LIBERATION STRUGGLES IN THE PERIOD FROM 1875 TO 1878

LIBERATION STRUGGLES IN THE PERIOD FROM 1875 TO 1878

In the second half, and especially in the last decades of the XIX century, the Macedonian people’s struggle against Ottoman rule intensified and took a variety of forms. One of those forms was the rise of haiduks (brigands) who had already existed in Macedonia for a long time. The haiduks were tolerated by the common people because they dealt harshly with their worst tormentors. The common people often cooperated with Haiduk organizations and aided their activities, especially when they became involved in locally organized struggles. One of those haiduks with whom the people cooperated was the famous Voivoda (leader) Ilo Markov from Berovo. He was known not only in all of Macedonia but also abroad. Because of his heroism, the people called him “son of kings Marko”, “king of Maleshevia”, and so on.

Leading several hundred Macedonian volunteers, in 1862 Ilo Voivoda took part in the battles to oust the Ottoman military from Belgrade. According to statements made by Russian consuls in the Balkans, Ilo Voivoda was capable of raising even a bigger revolt in the Balkans. The various voivodi and their cheti (detachments) at that time operated independently of each other. Included among the active voivodi were Stoimen, Traian, Chakarot, Hristo Makedonski and Rumena. The haiduk movement was especially strong in Eastern Macedonia where many haiduk detachments were able to hide in the inaccessible mountains.

During the seventh and eighth decades of the 19th century, revolutionaries Dimitar Janakiev - Okuili - Biserov, Petko from the village Sugarevo, Melnik Region, Spiro Dzherov - Makedonski from Bitola and some others began to spread revolutionary ideas among the people. Dimitar Janakiev - Okuili - Biserov and Petko from Sugarevo operated in Melnik and Maleshevo. While Spiro Dzherov – Makedonski operated in Bitola, Lerin, Ohrid and Resen where, in 1862, he organized a rebellion. Unfortunately the rebellion failed because it was betrayed by the Greek Metropolitan in Bitola. Eleven years later (1873), something similar was organized in Voden Region where, according to Hadzi Tashko, a merchant, a group of 15 people were involved. In the spring of 1873, two haiduk detachments appeared in Melnik and Maleshevo Regions which, according to Verkovich, didn’t attack the civilian population “but only individuals who persecuted and exploited the peasants, such as blackmailers, extortionists, etc. because they, like the Ottomans, tormented the poor people in a hundred ways.” There were haiduk detachments present in Tikvesh, Mariovo, Prilep, Krushevo and Kichevo.

During the 1875-1878 Eastern Crisis, which began with uprisings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the haiduk movement in Macedonia exploded. It reached such a height that in some places it grew into local riots and eventually into full blown uprisings. In 1876 larger haiduk detachments fought against the Ottoman army, especially in Lerin and Kostur Regions. The population in Debar Region revolted because new taxes were about to be introduced; a further burden to the people. The people all over Macedonia were reaching a boiling point.

Many of the Macedonian people, who found themselves outside their homeland where uprisings were taking place in the Balkans, sympathized with the other people’s liberation struggles and participated in them. Some Macedonians even made commitments to start an uprising in Macedonia. One such example was the promise a number of Macedonians made to Mikio Liubibratich, a revolutionary leader in Herzegovina. They promised they would start an uprising in Macedonia as soon as it was announced in Herzegovina. Others, such as Giorgi Izmirliev of Gorna Dzhumaia, took an active part in the April 1876 Bulgarian Uprising. By doing so the Macedonian people expressed their aspirations for freedom and a better life.

THE RAZLOVTSI UPRISING

The desire for freedom was once again strongly expressed by the oppressed Macedonian people during the famous Razlovtsi Uprising, which erupted on May 21, 1876 in the village Razlovtsi and spread to Pianets and Pehchevo Regions as well as to surrounding areas. The uprising was organized by Dimitar Pop Georgiev from Berovo and Pop Stoian from the village Razlovtsi, who had previously joined a conspiracy organization known as “The Butchers” and had led many protests against Ottoman atrocities including forceful conversions of Christians to Muslims, tax abuses and more.

Dimitar Pop Georgiev from Berovo, more commonly known as Berovski, was an educated man who received some of his education in Russia. He also studied in Serbia where he received his military schooling in Belgrade, during which he participated in the struggle to oust the Ottoman army from Belgrade. He worked as a teacher after he returned to Berovo and was instrumental in organizing a struggle to combat against Greek propaganda. For that and his revolutionary activities Berovski was persecuted by the Ottoman authorities, but instead of giving up on the struggle he became even more active. He was joined by Pop Stoian along with his brothers and several other like-minded individuals when he began preparations for an uprising in Macedonia.

The uprising in Razlovtsi was instigated by Pop Stoian. To evade Ottoman persecution Berovski fled Berovo and went to Solun where he joined a secret circle called the “Secret Revolutionary Committee”. Led by Dimitar Berovski the circle took part in making preparations for an uprising. The circle had many members that included Nedela, a teacher, her daughter and Stanislava Karaivanova, also a teacher, who sewed the insurgent flag depicting a dark red lion without a crown embroidered on a yellow field, with the inscription “Macedonia, stand up for your freedom”.

During 1875, when the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina started their revolt, the Macedonian conspirators in Solun and Pianets sympathetically followed through with preparing the Razlovtsi uprising in Macedonia. In the words of Konstantin Pop Stoianov,

son of Pop Stoian, the Herzegovina Uprising “strongly influenced the subjugated here” thus prompting them to accelerate preparations for a local uprising. As soon as this happened Berovski and his collaborator Kote Krchov moved to Razlovtsi bringing with them a load of weapons including rifles and ammunition.

