AGITATION FOR AN UPRISING IN MACEDONIA

AGITATION FOR AN UPRISING IN MACEDONIA

Unlike the Greek and Serbian ruling circles which opposed the San Stefano Agreement, the Exarchate and Bulgarian bourgeoisie, which gradually took power in the Bulgarian vassal principality, protested against the decisions made during the Berlin Congress because they didn’t allow for the creation of a “Greater Bulgaria”. After the Berlin Congress was concluded, the Bulgarian bourgeoisie, especially its liberal part headed by Stefan Stambolov, created the “Edinstvo Charity Committees” in order to organize actions to reverse the decisions made during the Berlin Congress. In other words to create conditions so that Macedonia could be given to Bulgaria.

In the period from 1875 to 1878 the situation in Macedonia, especially in its northern and northeastern parts, became extremely intolerable due to the turmoil that was taking place. A number of Ottoman armies passed through these areas on their way to and coming from the war fronts. Angered by their losses they’d suffered they devastated everything in their path. On top of that, they brought with them thousands of Muhadzhirs exiled from the newly liberated neighbouring countries and dumped them in Macedonia. And, with help from the Ottoman authorities, they let them loose to loot the houses, fields, livestock and other properties of the Macedonian people.

During the June 1878 insurrection suppression in Kumanovo, Kriva Palanka and surrounding areas, the Macedonian people endured many attacks from the Bashibozuks. So did the people in Melnik Region the following month, especially in the Krsiak vicinity and surrounding mountains where many spy and volunteer detachments had gathered to launch insurgent actions. Aware of their presence, the Ottoman authorities took a series of military actions against them. About 500-600 Ottoman soldiers and bashibozuks, led by the kajmakam (governor) from Melnik, ravaged about 20 villages in Krsiak and killed over 60 people.

During these attacks the people had no one to rely on and were forced to take care of their own safety, lives and property. As a result many joined the haiduk detachments which began to explode

in size. Stojan Voivoda’s detachment, one of the largest in the region, was active in Ohrid and Bitola. Another large detachment led by Stefo and Pop Kosta Bufski was active in Kostur, Lerin and Bitola Regions. Three large detachments fought against the Ottoman authorities in the Bitola sandzhak under the leadership of Vlaot Alexi, Kotula and Kostadin. Churko and Dimitar Voivoda’s detachments also took part there. There were haiduk detachments operating in Mariovo, Prilep and other regions.

In the summer of 1878, the haiduk movement was gaining strength in Eastern Macedonia, where about 12 haiduk detachments had concentrated and were being constantly reinforced with new volunteers and participants from the Serbian-Ottoman and Russian-Ottoman wars. In the meantime Ilo Maleshevski’s detachment operated in Kiustendil. Among the 12 detachments, the most famous was Stoian Stoil Karastoilov’s detachment from the village Strachishta, Nevrokop Region. Karastoilov was well respected by the people for being courageous and rational. Because of that the twelve haiduk leaders appointed him their chief.

This was unusual in the haiduk movement because, almost without exception, all haiduk leaders tended to operate alone in their own territory and independent of one another. But as a result of grouping all those detachments under Stoian Karastoilov’s leadership, the haiduk movement was able to successfully execute the Kreshna Uprising. In other words, the 1878 Macedonian Uprising in Kreshna was executed by a single force under a single leader around which all the insurgents were grouped.

Included among the leaders of the 12 detachments were Todor Palaskarot, Kosta Kukoto, Kocho Liutata and Stoian Tsaparevetsot. They, along with some of the Macedonian groups which had earlier fled to Bulgaria, including Nathaniel’s group, began to agitate for an uprising in Macedonia. Other haiduk leaders were also advised to do the same. Many, such as Kostadin Bufski from the village Buf, Lerin Region, accepted the responsibility. In no time large groups of haiduks, volunteers and others not only became aware of the pending liberation but also began to prepare for it

At the same time rumours began to circulate that if an uprising was raised in Macedonia, Russia would declare a new war on the Ottoman Empire and drive it out of the Balkans. There were also rumours circulating that special Russian cavalry units were standing by behind the Bulgarian-Macedonian border, waiting for orders to enter Macedonia. People were told that Russian officers sympathized with and supported the Macedonian liberation movement. These rumours were so strong that even the European press wrote about them. Then when the uprising broke out, the European newspapers expected it to grow into a general Balkan uprising and provoke a new Russian-Ottoman war. These rumours had an extraordinary impact on the Macedonian agitators who called for the uprising to begin.

The uprising was also influenced by agitation carried out by the “Unity” Committees which, under the label of “benevolence”, covered up the war plans and actions prepared by the Greater Bulgaria propaganda which called for the accession of Macedonia to Bulgaria. The “Unity” Committees started organizing armed detachments sent from Bulgaria through Kiustendil to the northern part of Macedonia, in order to start an uprising there. One of those detachments belonged to the Russian Cossack Adam Kalmikov. Metropolitan Nathaniel of Ohrid also took part in these actions.

Metropolitan Nathaniel formed “Unity” Committees in Kiustendil, Gorna Dzhumaia and Dupnitsa, which operated as clones of Stambolov’s Trnovo Committee. In Kiustendil, Nathaniel connected himself to Ilo Maleshevski and Dimitar Berovski. Together they recruited volunteers to form more detachments, etc. But these actions didn’t produce results. When the Cossack Kalmikov saw that nothing was happening there, he moved to Gornodzumaia Region and joined Stoian Karastoilov’s haiduk detachments located in the areas around Kreshna. Dimitar Berovski did the same.