The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising (), consisting of the Ilinden Uprising (; ) and Preobrazhenie Uprising,
[Keith Brown (2013). Loyal Unto Death Trust and Terror in Revolutionary Macedonia. Indiana University Press. pp. 15-18. .] was an organized revolt against 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 ...
, which was prepared and carried out by the
Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, with the support of the
Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee, which included mostly
Bulgarian military personnel. The name of the uprising refers to ''Ilinden'', a name for
Elijah's day, and to ''Preobrazhenie'' which means
Feast of the Transfiguration
The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...
. The revolt lasted from the beginning of August to the end of October.
The rebellion in the region of
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
affected the
Manastir vilayet
The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...
, supported by
Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionaries, and to some extent by the
Aromanian population of the region. A provisional government was established in the town of
Kruševo
Kruševo ( ; "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian language, Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an altitude of over ...
, where the insurgents proclaimed the ''
Kruševo Republic'', which was overrun after just ten days, on August 12.
On August 19, a closely related uprising organized by
Thracian Bulgarian revolutionaries in the
Adrianople vilayet led to the liberation of a large area in the
Strandzha Mountains, and the creation of a provisional government in
Vassiliko, the ''
Strandzha Republic''. This lasted about twenty days before being put down by the Ottomans.
[ The insurrection also affected the vilayets of Kosovo and Salonica. In practice, this uprising was designed as a belated replica of the Bulgarian ]April Uprising of 1876
The April Uprising () was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The rebellion was suppressed by irregular military, irregular Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaught ...
, which finished disastrously, but which the national narrative had transformed into the culmination of the anti-Ottoman struggle.
By the time the rebellion had started, many of its most promising potential leaders, including Ivan Garvanov and Gotse Delchev, had already been arrested or killed by the Ottomans. Towards the end of the uprising there was an attempt to convince the Bulgarian government to send the army against the Ottomans, but the government was pressured by the Great Powers to refrain from military intervention. The revolutionaries managed to maintain a guerrilla campaign against the Ottomans for almost three months, but the uprising was suppressed. This was followed by a mass wave of refugees from the regions of Macedonia and Thrace, mostly to Bulgaria, but also to the United States and Canada. Its greater effect was that it persuaded the European powers to attempt to convince the Ottoman sultan that he must take a more conciliatory attitude toward his Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
subjects in Europe. Through bilateral agreement, signed in 1904, Bulgaria committed not to support the revolutionary movement, while the Ottomans undertook to implement the Mürzsteg Reforms, however neither happened.
The uprising is celebrated in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the peak of their nations' struggle against the Ottoman rule and thus its legacy has been disputed between both countries. While in Bulgaria it is considered as a general rebellion prepared by the joint revolutionary organization of the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire, with a common goal autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions
Autonomy for the region of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace within the Ottoman Empire was a concept that arose in the late 19th century and was popular until ca. 1920. The plan was developed among Macedonian Bulgarian, Macedonian and Thracian Bu ...
, in North Macedonia it is assumed that there were in fact two separate uprisings. Calls for common celebrations, especially from the Bulgarian side, did little to change this state of affairs.
Prelude
The competition for control between national groups took place largely via of propaganda campaigns in 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 ...
, aimed at winning over the local population, and conducted largely through churches and schools. Various groups were also supported by the local population and the three competing governments.
The Internal Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) was founded in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
in 1893. The group had a number of name changes prior to and subsequent to the uprising. It was predominantly Bulgarian and supported an idea for autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions
Autonomy for the region of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace within the Ottoman Empire was a concept that arose in the late 19th century and was popular until ca. 1920. The plan was developed among Macedonian Bulgarian, Macedonian and Thracian Bu ...
within the Ottoman state with a motto of "Macedonia for the Macedonians
Macedonia for the Macedonians (; ; ) is a slogan and political concept used during the first half of the 20th century in the region of Macedonia. It aimed to encompass all the nationalities in the area, into a separate supranational entity.
His ...
".[ IMARO's inspiration certainly belonged to the nineteenth-century ]Balkan
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
practice whereby the powers maintained the fiction of Ottoman control over effectively independent states under the guise of autonomous status within the Ottoman state; (Serbia, 1829–1878; Romania, 1829–1878; Bulgaria, 1878–1908). ''Autonomy, in other words, was as good as independence.'' Moreover, from the Macedonian perspective, the goal of independence by autonomy had another advantage. More important, IMARO was aware that neither 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 ...
nor Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
could expect to obtain the whole of Macedonia and, unlike Bulgaria, they both looked forward to and urged partition. Autonomy, then, was the best prophylactic against partition, that would unite the multi-ethnic Macedonian population. However, the idea of Macedonian autonomy was strictly political and did not imply a secession from Bulgarian ethnicity.
The Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee (SMAC) was a group formed in 1895 in Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, Bulgaria, which enjoyed the covert but close cooperation with the Bulgarian government. The members of this group were called the ''Supremists'', and advocated annexation of the region by Bulgaria. The two groups had different strategies. IMARO sought to prepare a carefully planned uprising in the future, but the Supremists preferred immediate raids and guerilla operations to foster disorder and a precipitate intervention from the Great Powers. A leader of IMARO, Gotse Delchev, was a strong advocate for proceeding slowly. SMAC urged a speedy uprising although they had little faith in the internal movement. Their president Danail Nikolaev thought that IMARO's idea for a peasant uprising was unreal and perceived Delchev as a "brash youngster". Nikolaev thought that for the struggle to succeed, trained soldiers were needed and also clandestine aid and finance of the Bulgarian government.