In April 1876, Berovski and the other leaders met with the local peasantry and decided that Dimitar Berovski should assemble a small detachment and tour the areas around Pianets, Maleshevo, Radovish, Strumitsa, Petrich and Melnik in order to call on the people to rise up in revolt. But something unexpected happened just as the tour was being organized.

While the conspirators were preparing to hold another meeting, several Ottoman officials arrived in Razlovtsi with armed escorts and arrested several villagers. Then they abducted two Christian girls with the intent of converting them to Islam. Then they threatened to burn the village down if anyone objected. The conspirators in the meantime, suspecting that someone had betrayed them, decided to start the uprising immediately. On May 21, 1876, they attacked the Ottoman officials and, after several hours of fighting, freed Razlovtsi. The same day the people who rebelled broke into the local Ottoman administration office and burned down all deeds, tax collector notebooks, tax records, as well as all other lists with references to taxes and other levies. In other words they violently expressed their hatred towards the Ottoman economic and social system.

Again, on the same day, the rebels split into two groups. One group, led by Tsone Spasov, remained in Razlovtsi to guard the village. The other, led by Berovski, took the new left and headed for Maleshevo and Berovo. On the way Berovki’s group clashed with a unit of Ottoman gendarmes in the village Mitrashints and chased the Ottomans out. Sometime later Razlovtsi was attacked and devastated by the Ottoman army and a large number of bashibozuks (armed Muslim civilians, usually Albanians). After many hours of fighting, the insurgents and villagers fled the fight and ran off to the mountains. In the meantime the residents of the village Laki decided to raise a revolt. They assembled a company of insurgents, led by Tsone Donchev, and were preparing to join other insurgents in the

villages where revolts were being organized. Unfortunately the Ottoman authorities took swift action and prevented them from leaving their village. After the attack dozens of armed villagers, including those who assembled on the mountain in Berovo to take part in the uprising had to go home. This was mainly due to the Ottoman authorities taking action against them and partly due to Dimitar Berovski’s company not arriving in time. They all returned to their homes and hid their weapons.

Within a week after it started, the uprising was developing quite successfully, that is, until a large Ottoman force of soldiers and bashibozuks assembled from the surrounding towns arrived and suppressed it. Dozens of villagers from the areas where the uprisings took place, as well as from surrounding areas, were captured, tortured and jailed in Seres, Solun, Skopje and other prisons. Many died in those prisons, including Tsone Donchev, who died in the Kurshumli-ann prison in Skopje.

Even though the uprisings were suppressed, Dimitar Berovski’s company remained active and managed to survive in the mountains. And as new volunteers kept coming, it grew to a point were it had to be split. Two spy companies were created in 1877. They carried out several attacks on the Ottoman army when it was retreating through Pianets and Osogovo after the Serbian-Ottoman and Russian-Ottoman wars, in which many Macedonians took part.

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In addition to struggling to liberate Macedonia, several hundred Macedonians took part in the 1876 Serbo-Ottoman war fighting on the Serbian side. Some were led by voivodi Ilo Maleshevski and Hristo Makedonski and others, including the volunteers, were led by Giorgi Pulevski and Giorgi Antov. They fought alongside the Russian armies against the Ottomans during the 1877-1878 Russo-Ottoman war. These voivodi and some of the volunteers were later awarded Serbian and Russian military orders for their bravery.

The Macedonian volunteer units also took part in the battles inside Macedonia. They mostly served as guides and acted behind the Ottoman army lines. Ilo Maleshevski’s company was the most

successful in carrying out its missions. In January 1878 Maleshevski’s company entered the northeastern part of Macedonia and liberated almost the entire Pianets area, including the town Tsarevo Selo (today Delchevo). The local haiduk detachments led by Berovski and others also took part in liberating Pianets.

After Pianets was liberated the insurgents established a government in the free area. The government was run by a board of local elders and the village was protected by armed guards from Ilo Maleshevski and Dimitar Berovski’s volunteer detachments. Unfortunately freedom in Pianets only lasted until mid-March 1878 when, according to the Russian-Ottoman peace agreement, Pianets had to be given back to the Ottomans. The Macedonian volunteers guarding the area had to disband. Some moved to Bulgaria while others returned to their homes and continued the struggle for freedom.

In the meantime the Macedonian volunteers led by Iakim Chelopetski, Nikola Alginski and others, who took part in the Serbo-Ottoman war fighting on the Serbian side, entered Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka Regions and, using the favourable conditions at the time, raised a large uprising. They ousted the Ottoman authorities and the Bashibozuk gangs and liberated Kriva Palanka. These areas remained free until early June 1878 when the Ottoman army recaptured it. Some Macedonian volunteers fled to Serbia. The Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka Region uprisings were aided by Serbia, in order for the Serbian government to use them for propaganda purposes. The Serbian government wanted to “prove” that the region belonged to “Serbia” and that the insurgents “demanded” Macedonia’s accession to Serbia. Later the Bulgarian and Greek ruling circles took similar positions towards Macedonia.

In the meantime some ruling circles in Greece organized Andart (Greek nationalist) actions in the area around Mount Olympus. Their aim was to start what they called an “uprising on Olympus” and conquer as much Macedonian territory as possible and join it to Greece. A number of people from Macedonia who at the time found themselves in Greece (as emigrants and migrant workers), without knowing about the Greek aims, took part in these actions believing that they were fighting to free Macedonia. A group of Macedonian

migrant workers from Prespa, Lerin and Kostur Regions, who at the time worked in Athens, returned to Macedonia to start an uprising. Unfortunately they were betrayed and their actions failed just as they began.