Krste Misirkov

Krste Petkov Misirkov (, ; ; Serbian Cyrillic: Крста Петковић Мисирков; ; 18 November 1874 – 26 July 1926) was a philologist, journalist, historian and ethnographer from the region of Macedonia.

In the period between 1903 and 1905, he published a book and a scientific magazine in which he affirmed the existence of a Macedonian national identity separate from other Balkan nations, and attempted to codify a standard Macedonian language based on the central Western Macedonian dialects. Misirkov is regarded as the forefather of the Macedonian nation and for his efforts to codify a standard Macedonian language, he is often considered "the founder of the modern Macedonian literary language". A survey conducted in the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) found Misirkov to be "the most significant Macedonian of the 20th century".http://star.dnevnik.com.mk/default.aspx?pBroj=1884&stID=4305 Македонија мора да го има Крсте Мисирков во своите пазуви

On the other hand, he was one of the founders of the pro-Bulgarian Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Circle established in 1900 in St. Petersburg. In 1905 he began publishing predominantly articles, written from a Bulgarian nationalist perspective in the IMARO-affiliated press. In his diary written during the Balkan Wars, he espoused pro-Bulgarian views. During the First World War, he became a member of the local parliament in Bessarabia as a representative of the Bulgarian minority there.Dimitar Bechev, Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia, 2019; Rowman & Littlefield, , p. 208. During the 1920s he encouraged the Macedonian Slavs to adopt a Bulgarian national identity. Misirkov returned to Macedonian nationalism for a period in 1914 and again in 1924 and 1925.Panov, Mitko (2019). The Blinded State: Historiographic Debates about Samuel Cometopoulos and His State (10th-11th Century). BRILL , pp. 337-338. Misirkov died in 1926 and was buried in the Sofia Central Cemetery with the financial support from the Ministry of Education, as an honoured Bulgarian educator.

Because Misirkov expressed conflicting views about the national identity of the Macedonian Slavs at different points in his life, his national affiliation and legacy remain a matter of dispute between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

Biography

Early years

Krste Petkov Misirkov was born on 18 November 1874 in the village of Postol in the Salonica vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Pella, Greece). He started his elementary education in the local Greek school, where he studied until the sixth grade, but the bad financial situation of his family could not support his further education at that point and he left the school. At that period, the Serbian government began to promote efforts to espouse a pro-Serbian Macedonian nationalism and to recruit young people in order to " Serbianize" them. After some period, Misirkov applied and was granted a scholarship by a Serbian association, "The Society of St. Sava".''Literature of the Macedonian language, Georgi Stalev, Skopje''

Misirkov in Serbia and Bulgaria

For a period, Misirkov studied in Serbia. Soon after he realized that the promotion of pro-Serbian ideas and propaganda was the main goal of the education provided by the Society of St. Sava. The politics practiced by the association forced Misirkov and the other Macedonian students to participate in a students protest and revolt against the Society of St. Sava. As a result, Misirkov and other companions moved from Belgrade to Sofia. He then faced a similar situation in Bulgaria, this time being confronted with pro-Bulgarian propaganda. Misirkov again went to Serbia to continue his education, but without any success as he was rejected by the Society of St. Sava, most likely for his part in the protests conducted against it. Since he was willing to get higher education, he was forced, by a chain of events, to enroll in a theological school for teachers. Similar to the Society of St. Sava, this school as well had its own propagandistic goals which resulted in another revolt of the students. As a result of it, the school ended its programs and the students were sent throughout Serbia. Misirkov was sent to Šabac, where he finished his fourth secondary education course, but this time in the local gymnasium, which happened to be his last course. In both Serbia and Bulgaria, Misirkov and his friend were treated as Serbs or Bulgarians in order to be accepted in the educational system. After the gymnasium, even though he graduated, Misirkov enrolled in another secondary school for teachers in Belgrade, where he graduated in 1895. During this time, particularly in 1893, Misirkov became a member of an association of Macedonian students called "Vardar".