On the other hand, a smaller group of conservatives in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
organized a Bulgarian Secret Revolutionary Brotherhood (''Balgarsko Tayno Revolyutsionno Bratstvo''). The latter was incorporated in IMARO by 1900 and its members as Ivan Garvanov, were to exert a significant influence on the organization. They were to push for the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising and later became the core of IMARO's right-wing faction. In 1899, Garvanov developed a friendship with Supremists' new leader Boris Sarafov, through which Garvanov managed to come to eminence in IMARO. Despite the mutual hostility, in this period IMARO and the Supremists collaborated and with Sarafov's help Garvanov and some of the Supremists became members of the IMARO's central committee in Thessaloniki.
At the beginning of 1901, the arrested IMARO member Milan Mihaylov, who previously was a member of SMAC, revealed the names of other IMARO activists. As a result, a series of arrests were conducted, which would become known as the Salonica affair. Consequently many of the leaders of IMARO were arrested by the Ottomans, including the Central Committee members, others like Delchev took refuge in Bulgaria. In panic that IMARO would collapse, the Central Committee member Ivan Hadzhinikolov, before his arrest, gave the archive and accounts to Garvanov. In this way Garvanov took control of the Central Committee and became its leader. Allegedly the imprisoned IMARO leaders were betrayed by Garvanov in order for him to seize control, thus in the following period the Central Committee was a tool of Garvanov and the Supremists, and plans for the uprising began. From January 15 to 17, 1903, Garvanov held an IMARO congress in Thessaloniki in order to promote the idea for an uprising that spring. The representative of the Serres revolutionary district was firmly against, however to gain a positive answer, the participation at the congress was cautiously selected. After heated discussions, all the delegates present signed the protocol with an opinion on starting an uprising. During this period, Racho Petrov's Bulgarian government supported IMARO's position that the rebellion was entirely internal. As well as Petrov's personal warning to Delchev in January 1903 to delay or even cancel the rebellion, the government sent out a circular note to its diplomatic representatives in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, Bitola
Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...
and Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
, advising the population not to succumb to pro-rebellion propaganda, as "Bulgaria was not ready to support it". Also, the IMARO was warned by the Minister of War Mihail Savov, that the uprising must be postponed until May 1904, by which time the Bulgarian Army would be ready for military intervention. Prior to the uprising, the Bulgarian government had been required to outlaw the Macedonian rebel groups and sought the arrest of its leaders. This was a condition of diplomacy with Russia.
The decision to start an uprising was final, but Garvanov wanted to discuss it with the other top people of the organization, therefore, in mid-January, he arrived in Sofia. There, the decision on starting an uprising was discussed with Gotse Delchev, Gyorche Petrov, Pere Toshev, Hristo Matov, Hristo Tatarchev, Mihail Gerdzhikov
}
Mihail Gerdzhikov (; 1877–1947) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian revolutionary and Anarchy, anarchist.
Biography
He was born in Plovdiv, then in the Ottoman Empire, in 1877. He studied at the French College in Plovdiv, where he received the ...
, and others. It became clear that among the top people of the organization there was no unanimity on this issue, but eventually everyone accepted the idea. However, Delchev remained strongly at the position that they were not ready, he went to the Serres
Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
region where he met with Yane Sandanski
Yane Ivanov Sandanski (, ; Originally spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, older Bulgarian orthography as (Yane Ivanov Sandanski); 18 May 1872 – 22 April 1915) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary and leader ...
who shared his view. Later he went to Thessaloniki for a meeting with Dame Gruev, who Delchev hoped that as a "heart of the organization" would argue for the postponement of the uprising, but Gruev wanted it to proceed and defended the moral inspiration of the decision. In late April 1903, a group of young anarchists from the Gemidzhii Circle – graduates from the Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki launched a campaign of terror bombing, the so-called Thessaloniki bombings of 1903
The Boatmen of Thessaloniki (; ) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian anarchist group, active in the Ottoman Empire in the years between 1898 and 1903. The members of the group were predominantly Macedonian Bulgarians from Veles, North Macedonia, Ve ...
. Their aim was to attract the attention of the Great Powers to Ottoman oppression in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace. The attacks were followed by reprisals by the Ottoman army and bashibozouks (irregulars) in the countryside, and more IMARO members were arrested. Delchev himself was killed by the Ottomans in May 1903.
The congress of Smilevo took place from May 2 to 7, 1903. The decision from January to stage an uprising was debated. 50 delegates, representing eight revolutionary districts, participated in the sessions of the congress. The delegates decided that Ottoman buildings should be occupied, the means of communication (roads, telegraphs) should be paralyzed, etc. The Manastir vilayet
The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...
, which was best prepared, was chosen as the center of the uprising. The congress ordered the formation of chetas consisting of 30 to 50 revolutionaries. The Bitola revolutionary region was split into districts, each headed by a voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
. A General Staff consisting of Dame Gruev, Boris Sarafov and Anastas Lozanchev, was elected. The General Staff made the decision that preparation for the uprising had to be finished by the end of May. There were setbacks during the preparations because in the kaza of Kastoria the Patriarchists under the leadership of the metropolitan, Germanos Karavangelis
Germanos Karavangelis (, also transliterated as ''Yermanos'' and ''Karavaggelis'' or ''Karavagelis'', 1866–1935) was known for his service as Metropolitan Bishop of Kastoria and later Amasya, Amaseia, Pontus (region), Pontus. He was a member of ...
, had formed an anti-Bulgarian front. In all revolutionary districts, the voidoves organized the storage of supplies which were hidden in the mountains. Medicines were bought from cities. Participants had to take a course of military training. During May, Gruev and Sarafov, accompanied by chetas, visited the Monastir vilayet to verify that all their instructions (such as storage of supplies) were being followed. The General Staff set August 2, Elijah's day (July 20 in the Julian calendar
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...
), as the date of the uprising. On July 11 (June 28 in the Julian calendar), 1903, a congress was held in Petrova Niva. 47 delegates, which were guarded by several hundred men, participated in the sessions for four days. They decided to revolt in Adrianople on August 19 (August 6 in the Julian calendar), on the feast of the Transfiguration
The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.' ...
