Stiliyan Kovachev (; 26 February 1860 in Yanbolu ( Yambol) – 11 July 1939 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 ...

) was a Bulgarian

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

he commanded the Rodopi Detachment and later 4th Army. He was a Minister of Defense for short time in the beginning of 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 ...

in the government of Stoyan Danev (1913).

Biography

Stiliyan Kovachev was born on 26 February in Yanbolu ( Yambol), then under Ottoman rule. He received his elementary education in Yanbolu and in İslimiye ( Sliven). Since early age he entered the Yambol Revolutionary Committee where he assisted Dimitar Drazhev helping for the correspondence of the committee. When the April Uprising broke out the ''cheta'' of Drazhev joined the squad of Ilarion Dragostinov and Stoil Voyvoda. During battle to the north of Sliven, Georgi Drazhev was captured by the Turks and hanged on 29 June 1876, but Kovachev managed to escape the gallows. After the Liberation of Bulgaria the 18-year-old Kovachev continued his education in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

. In November 1878 he moved to

and entered the newly established military school. He graduated the following year and on 10 May was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

and was appointed as a commander of a platoon in the 2nd company of the training forces of the Eastern Rumelia militia. On 9 July he was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. Between 1882 and 1883 he studied in the Military Engineering Academy 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 ...

but fell ill and had to return to Bulgaria.Ташев, Ташо (1999). ''Министрите на България 1879-1999''. София: АИ "Проф. Марин Дринов" / Изд. на МО. / On 7 March 1884 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, and in the spring of 1885 his company was sent to 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 ...

to the south of Pazardzhik to protect the Bulgarian population from Turk and Greek bands.

Serbo-Bulgarian War

During the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885 his company was transferred from the south-eastern border and took part in the battle of Slivnitsa. Kovachev participated in the advanced guard of the army during the advance to Tsaribrod (11 November) and

Pirot Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...

(14–15 November). For his achievements during the war he was awarded Order "For Bravery" IV Grade. After the war he became chief of the chancellery of the Military Ministry (1886–1894). On 13 August 1886 he was promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

and on 1 January 1892 to lieutenant colonel. Between 1894 and 1905 he was in command of the 9th infantry regiment, 12th infantry regiment, 5th infantry brigade and 2nd infantry division. On 1 January 1896 he was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and in 1905 to major general. Between 1905 and 1909 he commanded the 4th Preslav Infantry Division and then 2nd Thracian Infantry Division up to 1912. From September 1912 he commanded the Rodopi Detachment.

Balkan Wars

In the beginning of the

he was in command of the 2nd infantry division and the Rodopi Detachment which advanced in the secondary direction from Plovdiv to Western Thrace. After the success in that operation he was put in charge of the 4th Army which defeated the Ottomans in the battle of Bulair and in the battle of Şarköy. On 14 July 1913 General Kovachev was appointed Minister of Defense in the new government of Stoyan Danev but due to the tense situation he remained in the front lines. Due to his disapproval of the action of Tsar

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 ...

and the beginning of the

he was removed from office and from command of the 4th Army and on 27 August 1913 went to the reserve.

First World War

After Bulgaria entered the

First World War 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 1915, Stiliyan Kovachev was mobilized in the headquarters of the 2nd divisional region and from 1916 he became head of the Main Rear Command of the army. On 15 August 1917 he was promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. After the war he resigned from the army. On 6 May 1936 he was promoted to General of the Infantry. General Stiliyan Kovachev died in Sofia on 11 July 1939.

Bibliography

*Kovachev, Stiliyan (1894). ''Manual for hand weapons'' *Kovachev, Stiliyan (1894). ''Manual for field fortifications'' *Kovachev, Stiliyan (1920–1926). ''Military notices'' *Kovachev, Stiliyan (1921). ''Memorial pioneer booklet'' *Kovachev, Stiliyan (1921–1927). ''Construction art''

Awards

* Order of Bravery 3rd class, 4th class *Great Cross of the Order of St Alexander 2nd class with swords, 1st class without swords * Order of Military Merit 2nd class * Order of Stara Planina, 1st grade with swords - awarded posthumously on 20 December 2012 *Russian Order of St. Anna 2nd class *Austro-Hungarian Order of the Iron Crown 2nd class *Montenegrin Order of Prince Danilo I 2nd class *Romanian Order of the Gold Star 2nd class

Footnotes

Sources

* Рангелов, Л., ''Храбри идат твоите капитани'', София, 1985, Военно издателство * Недев, С., ''Командването на българската войска през войните за национално обединение'', София, 1993, Военноиздателски комплекс "Св. Георги Победоносец" * Димитров, И., ''Съединението 1885 - енциклопедичен справочник'', София, 1985, Държавно издателство "д-р Петър Берон" {{DEFAULTSORT:Kovachev, Stiliyan Bulgarian generals Bulgarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars People of the Serbo-Bulgarian War Recipients of the Order of Bravery Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania 1860 births 1939 deaths People from Yambol Defence ministers of Bulgaria People from the Ottoman Empire