Misirkov in the Russian Empire

His qualifications obtained in Belgrade were not recognized in Russia. Misirkov had to study from the very beginning in the Seminary at Poltava. In 1897, he was able to enter the Saint Petersburg Imperial University. Here he entered at first in the Bulgarian Students Association and the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Circle. Misirkov carried out here his first scholarly lecture on the ethnography and history of the Balkan Peninsula before the members of the Russian Imperial Geographical Society.

On 15 November 1900, Misirkov, a third-year student in the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the time, and other students in Russia created a students' circle in Saint Petersburg. The main objective of the circle was the political autonomy of the Macedonia and Thrace, declared by IMRO, and implemented and guaranteed by the Great Powers. In a letter sent to the President of the Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee on 28 November of the same year, the founders of the circle stated that "there's no Bulgarian who is not interested in the situation and fate of that part of our homeland, which continue to groan under the yoke of the tyrant". He graduated in 1902, and later left for Ottoman Macedonia.

Return to Ottoman Macedonia

Facing financial obstacles to continue his postgraduate education, he accepted the proposal of the Bulgarian Exarchate to be appointed teacher in one of the high schools in Bitola. There he befriended the Russian consul in Bitola. He began to plan the opening of local schools and publishing textbooks in Macedonian, but the Ilinden Uprising in 1903 and the assassination of the Russian Consul changed his plans and he soon returned to Russia. In Russia, Misirkov published different articles about the Ilinden Uprising and the justifications and causes as to why the Consul was assassinated. Soon afterwards, he wrote the book ''On Macedonian Matters'' and published it in Sofia. Misirkov attacked the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), among others, as a Bulgarian creation. As a result, he was persecuted by IMRO, and it is believed that its members destroyed a sizable amount of copies of his book.

Return to Russian Empire

In 1905, he left Saint Petersburg for Berdiansk. There, he resumed publication of the journal ''Vardar'' and was given a post as assistant master in a grammar school.Георги Маргаритов. В Скопие продължават да показват само едното лице на Кръсте Мисирков. в-к "Македония", брой 10, 10 март 1999 г. In this period, Misirkov halted his advocation of Macedonian separatism and opposed the Serbian position on the Macedonian Question. After 1905, he published pro-Bulgarian articles and even categorically renounced the point of his book ''On Macedonian Matters'', although this behavior might have been caused by the many threats made towards him warning him to stop fighting for Macedonian separatism from Bulgaria. On 18 April 1907, Misirkov began to cooperate with the Sofia magazine "''Macedonian-Adrianople Review"'', edited by Nikola Naumov, which was ''de facto'' organ of the IMRO. On 24 April 1909, in Odessa, Misirkov printed his work about the South Slavic epic legends on Krali Marko. On 1 October 1909, he printed the article, ''"The foundations of a Serbian-Bulgarian rapprochement"'' in the magazine, ''"Bulgarian Collection",'' edited by Bulgarian diplomats and officials in St. Petersburg. During this period, a Slavic Festival was held in Sofia in 1910 with Misirkov invited to attend as its guest of honor. In 1910–1911, he translated the book of the Bulgarian geographer Prof. Atanas Ishirkov, ''"Bulgaria"'' from Bulgarian to Russian.

When the First Balkan War had begun, Misirkov went to Macedonia as a Russian war correspondent. In Macedonia, he could follow the military operations of the Bulgarian Army. Misirkov published some articles in the Russian press demanding that the Ottomans be driven out of Macedonia. In 1913 after the outbreak of the Second Balkan War, Misirkov went back to Russia, where he worked as a teacher in the Bulgarian language schools in Odessa. Later, he was appointed as a teacher of the Bulgarian language school in Chișinău. While working as a teacher in Chișinău, Misirkov sent а letter to the Bulgarian academic Aleksandar Teodorov-Balan with a request to be assigned as a professor at Sofia University. That request clearly indicates his self-identification at that time: ''As a Bulgarian, I would willingly return to Bulgaria, if there is a need of a scientific research of the fate of the Bulgarian lands, especially Macedonia.''.." A shorter letter with similar content was sent to another professor at Sofia University – Vasil Zlatarski with the request to be assigned as a chosen ''at the newly established department for history of Macedonia and the other western Bulgarian lands''.