.
Garvanov, himself, was arrested by the Ottomans. The aim of the uprising was to cause the Great Powers to intervene and to gain autonomy for the regions of Macedonia and Adrianople. Old Russian Berdan and Krnka rifles as well as Mannlichers were supplied from Bulgaria to Skopje following the demand for higher rates of fire by Bulgarian army officer Boris Sarafov. In his memoir, Sarafov wrote that the main source of funds for the purchase of the weapons from the Bulgarian army came from the funds of the kidnapping of Miss Stone, as well as from contacts in Europe. Many Mauser rifles were gained from killed Ottoman soldiers as well.
Ilinden Uprising
On July 28, in the Bitola revolutionary region, instructions and proclamations for the people were sent to the voivodes. The uprising began on August 2, in the Manastir vilayet
The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...
. The uprising was chosen in the Manastir vilayet allegedly because it was located the farthest from 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 ...
, attempting to showcase to the Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...
that the uprising was purely of a Macedonian character and phenomenon. Per one of the founders of IMARO – Petar Poparsov, the idea to keep distance from Bulgaria, was because any suspicion of its interference could harm both sides: Bulgaria and the organization. The telegraph lines to Bitola were cut. The Bulgarians announced the beginning of the uprising by setting the haystacks of Muslim peasants on fire in the villages near Bitola. On the day of the uprising, the town of Smilevo became the headquarters. An attack on Resen failed. That night and early the next morning, the town of Kruševo
Kruševo ( ; "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian language, Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an altitude of over ...
was attacked and captured by 800 rebels who were led by the locals Nikola Karev
Nikola Yanakiev Karev (; ; November 23, 1877 – April 27, 1905) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary. He was born in Kruševo and died in the village of Rajčani both today in North Macedonia. Karev was a local leader ...
and Pitu Guli. The insurgents set the administrative offices on fire. 12 government officials were killed, along with Patriarchists who were accused of being Ottoman spies. Most of the soldiers of the small garrison, consisting of almost 60 men, were captured or killed. After their victory, the insurgents raised the flag of IMARO, bearing a cross on one side and the other side had the slogan " Freedom or Death." On August 3, the telephone communications were cut in the kazas of Monastir, Ohrid, Prilep, Kastoria and Florina. The insurgents several times attempted to blow up the railroad which passed through Bitola and compelled the authorities to place a military guard along the railroad. On August 4, under the leadership of Karev, a local administration called '' Kruševo Republic'' had been set up. That same day and the next, Ottoman troops made unsuccessful attempts to retake Kruševo. On the same day, several chetas, consisting of 400 men, led by four voivodes, captured the town of Kleisoura.
The uprising was led by IMARO and SMAC. The number of insurgents has been estimated as 26,000. After the eruption of the uprising, IMARO's leaders sent a declaration to the Great Powers, writing: IMARO also appealed for the nomination of a Christian governor independent from the Ottoman Empire and a collective international control on a permanent basis. Insurgents also burned houses and crops on 11 Ottoman estates. The uprising began with attacks on Turks and Albanians. In the kaza of Bitola, they burned the fields in villages like Ramna, Lera, Bratin Dol, etc. Attacks on Muslims also occurred in the kazas of Florina, Kastoria and Demir Hisar. Most of the Ottoman troops were stationed in the Kosovo vilayet. Many Muslims in the Manastir vilayet had to organize their self-defense. In the areas of Ohrid and Debar, Muslims from the villages that had been attacked in the beginning of the uprising counter-attacked. Turks and Albanians from the villages Dolenci, Lera and Ramna destroyed the village Šrpce.
During the uprising, IMARO won some popular support due to its promises to abolish peasant debts and redistribute land. Peasants took part in the uprising. Sometimes peasants harbored the insurgents or gave them food. Women supplied the insurgents with food and ammunition, while children carried messages. Aromanians
The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...
(Vlachs) took an active part in the revolutionary struggle. There were Bulgarian sentiments among the insurgents, who flew Bulgarian flags everywhere and sang Bulgarian marching songs. These acts resulted in the insurgents being associated with Bulgaria. Sultan Abdul Hamid ʻAbd al-Ḥamīd (ALA-LC romanization of ; ; ), also spelled as Abdulhamid, Abdelhamid, Abd-ul Hamid, and Abd ol-Hamid, is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is a Muslim theophoric name built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd' ...
, after hearing about the uprising while he was in Istanbul, sent Omer Ruschi Pasha and 12 battalions into the Manastir vilayet to suppress it. The Ottoman authorities also tried to depict the uprising as a "marginal action of some Bulgarian terrorists" to the European public. On August 9, IMARO sent a memorandum to the representatives of the Great Powers in Sofia, describing the destruction by the Ottoman forces. On August 11, in Gevgelija
Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...
in the Salonica vilayet, a bridge further away from the station was bombed, as well as that between Florina and Kinali. On August 12, following the Battle of Sliva and the Battle of Mečkin Kamen
The Battle of Mečkin Kamen also known as 'Battle of Mechkin Kamen' ( Bulgarian: Битка при Мечкин Камен, Macedonian: Битка кај Мечкин Камен) occurred on the hill now known as Mečkin Kamen ("Bear's Stone"), ...
, a force of 18,000 Ottoman soldiers recaptured and burned Kruševo. A Muslim militia from the area of Pribilci took part in the pillaging of Kruševo. 117 people were killed, 150 women and girls were raped, 159 houses and 210 shops were burnt.
On August 14, rebels under the leadership of Nikola Pushkarov, attacked and derailed a military train near Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
. At the same time, insurgents destroyed all the wooden bridges on the roads of Gradsko, Kičevo
Kičevo ( ; , sq-definite, Kërçova) is a city in the western part of North Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city ...
