable potential to provide further important information regarding Gerov’s political and public endeavors during the third quarter of the nineteenth century. For the purposes of the present investigation, publications of documents concerning Russia’s nineteenth-century policies, the activities of Dr. Stoyan Chomakov, and other relevant materials have also been utilized.