Danail Tsonev Nikolaev (; 30 December 1852 – 29 August 1942) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and Minister of War on the eve of the

Balkan wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

. He was the first person to attain the highest rank in the

Bulgarian military The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in t ...

, General of the infantry. He was also known as ''"the patriarch of the Bulgarian military"''.

Biography

Danail Nikolaev was born in

Bolgrad Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the administrative center of Bolhrad Raion (district) and hosts the administration of Bolhrad urban hromada, one of ...

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(now

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) to a Bessarabian Bulgarian family, who were refugees from

Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo (, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. It is the historical and spiritual capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "''City of the Tsars''", Velik ...

. In 1871 he graduated from the Bolgrad Gymnasium and joined the Volunteer company of 54th

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

regiment. On 19 September 1873 he joined the Infantry school in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

, graduating in 1875. Nikolaev returned to his regiment in Chişinău as an acting cadet on 20 July. Realizing that

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

was preparing for war with the

Ottoman empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, he requested resignation from military service to join the war on 14 June 1876. His request was reviewed by division commander General Dragomirov, who furloughed him instead. As a volunteer he took part in Serbo-Turkish War in the battles of ''Babina glava'', ''Mirovitsa'' and ''Gamzi grad''. He was awarded

Order of Prince Danilo I The Order of Prince Danilo I () is an order, formerly of the Principality and later Kingdom, of Montenegro; it is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of Petrović-Njegoš, Crown Prince Nicholas. It is awarded to promine ...

and other decorations.

References

Sources

* * Пеев, П., ''Генералъ отъ пехотата Данаилъ Николаевъ'', София, 1942, трето издание * Недев, С., ''Командването на българската войска през войните за национално обединение'', София, 1993, Военноиздателски комплекс "Св. Георги Победоносец“, стр. 21–22 * Димитров, И., ''Съединението 1885 – енциклопедичен справочник'', София, 1985, Държавно издателство "д-р Петър Берон“ * Ташев, Ташо (1999). "Министрите на България 1879–1999“. София: АИ "Проф. Марин Дринов“ / Изд. на МО. / . {{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolaev, Danail Bulgarian generals People from the Russian Empire Bessarabian Bulgarians People from Bolhrad Bulgarian people of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) People of the Serbo-Bulgarian War Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars 1852 births 1942 deaths Recipients of the Order of Bravery Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Medal for Bravery (Serbia) Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st class Defence ministers of Bulgaria