, Kruševo and Veles. The chetas then simultaneously attacked the military outposts and small garrisons across the vilayet of Manastir. Other regions involved in the uprising included Ohrid
Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...
, Giannitsa, Gevgelija
Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...
, Tikveš and Kratovo. In the Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
region, operations were much more limited and without much local involvement, due in part to disagreements between the factions of IMARO. There was also no uprising in the Prilep
Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308.
Name
The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...
area, immediately to the east of Bitola. Kostadina Boyadzhieva and other female teachers from Ohrid opened a hospital during the uprising. The hospital was located in an old archbishopric building in Ohrid's Varoš district. The Ottoman authorities discovered the hospital and imprisoned the women for actions against the state. However, because of the lack of supporting evidence, the authorities released them after a brief imprisonment, after the women had endured beatings from the authorities. Greek diplomats tried discreetly assisting Ottoman efforts to suppress the rebellion.
The uprising spread to the adjacent vilayets of Kosovo, Thessaloniki and Adrianople (in Thrace). In the Kosovo vilayet, the uprising was confined to the southern part because IMARO's leaders did not want any confrontations with the local Albanians. IMARO's committees were also not as present in the vilayet as they were in Manastir. Contemporary reports of the British diplomats stationed in Thessaloniki, Bitola and Skopje to their Istanbul embassy described the participants of the uprising as "Bulgarian insurgents" closely linked to the Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate (; ) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953.
The Exarchate (a de facto autocephaly) ...
and that the uprising was the work of the "Bulgarian Macedonians". Alfred Rappoport, the Austrian consul general in Skopje, referred to "Macedonian cause" and "Macedonian fighters", arguing that they had the goal to achieve "Macedonian-Bulgarian autonomy", leading to an independent "Macedonian state", and that they were allied, not subordinated, to Bulgaria. However, he acknowledged that the majority of the leaders were "Bulgarians".
Krastovden Uprising
Some historians describe the rebellion in the Serres revolutionary district as ''Krastovden Uprising'' ( Holy Cross Day Uprising), because on September 14 the revolutionaries there also rebelled. Rebel chetas active in the regions of Pirin Macedonia and Serres
Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
, led by Yane Sandanski
Yane Ivanov Sandanski (, ; Originally spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, older Bulgarian orthography as (Yane Ivanov Sandanski); 18 May 1872 – 22 April 1915) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary and leader ...
, and chetas of the Supreme Committee led by Ivan Tsonchev and Anastas Yankov, engaged in battles with the large Turkish forces. The fighting began in the Melnik region even before the planned date on the Feast of the Cross
The Feast of the Holy Cross, or Feast of the Cross, commemorates True Cross, the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. In the Christianity, Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations which honor and celebrate the ...
(Krastovden in Bulgarian, September 27) day and lasted until October 21, the local population was not involved as much as in other regions. In the Razlog Valley the population joined in the uprising.
In areas encompassing the uprising of 1903, Albanian villagers were in a situation of being either under threat from IMARO chetas or recruited by Ottoman authorities to end the uprising.[ "The Uprising in 1903 had involved mainly Slav-speaking Christians with the assistance of the Vlah population. Albanian villagers had largely found themselves either under threat from VMRO četas or recruited into the Ottoman effort to crush the Uprising."]
Preobrazhenie Uprising and Rhodope Mountains Uprising
On August 19, a revolt by Bulgarians began in the Ottoman province of Adrianople. Mihail Gerdzhikov
}
Mihail Gerdzhikov (; 1877–1947) was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian revolutionary and Anarchy, anarchist.
Biography
He was born in Plovdiv, then in the Ottoman Empire, in 1877. He studied at the French College in Plovdiv, where he received the ...
, Georgi Kondolov, Stamat Ikonomov, and Lazar Madzharov were the commanders in this district. The insurgents proclaimed a " Republic of Strandzha", which was named after the local mountain range.
According to Khadzhiev, the main goal of the uprising in Thrace was to give support to the uprisings further west, by engaging Ottoman troops and preventing them from moving into Macedonia. Many of the operations were diversionary, though several villages were taken, and a region in Strandzha was held for around twenty days. According to Khadzhiev, "there was never a question of state power in the Thrace region." It was decided to attack Malko Tarnovo
Malko Tarnovo ( , "Little Tarnovo"; as opposed to Veliko Tarnovo) is a town in Burgas Province, southeastern Bulgaria, 5 km from the Turkish border. It is the only town in the interior of the Bulgarian Strandzha Mountains and lies in Stra ...
, whose attack, however, failed. Despite this, many of the regional villages were captured, after which Tsarevo and Ahtopol fell into the hands of the insurgents. Subsequently, a strong army advanced into the region. Ottoman military units carried out a planned offensive against the insurgents, including a marine landing. Thus, the rebels were attacked from two sides and their units were defeated.
In the Rhodope Mountains
The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...
, Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace (, '' ytikíThráki'' ), also known as Greek Thrace or Aegean Thrace, is a geographical and historical region of Greece, between the Nestos and Evros rivers in the northeast of the country; East Thrace, which lie ...
, the uprising was expressed only in some cheta's diversions in the regions of Smolyan
Smolyan () is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, town and ski resort in the south of Bulgaria near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the Smolyan Province. The town is built along the narrow valley of t ...
and Dedeagach.
Suppression
In mid-August, the Anatolian forces, from the vilayet of Kosovo, along with Albanian militia units as supporting forces, were sent to Macedonia to suppress the uprising. Around 40 battalions came to reinforce the troops. On August 24, Omer Ruschi Pasha was replaced by Nasir Pasha, who launched a massive offensive on the same day. He divided his army into five detachments. His soldiers surrounded every zone controlled by the insurgents. The soldiers systematically burned and destroyed Christian villages. The villages were usually burned by Albanian irregulars. They were burnt on Hilmi Pasha's order. At the end of August, two columns of troops recaptured Smilevo and Kleisoura.