At that point, Misirkov made contacts with the Macedonian Scientific and Literary Society, which started publishing the journal, '' Makedonski glas'' (Macedonian Voice) in Russian. Misirkov published in this magazine for some period under the pseudonym "K. Pelski". Misirkov defended and wrote about Macedonian ideals which, according to him, were in contrast with Bulgarian ideals and the general Bulgarian populace.

After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Bessarabia became a democratic republic, and he was elected a member of the local parliament Sfatul Țării as a representative of the Bulgarian minority.Dimitar Bechev, Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia, 2019; Rowman & Littlefield, , p. 208. At the same time, Misirkov worked as a secretary in the Bulgarian educational commission in Bessarabia. In March 1918, unification between Bessarabia and Romania was declared. On 21 May 1918, Misirkov openеd a Bulgarian language course in Bolhrad. Misirkov proceeded to take a clandestine trip to Bulgaria in order to procure textbooks for the students, but after his return in November, he was arrested by the Kingdom of Romania authorities, still at war with Bulgaria and was extradited to Bulgaria.

Last years in Bulgaria

After being expelled by the Romanian authorities, Misirkov returned to Sofia at the end of 1918, where he spent one year as a head of the Historical Department of the National Museum of Ethnography. He proceeded to work as a teacher and director of the high schools in Karlovo and Koprivshtitsa. During this period (but before 1923), IMRO marked Misirkov as harmful to its cause and supposedly considering his assassination, but reconsidered after he met with a representative of the organization. In this period, Misirkov also advocated a Bulgarian identity for the Macedonians as a choice preferable to Serbian. He also resumed his journalistic activity and published many articles on the Macedonian Question in the Bulgarian press and in some of them expressed Macedonian national ideas. In the article "The Path of Reconciliation" from January 1925 he wrote: ''"The Macedonian national feeling and national awareness are as old as the Bulgarian and the Serbian are."'' In another article called "Macedonian nationalism", Misirkov stressed that the: ''"Macedonian intelligentsia sought and found other means to fight with, namely an independent Macedonian scientific thought and Macedonian national consciousness."'' Misirkov wrote in the article "School and socialism" from May 1925: ''"In 1897 I went to Petrograd University and for five years was among the Bulgarian studentship as Bulgarian and member of the Bulgarian Student Society."'' Misirkov died in 1926 after a short illness and was buried in the graveyards in Sofia with the financial support of 5000 levs from the Ministry of Education, as an honored educator.

Works

In his life, Misirkov wrote one book, one diary, published one issue of a magazine and wrote more than thirty articles. His book '' On the Macedonian Matters'' was published in Sofia in 1903. The magazine was called ''Vardar'' and was published in 1905 in Odessa, Russian Empire. The articles that Misirkov wrote were published in different newspapers and focused on different topics. The book, magazine and a number of his article were written in the Central Macedonian dialects, which are the basis of Modern Macedonian.

''On the Macedonian Matters''

One of the most important works of Misirkov is the Macedonian book '' On the Macedonian Matters'' (Original: За македонцките работи) published in 1903 in Sofia, in which he laid down the principles of modern Macedonian. This book was written in the Macedonian dialects from the area between Prilep and Bitola. It argued in favor of national separation, the establishment of autonomous national institutions within the Ottoman Empire, and the standardization of a distinct Macedonian language. Misirkov wrote that one of the primary aims of the Macedonian intelligentsia should be to drive out the national and religious Serbian, Bulgarian and Greek propaganda from Macedonia, otherwise they would eventually lead to its partition. Furthermore, Misirkov appealed to the Ottoman authorities for eventual recognition of a separate Macedonian nation. Misirkov admitted that there was no Macedonian nation, but argued that it should be created, when the necessary historical circumstances would arise. Misirkov attacked both the Bulgarian Exarchate and the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) as agents of the Bulgarian interests in Macedonia. According to this book and Misirkov himself, the Macedonian literary language should be based on dialects from the west-central part of Macedonia, which were used in the book itself. Ultimately, the west-central Macedonian dialect indeed became the base of the Macedonian literary language in the post 1944 period.

