Todor Kableshkov ( Bulgarian: Тодор Каблешков) (13 January 1851 – 16 June 1876) was a 19th-century

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 revolutionary and one of the leaders of the

April Uprising 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 Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaughter of both rebels ...

. Born in

Koprivshtitsa Koprivshtitsa (, pronounced , from the Bulgarian word , ''kopriva'', meaning "Urtica, nettle") is a List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, historic town in the Koprivshtitsa Municipality in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnit ...

in a wealthy family, he studied in his hometown and then 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 ...

between 1864 and 1867 and founded the ''Zora'' enlightenment society in 1867. He continued his education in

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, but was forced to return to Koprivshtitsa because of illness. He worked in

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 ...

as a telegraph operator in 1873 and was then a station master near

Pazardzhik Pazardzhik ( ) is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, southern Bulgaria. It is the centre of Pazardzhik Province and Pazardzhik Municipality. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain and in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv Field, a ...

, where he engaged in cultural and educational activities. Kableshkov returned to Koprvishtitsa in the beginning of 1876 and committed himself to revolutionary work. He was assigned the head of the local revolutionary committee in Koprishtitsa and deputy-apostle of the

Panagyurishte Panagyurishte (, also transliterated ''Panagjurište'', ) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik. The town is ...

revolutionary district. He was the first to proclaim the April Uprising on 20 April 1876 and is the author of the famous '' Bloody Letter'' to the Panagyurishte revolutionary district. Kableshkov was the head of the military council in Koprivshtitsa and led a ''cheta'' (band, detachment) together with Panayot Volov, with which he went round the nearby villages. After the uprising was suppressed by the Ottoman authorities, Kableshkov fled in the interior of

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs for about , first ...

with a small group. He was captured near

Troyan Troyan ( ) is a town remembering the name of Roman Emperor Trajan, in Lovech Province in central Bulgaria . It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Troyan Municipality. The town is about away from the country capital Sofia. The river ...

and was afterwards tortured in the

Lovech Lovech (, ) is a city in north-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The city is located about northeast from the capital city of Sofia. Near Lovech are the towns of ...

and

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

prisons. Todor Kableshkov eventually committed suicide in the

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( ) is a city in central northern Bulgaria, the Local government, administrative centre of Gabrovo Province.It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international ca ...

police office at the age of 25. Todor Kableshkov is remembered as one of the most courageous Bulgarian revolutionaries especially considering the young age at which he entered the revolutionary movement. His home house in Koprivshtitsa is now turned into a museum and a monument was built on the place he decided to start the rebellion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kableshkov, Todor 1851 births 1876 deaths People from Koprivshtitsa Revolutionaries from the Ottoman Empire April Uprising of 1876 Galatasaray High School alumni 19th-century Bulgarian people 1870s suicides