In Sofia, Athens, and Belgrade, meetings were organized by writers, academics, and various Macedonian associations. These meetings condemned the "massacres of Christians" by Ottoman soldiers and the "timidity of European diplomacy", which was called to intervene against the Ottoman Empire. Some chetas crossed into Bulgaria, others surrendered to the Ottoman forces. On September 9, the General Staff of the Uprising sent a letter to the Bulgarian government, appealing for immediate armed intervention: "The General staff considers its duty to turn the attention of the respectable Bulgarian government to the disastrous consequences for the Bulgarian nation, if it does not carry out its duty towards its birth brothers here, in an impressive and active manner, as imposed by the power of the circumstances and the danger, which threatens the all-Bulgarian fatherland – through war."
In the beginning of October, SMAC sent bands into the northern parts of the Sanjak of Serres to relieve the insurgents, but failed. Many of the locals were hostile to these chetas. Bulgaria was unable to send troops to the rescue of the rebelling fellow Bulgarians in Macedonia and Adrianople (Thrace). When IMARO representatives met the Bulgarian Prime-Minister Racho Petrov, he showed them the ultimatums by Serbia, Greece and Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, which he had just received and which informed him of those countries' support for the Ottoman Empire, in case Bulgaria intervened to support the rebels. The Great Powers also pressured Bulgaria to not intervene. At a meeting in early October, the general staff of the rebel forces decided to cease all revolutionary activities, and declared the forces, with the exception of regular militias, as disbanded. The peasants began to return home. Many surrendered to Ottoman authorities. During the first week of October, 1,700 rifles were returned to the vali of Manastir. The uprising was suppressed by the end of October.
Aftermath
A reason for the failure of the uprising was the absence of outside support by the Great Powers and neighboring countries. Another reason was because they were insufficiently prepared in terms of preparation (training, strategy and planning) and the insufficient weapons they had. According to Bulgarian figures, 9,830 houses were burned down and 60,953 people were left homeless. After the suppression of the uprising, 30,000 Bulgarian Christians from Ottoman Macedonia and Thrace went to the Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria () was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878.
After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed ...
. Half of these refugees came from Eastern Thrace. An IMARO memorandum issued in 1904 made the following estimates: 5,000 casualties, 205 villages burned down, 70,000 homeless, 30,000 refugees to Bulgaria and the United States. According to Georgi Khadzhiev, 201 villages and 12,400 houses were burned, 4,694 people killed, with some 30,000 refugees fleeing to Bulgaria. 2,500 people were killed in Thrace. In Bulgaria, the movement of refugees was taken care of by the government and Slavic charity societies. Relief missions were organized and sent to the affected villages. Around 1,000 insurgents were killed. Relief organizations estimated more than 4,500 dead, with 200 villages destroyed by Ottoman forces, during and after the uprising. At least 3,000 rapes were reported, and more than 100,000 people were left homeless for the winter.
The uprising did succeed in bringing the intervention of the Great Powers, to some extent. In October, Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary and Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until Abdication of Nicholas II, hi ...
met at Mürzsteg
Mürzsteg is a former municipality in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Neuberg an der Mürz.
Culture and sightseeing
Museum ...
and sponsored the Mürzsteg program of reforms, which provided for foreign policing of the Macedonia region, financial compensation for victims, and establishment of ethnic boundaries in the region.[ The Mürzsteg Agreement was reached on October 2, 1903, which was accepted reluctantly by Abdul Hamid on November 25. Writing after the uprising in 1903, Krste Misirkov called it a "complete fiasco" and argued that the main reason why the uprising failed was due to its "Bulgarian bias", although he also argued that it "prevented Macedonia from being partitioned."] He also wrote: "The only Macedonian Slavs who played a leading part in the uprising were those who called themselves Bulgarians", while also expressing the sentiment that due to the uprising, "Macedonia has become lost to the Bulgarian nation". In 1904, Bulgaria signed a treaty with the Ottoman Empire. Both parties promised to police their common borders more effectively. It also enabled Bulgaria to secure the release of all political prisoners of the Ilinden uprising. All political prisoners, including participants and organizers of the Ilinden uprising, were released. However, Bulgaria covertly supported the former prisoners. Through the Bulgarian-Ottoman agreement, Bulgaria promised to refrain from helping the guerrilla units in Macedonia, while the Ottoman Empire promised to implement the Mürzsteg Reforms. Neither happened.
As soon as order appeared to be re-established, international aid was organized. France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
permitted the communities of Lazarites and the Daughters of Charity (already established in Macedonia) to help the victims of the uprising. In coordination with the English and American Protestant missions, French religious organizations distributed food supplies, blankets, and clothing in the Manastir vilayet. In 1904, Bulgarian women's organizations were appealing to the consulates of the Great Powers to secure the release of Bulgarian women who were arrested by the Ottoman authorities due to their participation in the Ilinden uprising. British anthropologist Edith Durham, who visited Macedonia after the Ilinden uprising as a member of the British Relief Mission, described the uprising as purely Bulgarian, while also claiming that the purpose of the uprising was "to make Big Bulgaria, not Great Serbia." A year after the uprising, many of the refugees had returned. The Ottoman inspectorate kept registers of Bulgarian teachers, including their names, places of birth, past appointments, and any information on their ties to the IMARO. If the administrative council of a village could not vouch for the character of a teacher and report their location, the teacher would be not allowed to work and remain in their place of birth.
In the beginning of 1904, the Bitola Regional Committee of IMARO ordered voivodes of southern Macedonia to forcibly convert the Patriarchist villages to the Exarchate. In a couple of weeks, around 40 villages had been forcibly converted. This policy was opposed by Gyorche Petrov, but the Regional Congress in Bitola in the summer of 1904 overruled objections. In 1904, the Bulgarian government used its control over the Supremists to assume authority over IMARO. However, this resulted in IMARO splitting into a right-wing headed by Ivan Garvanov and Boris Sarafov, which favored a pro-Bulgarian stance and a left-wing headed by Yane Sandanski
Yane Ivanov Sandanski (, ; Originally spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, older Bulgarian orthography as (Yane Ivanov Sandanski); 18 May 1872 – 22 April 1915) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary and leader ...