''Vardar'' magazine

Misirkov was the author and editor of the first scientific magazine in Macedonian. The magazine ''Vardar'' was published in 1905 in Odessa, Russian Empire. The magazine was published only once, because of the financial problems that Misirkov had been facing with at that time. He expressed views about the national distinctiveness of the Macedonians. According to Blaže Ristovski, its orthography was almost the same as the orthography of standard Macedonian. The magazine was meant to include several different scientific disciplines, mostly concerned with Macedonia.

Articles

During his life, Misirkov published many articles for different newspapers and magazines. The articles deal with Macedonia, Macedonian culture, ethnology, politics and nation on one hand and with the Bulgarian nation, politics and ethnography on the other. Misirkov published his articles in Macedonian, Russian and Bulgarian and he published them either in Russia or in Bulgaria. Most of the articles were signed by his birth name, but there are articles that are signed with his pseudonym ''K. Pelski''.

Diary

In 2006, a handwritten diary by Misirkov written during his stay in Russia in 1913 was discovered. It was declared authentic by Bulgarian and Macedonian experts and was published in 2008. The content of the diary clearly shows that at the time, Misirkov identified himself as a Macedonian Bulgarian and had a clear pro-Bulgarian stance.Dimitar Bechev, Historical Dictionary of North Macedonia, 2019; Rowman & Littlefield, , p. 208. He also criticized Russia and France for their support of Serbia and Romania and their lack of efficient support for Bulgaria. The manuscript includes 381 pages written in the Russian language. Misirkov wrote it in Kotovsk's nearby village of Klimentove, where he lived and worked at the time. It also contains articles and excerpts from the Russian press from that time. It has given rise to new public discussion over Misirkov's stances on Bulgarian and Macedonian ethnicity. Per academic Alexis Heraclides, Misirkov's stance was not clear-cut and he sounded Macedonian at times too.Alexis Heraclides, The Macedonian Question and the Macedonians: A History, 2021, Routledge, , p. 174.

Dialectology and ethnography

In several publications, Misirkov made an attempt to determine the border between the Serbo-Croatian and Bulgarian language, including in the Bulgarian dialect area, nearly all of Torlakian and Macedonian dialects. Misirkov pointed there, that the population in Pomoravlje is autochthonous and Bulgarian by origin, excluding any later migrations during the Ottoman rule from Bulgaria.
According to Krste Misirkov, Krali Marko epic songs in Serbia, the so-called '' Bugarstici'' are a result from Bulgarian musical influence over the Serbian folk music.

Legacy

During the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of a separate Macedonian ethnicity was as of yet promoted by small circles of intellectuals. Then, most of the Slavic people in Macedonia, although were part of the Bulgarian Millet, they did not have a clear national identity, and Macedonian separatist ideas failed to gain wide popular support. At different points in his life, Misirkov expressed conflicting statements about the ethnicity of the Slavs living in Macedonia, including his own ethnicity. According to Ivo Banac, Misirkov espoused pan-Bulgarian patriotism, furthermore frontally, against the Serbs and before them the Greeks, but in the context of the larger Bulgarphone nation, which was more philologically understood than in a ethnic way, espoused Macedonian patriotism and sought cultural and national differentiation, separating the Macedonians. Misirkov's ideas had a small impact in his own time and he was re-discovered in the post-WW2 era.

View of Misirkov in North Macedonia

In North Macedonia, Misirkov is regarded as the forefather of the Macedonian nation and as the most prominent Macedonian cultural and national worker in the early 20th century, who set the principles of the standard Macedonian. Misirkov is also the author of the first scientific magazine in Macedonian and because of his contributions to the Macedonian national cause, he has been widely regarded as the greatest Macedonian of the 20th century by the Macedonian public. After World War II, the new Macedonian historiography started to regard Misirkov's persona highly. His work and ideas, especially ''On Macedonian Matters'', became a major field of exploration for scholars from the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, who used them as one of the basis to support the claim that there was a Macedonian national consciousness as early as the 19th century. In his honor, many books and scientific works have been published and the Institute for Macedonian language "Krste Misirkov" is named after him.

