Kliment Turnovski
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Kliment of Tarnovo (born Vasil Nikolov Drumev, ; c. 1841 – 10 July 1901, known by his title as Metropolitan Kliment of Turnovo), was a leading
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 clergyman and politician. He was also a writer and one of the founders of the Bulgarian Literature Society (BLS; now known as 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 ...
) in 1869.


Education

He was born in
Shumen Shumen (, also Romanization of Bulgarian, romanized as ''Shoumen'' or ''Šumen'', ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, tenth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and economic capital of Shumen Province. Etymology The city ...
(where a village now bears his given name) into a craftsman family. Originally, he was taught in his native town by Sava Dobroplodni and
Sava Filaretov The Sava, is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reaches Serbia, fee ...
, but afterwards attended the Odessa Seminary. He was influenced by the revolutionary
Georgi Sava Rakovski Georgi Stoykov Rakovski () (1821 – 9 October 1867), known also Georgi Sava Rakovski (), born Sabi Stoykov Popovich (), was a 19th-century Bulgarian revolutionary, freemason, writer and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival ...
and joined Rakovski's
First Bulgarian Legion The Bulgarian Legion (, ) was the name of two military bands formed by Bulgarian volunteers in the Serbian capital of Belgrade in the second part of the 19th century. Their ultimate goal was the Liberation of Bulgaria, liberation of the Bulgarian ...
in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in 1861, where he distinguished himself in the fight against the Turkish garrison. Drumev kept close ties with
Vasil Levski Vasil Levski (, spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, old Bulgarian orthography as , ), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a Folk hero, national ...
, Stefan Karadzha and some other Bulgarian revolutionaries. After the Legion disbanded in 1862, Kliment emigrated to
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, where he continued his education at the
Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
. In 1869 he settled in
Brăila Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2021 Romanian ...
. In 1873 he was ordained a priest, and in the ensuing year he was ordained a bishop under the name Kliment Branitski. He later became deputy of the metropolitan bishop in Tulcha. After the
Liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...
in 1878, Drumev worked as rector of the Peter-Paul seminary near
Lyaskovets Lyaskovets ( ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, located in homonymous municipality of Veliko Tarnovo Province, 10 km northeast of Veliko Tarnovo, 2 km southeast of Gorna Oryahovitsa and 5 km south of the Yantra River, north ...
. In 1884 he was chosen to be metropolitan bishop of Turnovo.


Government career

Drumev also took part in the socio-political life in the Principality - he was a deputy in the Constituent assembly in 1879 and in the First Grand National Assembly that year. Drumev was a supporter of Russia and opposed openly the foreign policy of the Regency (1886–1887), the first
Stefan Stambolov Stefan Nikolov Stambolov (; 31 January 1854 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS – 19 July 1895 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revoluti ...
regime (1887–1894) and Prince Ferdinand's regime, which led to repressive measures against him. Although a fairly reluctant political figure, in 1879 Kliment agreed to become
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
on a caretaker basis until elections could be held to fill the vacancy following the collapse of the government of
Todor Burmov Todor Stoyanov Burmov (; 14 January 1834 – 7 November 1906) was a leading Bulgarian Conservative Party politician and the first Prime Minister of an independent Bulgaria. Burmov was a graduate of the Kiev Theological Academy and subsequently ...
. Kliment government was largely inactive, serving only to continue the policies of Burmov until a successor could be appointed. He served a very brief second term in 1886 after the 9 August coup d'état in an attempt to co-ordinate opposition to the enforced abdication of
Alexander of Bulgaria Alexander Joseph (; 5 April 1857 – 17 November 1893), known as Alexander of Battenberg, was the first prince (''knyaz'') of the autonomous Principality of Bulgaria from 1879 until his abdication in 1886. The Bulgarian Grand National Assembl ...
, although before long
Stefan Stambolov Stefan Nikolov Stambolov (; 31 January 1854 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS – 19 July 1895 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revoluti ...
and Petko Karavelov had taken over.S.G. Evans, ''A Short History of Bulgaria'', London, Lawrence and Wishart, 1960, p. 135 Indeed, Turnovski's involvement in the plot even led to Stambolov declaring him an outlaw briefly. A loyal supporter of the old monarchy, Kliment refused to celebrate the arrival of the new monarch
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was Prince of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1908 and Tsar of Bulgaria from 1908 until his abdication in 1918. Under his rule, Bulgaria entered the First Worl ...
, and refused to lead prayers for his arrival 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 ...
. Stambolov moved against Kliment and expelled him from Sofia, whilst depriving him of much of his power. A strong supporter of
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, he remained a harsh critic of the new King, although ultimately even his own flock turned against him and he was detained by the government. He was eventually released and publicly made peace with Ferdinand. With Russia trusting Kliment, in summer 1895 he headed the Bulgarian parliamentary delegation in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
which had to reconcile Bulgaria with Russia, which terminated their official relations in November 1886. His mission was successful. But when he saw that Ferdinand was still not changing his attitude towards Russia, Kliment regretted his actions, because they helped Ferdinand to be recognized as the legal Bulgarian monarch.


Writer

As a writer, Kliment was the father of Bulgarian fiction. He wrote the first original short story in Bulgarian, ''A Woeful Family'' (1860). Some of his important works include ''Student and benefactors or what is another's is another's'' (1864) and the
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
''Ivanko, the killer of Asen I'' (1872).


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turnovski, Kliment 1841 births 1901 deaths People from Shumen Conservative Party (Bulgaria) politicians Prime ministers of Bulgaria Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) 19th-century Eastern Orthodox archbishops Members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 19th-century Bulgarian people Bulgarian dramatists and playwrights