, which favored an autonomous Macedonia as part of the Balkan Federation. The Greek government decided to sponsor paramilitary activities in Ottoman Macedonia. Greek and Serbian bands used the weakening of Bulgarian activity to strengthen themselves and staged a series of attacks in Macedonia. The two wings engaged in outright conflict which meant mafia-style killings on a larger scale. In this style, Garvanov and Sarafov were assassinated in 1907 by Todor Panitsa
Todor Nikolov Panitsa (; July 2, 1879 – May 8, 1925) was a Bulgarian revolutionary figure, active in the region of Macedonia. He was one of the leaders of the left wing of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.
Biography
Panits ...
on the order of Sandanski.
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 ...
of 1912 and 1913 subsequently split up Macedonia and Thrace. Serbia took a portion of Macedonia in the north, which roughly corresponds to North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
. Greece took south Macedonia, and Bulgaria was only able to obtain a small region in the northeast, Pirin Macedonia.[ The Ottomans managed to keep the Adrianople region, where the whole Thracian Bulgarian population was subjected to ]ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...
by the Ottoman Empire. The rest of Thrace was divided between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey following World War I and the Greco-Turkish War. Most of the local Bulgarian political and cultural figures were persecuted or expelled from Serbian and Greek parts of Macedonia and Thrace, where all structures of the Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate (; ) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953.
The Exarchate (a de facto autocephaly) ...
were abolished. Thousands of Macedonian Slavs left for Bulgaria. Some fled after the Greeks burned Kilkis
Kilkis () is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021 there were 24,130 people living in the city proper, 27,493 people living in the municipal unit, and 45,308 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional un ...
, during the Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...
, and the Treaty of Neuilly population exchange between Greece and Bulgaria saw 92,000 Bulgarians exchanged with 46,000 Greeks from Bulgaria. Bulgarian (including the Macedonian dialects) was prohibited, and its surreptitious use, whenever detected, was ridiculed or punished.
Legacy
The uprising was commemorated by the Macedonian and Thracian diaspora in Bulgaria, and by all factions within the IMARO. It was commemorated officially in Macedonia under 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 ...
n rule when it occupied then ''South Serbia'' during World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
during the interwar period, the local celebration of the event was passively ignored or actively repressed by Yugoslav officials. Celebrations occurred also in 1939 and 1940 in defiance of the ban by Serb authorities. The Bulgarian regime recognized the legacy of the event as its own during World War II and granted pensions to veterans, but excluded those who were perceived as engaging in "anti-Bulgarian or anti-state expression or activity." Celebrations of the event then were officially institutionalized. Before World War II, Serbian historiography claimed the uprising was Bulgarian and also attempted to downplay its significance for the locals in the Bitola region, who were subjected to Serbianization
Serbianisation or Serbianization, also known as Serbification, and Serbisation or Serbization ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", srbizacija, србизација or sh-Latn-Cyrl, label=none, separator=" / ", posrbljavanje, посрбљавање; ...
. After the creation of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, and the recognition of a Macedonian state and people within it, it changed its stance. According to historian Elisabeth Barker, there are accounts which claim that the uprising was imposed by the Bulgarian War Office (encouraged by Russia) on the reluctant leaders of IMARO, who thought that the time was not right for an uprising.
During World War II, Macedonian communists claimed to be the inheritors of the Ilinden uprising and the Kruševo Republic. Ilinden veteran Panko Brashnarov spoke in the first session of ASNOM on August 2, 1944, declaring a "Second Ilinden" of the Macedonian people. In the 1940s, the uprising became one of the most potent foundation myths of Macedonian nationalism. During the brief entente between Bulgaria and Yugoslavia from 1946 to 1948, Macedonian historians gained access to Sofia's archival materials and published accounts, on whose basis they claimed Ilinden as an early expression of Macedonian commitment to national liberation. After the Tito–Stalin split
The Tito–Stalin split or the Soviet–Yugoslav split was the culmination of a conflict between the political leaderships of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, under Josip Broz Tito and Joseph Stalin, respectively, in the years following World W ...
, Bulgarian historians began emphasizing the Bulgarian identity of the uprising's participants again. In 1948, the IMRO revolutionaries Pavel Shatev and Panko Brashnarov wrote a statement to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...
on the situation in Yugoslav Macedonia, where they declared themselves against Communist Party of Yugoslavia
The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats a ...
's policy. They insisted that it was a mass practice to neglect everything Bulgarian, even though it was a historical fact the participants in the Ilinden Uprising were Bulgarians. Afterwards they were quickly eliminated.
During the Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...
, many of SNOF's leaders adopted ''noms de guerre'', that had been used by participants in the Ilinden uprising. SR Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
granted monthly pensions and commemorative medallions (''Ilinden spomenica'') to Ilinden veterans whose applications were successful. However, those who were prosecuted in a court for criminal acts against the ''people'' and the state were excluded. Extensive historical research was done to nationalize the Ilinden myth. This process of nationalization caused tensions with Greece and Bulgaria. Greek historiography
Hellenic historiography (or Greek historiography) involves efforts made by Greeks to track and record historical events. By the 5th century BC, it became an integral part of ancient Greek literature and held a prestigious place in later Roman h ...
has downplayed the uprising as the work of extremists. During the Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, in response to Macedonian scholarship, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869.
The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...
published works highlighting the Bulgarian aspects of the uprising. The uprising has been traditionally commemorated by Bulgarian Macedonians. A monument for the uprising was revealed in Petrova Niva in 1958. Approximately 20% of the essays in the journal ''Macedonian Review'' between 1971 and 1989 mentioned the Ilinden uprising.