There was a debate about Misirkov's ethnicity in North Macedonia issued by Dr. Rastislav Terzioski, who brought to light memos from Russian archives which clearly stated his pro-Bulgarian positions. The publication of his 1913 diary, which revealed his pro-Bulgarian views, sparked a major controversy in Skopje. The Social Democratic Union of Macedonia even called for the dismissal of Zoran Todorovski, who was then director of the State Archives of Macedonia. Regarding Misirkov's signature as a "Macedonian Bulgarian", the Macedonian historians and linguists argue that it means a Macedonian person with a Bulgarian citizenship. On the other hand, according to Dr. Vlado Popovski, Misirkov's usage of the term "Macedonian Bulgarian" was only a tactic as a consequence of the Balkan Wars and the Bucharest Agreement. Furthermore, per Popovski, he considered that since it is not allowed to be a separate political unit, is better for Macedonia to remain whole than to be divided among the Balkan states and in that sense, he gives preference to Bulgaria on the basis of historical ties and on cultural closeness. The academic Blaže Ristovski has espoused similar view, that this were not genuine beliefs and sentiments of Misirkov but were dictated by the conditions of the time. Also per Ristovski, based on the testimony of Misirkov’s son and grand-daughter, when Misirkov lived in Sofia, and particularly in Bessarabia, he had to assist the Bulgarians because they were more numerous compared to the Macedonians, who were few. In 1914 and many times after that, Misirkov repeated his views about the Macedonian national existence.

View of Misirkov in Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, Misirkov is regarded as a controversial educator with scientific contribution to Bulgarian dialectology and ethnography. He graduated from the Belgrade University as a student of Prof. Stojan Novaković and was influenced by his ideas. At that time, Novaković was a prominent proponent of the Macedonism, thereby promoting Serbian interests in the region of Macedonia. Afterwards Misirkov met several times with him and Novaković's diplomatic activity in St. Petersburg played significant role for the foundation of the Macedonian Scientific and Literary Society. However, Misirkov later developed a kind of '' Serbophobia''. He also argued that the Slavic population of Macedonia was not "a formless paste" but a "well baked Bulgarian bread". Bulgarian historians believe that the post-WWII Yugoslavian Communist regime significantly altered his writings to support the notion of a "Macedonian nation", distinct from the Bulgarian one. According to Bulgarian observers, after the breakup of Yugoslavia, polemics have also arisen in the Republic of Macedonia about the identity of Misirkov.Списание България – Македония, Брой 2, 2010 г. Неизвестният досега дневник на Мисирков разбуни духовете край Вардара, Светослав Делчев.

See also

* History of the Macedonian language
* Macedonian studies

Notes

External links

;Works
* Krste Misirkov – Misirkov's work on the Macedonian Wikisource. Complete text of his book, magazine and articles.
* Magazine "Vardar" on Wikisource.
* "On Macedonian matters" – complete text on Wikisource.

"On Macedonian matters"
– scan of the original book.


– complete text.

Project: ''Krste Misirkov''
– online interactive site about Misirkov's life and work.


– complete text.

Misirkov's diary
– downloadable link.
*

;General
Biography of Krste Misirkov



* ttp://www.kroraina.com/varia/misirkov_podpis.jpg Signature of Krste Misirkov in his diary.* A letter by Kole Nedelkovski to Sergej Misirkov regarding Krste Misirkov and his work.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Misirkov, Krste
1874 births
1926 deaths
People from Pella
People from Salonica vilayet
Moldovan MPs 1917–1918
Bulgarian educators
Bulgarian male writers
Macedonian writers
Bulgarian philologists
Early Macedonists
Slavists
Bulgarian expatriates in Russia
Bulgarian expatriates in Moldova
People extradited to Bulgaria
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni
War correspondents of the Balkan Wars
Burials at Central Sofia Cemetery
Macedonian Scientific and Literary Society
Writers from the Ottoman Empire