The post-WWII Macedonian rendition of history has reappraised the Ilinden uprising as an anti-Bulgarian revolt, led by ethnic Macedonians
Macedonians ( ) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identify as Eastern Orthodox Christians, ...
. Both North Macedonia and Bulgaria claim the uprising as their own, which has led to a dispute about its legacy between both countries. The uprising has been seen by the Macedonian historiography as exclusively Macedonian, although Ottoman and European sources usually called it "Bulgarian". Macedonian historians regard the qualification of the uprising as Bulgarian as biased, with one historian asserting that it was a uprising of the Macedonian people regardless in which church they prayed, school they learned and which national name they carried. The leader of the IMARO and architect of the uprising Ivan Garvanov, is regarded there as a Greater Bulgarian agent who pushed the decision for a premature uprising. Bulgarian Army officers' significant participation is represented there as an alien element, while the fact the uprising's leaders were Bulgarian schoolmasters, is neglected. The leaders of the Ilinden uprising are celebrated as national heroes in modern-day North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, and regarded as founders of the strive for Macedonian independence. The Kruševo Republic and the names of the IMARO revolutionaries like Gotse Delchev, Pitu Guli, Dame Gruev and Yane Sandanski
Yane Ivanov Sandanski (, ; Originally spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, older Bulgarian orthography as (Yane Ivanov Sandanski); 18 May 1872 – 22 April 1915) was a Macedonian Bulgarians, Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary and leader ...
were included into the lyrics of the Macedonian national anthem Denes nad Makedonija
"" (, ; ) is the national anthem of North Macedonia. Todor Skalovski composed the music and Vlado Maleski wrote the lyrics of the song in the early 1940s. It was adopted as the national anthem in 1992, almost a year after the state's independenc ...
("Today over Macedonia"). August 2 is a national holiday in North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
, known as Day of the Republic, which considers it the date of its statehood in modern times. Although a national holiday, ethnic Turks in the country do not relate with the event. Macedonian historians connected the uprising with the partisan struggle during World War II. SR Macedonia was regarded as having fulfilled the goals of the uprising. Since it is also the symbolic date on which in 1944 the People's Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
was proclaimed at the (ASNOM) as a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, the ASNOM event is referred as the "Second Ilinden" in North Macedonia. September 8, 1991, the day when the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence from Yugoslavia, has been often referred to as the "third Ilinden" there. In the Macedonian narrative, there have been attempts to establish a continuity between Ilinden and other events such as the establishment of IMARO in 1893, Karposh's uprising and the battle of Chaeronea. This campaign was promoted by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts () is an academic institution in North Macedonia.
History
The Academy of Sciences and Arts was established by the Socialist Republic of Macedonia's assembly on 23 February 1967 as the highest scientifi ...
. While insurgents and the Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria () was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878.
After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed ...
regarded the Ilinden uprising and Preobrazhenie uprising as part of the same revolutionary movement, Macedonian scholarship only refers to the Ilinden uprising.
The name for the uprising in the Bulgarian historiography is ''Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising''. The dominant view in Bulgaria is that at that time the Macedonian and Thracian Bulgarians predominated in all regions of the uprisings and that Macedonian ethnicity did not exist yet. According to political scientist Alexis Heraclides
Alexis Heraclides (born 1952 in Alexandria, Egypt) is a Greek political scientist and public intellectual, currently Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. He is the son of ambass ...
, Bulgarian historian Tchavdar Marinov wrote that the Ilinden Uprising is the founding myth of the Macedonian identity in all its formulations, and the Bulgarian state has tried to appropriate the myth of the Ilinden uprising and include it in the pan-Bulgarian narrative, since the uprising in Bulgaria does not have the same value as in North Macedonia and is less popular compared to the April Uprising of 1876
The April Uprising () was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The rebellion was suppressed by irregular military, irregular Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaught ...
, which is the Bulgarian foundation myth. There are annual celebrations in Petrova Niva commemorating the uprising. Attempts from Bulgarian officials for joint actions and celebration of the Ilinden uprising were rejected from the Macedonian side as unacceptable.
According to anthropologist Keith Brown, there is evidence in the historical record to confirm the narratives of the three historiographies (Bulgarian, Greek and Macedonian). On August 2, 2017, the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Macedonian colleague Zoran Zaev
Zoran Zaev (, ; born 8 October 1974) is a Macedonian economist and politician who served as prime minister of North Macedonia from May 2017 to January 2020, and again from August 2020 to January 2022.
Prior to entering politics, he ran a privat ...
placed wreaths at the grave of Gotse Delchev on the occasion of the 114th anniversary of the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, after the previous day, when both signed a treaty for friendship and cooperation between the neighboring states. The treaty also calls for a committee to "objectively re-examine the common history" of Bulgaria and Macedonia and envisages both countries will celebrate together events from their shared history. In an interview on August 4, 2018, Zaev said that "the Ilinden uprising is Macedonian" and "if any citizen of Bulgaria wants to celebrate it, let them celebrate it." In 2020, Bulgaria blocked the candidature of North Macedonia to the European Union over an 'ongoing nation-building process' based on historical negationism
Historical negationism, also called historical denialism, is falsification or distortion of the historical record. This is not the same as '' historical revisionism'', a broader term that extends to newly evidenced, fairly reasoned academic rein ...
of the Bulgarian legacy in the broader region of Macedonia.
Honors
In Bulgaria
* Ilindentsi village in Strumyani Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province (, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (), (''Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya'') is a province ('' ...
is named after the uprising
* Preobrazhentsi village in Ruen Municipality
Ruen Municipality ( Bulgarian: Община Руен, ''Obshtina Ruen'') is a municipality in Burgas Province, Bulgaria. It includes the town of Ruen and a number of villages.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, among those who answered t ...
, in Burgas Province
Burgas (, formerly the Burgas okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The province is named after its administrative and industrial centre, the city of Burgas, the fourth biggest town in the countr ...
is named after the uprising
* Ilinden village in Hadzhidimovo Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province (, ''oblast Blagoevgrad'' or Благоевградска област, ''Blagoevgradska oblast''), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (), (''Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya'') is a province ('' ...
is named after the uprising
* Ilinden, Sofia is a district of Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
, located in the western parts of the city, named after the uprising
* OMO Ilinden-Pirin, ethnic Macedonian organization in Bulgaria
* Ilinden (organization) was a veteran nonpolitical organization set up by Bulgarian refugees from Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
.
In North Macedonia
* Ilinden Municipality, in the Skopje region
* Ilinden, the seat of Ilinden Municipality
*Ilinden is a peak on Baba Mountain in Pelister National Park
* FK Ilinden 1955 Bašino, football club near Veles
* FK Ilinden Skopje, football club in the village of Ilinden
Elsewhere
* Ilinden Peak on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...
, Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, is named after the uprising
*Rockdale Ilinden FC
Rockdale Ilinden Football Club (commonly known as Rockdale City Suns Football Club from 1992 to 2020) is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the suburb of Rockdale, Sydney. Founded in 1969, by Macedonian Australians, the club ...
football club in Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
Gallery
File:Macedonian refugees in Bulgaria, 1903.jpg, L'Illustration
''L'Illustration'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...
magazine depicting Macedonian Bulgarian refugees crossing the Ottoman - Bulgaria border after the Ilinden Uprising.
File:BASA-1932K-1-435-1.jpg, One of the Kruševo chetas during the uprising
File:Macedonians Take Towns - New York Times August 14 1903.jpg, The events in the Ilinden Uprising as seen by the American New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
; August 14, 1903.
File:IMARO Activists - Bulgarian Comitadjii - Captured by the Allies Police.jpg, A convoy of captured Bulgarian IMRO activists
File:Macedonian demonstration in Sofia after the Ilinden Uprising.JPG, L'Illustration
''L'Illustration'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...
magazine depicting a refugee demonstration in Sofia, Bulgaria, after the crushing of the Uprising.
File:Puck magazine, 1903 October 7.jpg, A Puck Magazine
''Puck'' was the first successful humor magazine in the United States of colorful cartoons, caricatures and political satire of the issues of the day. It was founded in 1876 as a German-language publication by Joseph Keppler, an Austrian immi ...
satirical illustration depicting Bulgaria and Macedonia as Russian puppets, sword fighting, with the Bulgarian one about to decapitate the Macedonian one, October 1903.[''In order to explain the meaning of the caricature, we consulted with Dr. Vancho Gjorgjiev from the Institute of History at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje... In the caricature, the part where "Bulgaria" tries to cut off the head of "Macedonia" actually refers to Bulgarian diplomatic activities, as well as its duplicitous role in the insurrectionary movement in Macedonia... Bulgarian circles manipulated the term autonomous Macedonia, i.e. they sought for Macedonia to gain autonomy and then join the Bulgarian state. To achieve this goal... aimed at artificially staged insurrectionary movements in Macedonia, such as the so-called Gorna Dzhumaya Uprising of September 1902. The organizer... was the Supreme Macedonian Committee headed by Stoyan Mihaylovski and General Ivan Tsonchev, who acted in agreement with the Bulgarian government and Prince ]Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "courage" or "ready, prepared" related to Old High German "to risk, ventu ...
... The biggest consequence of the Supremists movement is that it greatly influenced the rise of the Ilinden Uprising in 1903... the Bulgarian government, which bore the burden of the Gorna Dzhumaja Uprising, with the intention of absolving itself of responsibility for future unrest in Macedonia, adopted a decision to administratively ban the Supreme Macedonian Committee... Bulgaria's duplicity did not end there... on February 5, 1903, the Bulgarian government... asked the leaders of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO) to abandon the planned uprising... However, the refusal of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO) to postpone the uprising at the request of Bulgaria is a demonstration of an independent Macedonian character... The part of the caricature where "Russia" is depicted refers to the diplomatic games of the Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...
over the Macedonian question. Under the pressure of the uprising, two concepts for resolving the Macedonian question emerged among European diplomacy, the English one through autonomy and the Austrian one through reforms. During the diplomatic games, the Austrian concept prevailed. Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, turned to Russia. The two Great Powers began negotiations at the highest level, which lasted from September 30 to October 3... The so-called Mürzsteg Reforms emerged from these negotiations.'' For more: Вистината за „заедничката историја“: Карикатурата од 1903 година за Македонија од американското списание „Пук“
Novamakedonija 07.11.2022
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File:Викиекспедиција Железник 264.jpg, Museum in Smilevo dedicated to the Smilevo congress of May 1903, on which the decision for a uprising was confirmed and the date was chosen
See also
* Razlovci uprising
* Ohrid-Debar Uprising
* Tikvesh Uprising
* Kresna-Razlog Uprising
Footnotes
Further reading
The English daily newspaper "Times", issues about the Ilinden uprising in August, 1903
* Brailsford, Henry Noel (1906
''Macedonia: Its Races and Their Future''. London: Methuen & Co
* Pozzi, Henry. (1935). Black hand over Europe. F. Mott and Co., London (''for online version of relevant pages, click'
)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
Conflicts in 1903
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire
Rebellions in the Ottoman Empire
Military history of North Macedonia
Manastir vilayet
Adrianople vilayet
Ottoman Kruševo
Ottoman Thrace
20th-century rebellions
Bulgarian rebellions
1903 in the Ottoman Empire
1903 in Bulgaria
Ilinden Municipality
Mass murder in 1903
Macedonian Question
History of the Aromanians
Kosovo vilayet
Salonica vilayet