Part 36 – The Tikvesh Uprising against Serbian Occupation

Part 36 – The Tikvesh Uprising against Serbian Occupation

Expecting that the allied foreign armies would leave Macedonia after the Ottoman army was driven out the Macedonian people began preparations to establish their own control over Macedonian territories. But as the war slowed down the allied armies had no intention of leaving so Macedonians had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. After the Ottoman army was defeated in Kumanovo and began its retreat towards Bitola and Lerin, its retreat was followed by Ottoman authorities in the wider region. In a vacuum of authority, on October 20th, 1912, the Macedonians in Kavadartsi established a body of six people to act as the local authority and maintain law and order. Within a couple of weeks a local police force was established and about fifty constables were appointed. Later a new commission, headed by Tase Bashkov, was elected consisting of ten people. While this was going on a Serbian army division, at the time located in the Kavadartsi vicinity, closely cooperated with the Macedonian Commission and justified its presence as temporary. Then with no warning whatsoever, on December 17th, 1912, Serbian police authority was established by decree and a new commission, manned by personnel from Serbia, was imposed on the community. About a week and a half later Colonel Urosevich, the Serbian division commander, was dispatched to meet with the local Macedonians and explain to them that local non-Serbian authorities, organizations, commissions, etc., had been disbanded in accordance with Serbian law. At this point a local priest named Mihail asked the commander if it was not him who, when the Serbian army first arrived, said that the Serbian stay here would be temporary. The commander replied that what he had said in the past was no longer valid and that from now on, he was the sole authority appointed to protect Serbian interests. About a week later the commander returned and informed the people that Belgrade had issued orders to close down all Macedonian schools so that Serbian schools could be established in their place. The commander then went on to declare that all the locals in the Tikvesh vicinity were Serbians who had been assimilated by the Bulgarians in the past but soon would all become Serbians again. At this point Risto Mihov, a young Macedonian teacher, asked the commander, admitting that the commander had to follow orders, if in his stay in Macedonia he had learned anything about the people? In the Serbian commander’s silence the young teacher went on to say that all the people around him were Macedonians who had fought for Macedonia and strongly emphasized to the commander that the Macedonians would fight again, even against him if they had to. Soon afterwards more than fifty Macedonian schools were closed and religious service in the Macedonian language was abolished. Serbian authorities began to terrorize and assimilate the Macedonian population and Serbian teachers and priests were brought from Serbia to make sure that Macedonians were taught to speak Serbian. Those Macedonians who refused to learn Serbian and would not accept the Serbian indoctrination were labeled “Bulgarian” and were exiled from Macedonia or executed outright. The Serbian authorities were particularly cruel to the Macedonian revolutionaries and to the former insurgents, many of whom they exiled and executed. Among the revolutionaries to die by Serbian hands were Macedonian Vojvodas Petar Oblakcheto, Krsto Leontiev, Krsto Trajkov, Atanas Lutviev and Leshanski. (Vanche Stojchev. “Military History of Macedonia”. Military academy. Skopje, 2004. Page 450) The routing out and terrorizing of Macedonians was delegated to the formerly illegal and most notorious Serbian bands led by Vasilije Trbich, Jovan Babunski and the Ottoman Yaja Aga, now working for the Serbians. By now the Macedonian people found themselves in a totally unexpected, unfortunate and unacceptable situation. True to the words of young Risto Mihov, the people of Tikvesh decided it was time to fight back.

Led by local and district leaders of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO) the people of Tikvesh began preparations for an Uprising directed against the Serbian occupation of Macedonia. Two Chetas were assembled from the veterans of the Ilinden and Young Turk Uprisings, a district Cheta consisting of 30 insurgents and a local Cheta consisting of 20 insurgents and placed under the command of Vojvodas Doncho Lazarev and Misho Shkartov. Soon afterwards they were joined by Chetas from other regions including those of Alekso Martulkov and Konstantin Tsipushev. Soon after their arrival in Kavadartsi the Cheta chiefs held a meeting in Jovanche Shkartov’s house. The meeting was attended by Vojvodas Lazo Fertikov, Tsanko Hadzhidemirski, Doncho Lazarev, Misho Shkartov and some local prominent people. Without much deliberation the Macedonians decided it was time to take up arms against the new occupier and begin arming the people. Vojvoda Lazarov volunteered to conduct a propaganda campaign and inform the population of what was going to happen as well as organize them for the uprising. Fortunately the Tikvesh units that had volunteered to fight alongside the Bulgarian army in Odrin, by April 1913, had begun to return home and they too began to join the insurgency, bringing the number of fighters in Tikvesh to over 120. As relations between Serbian authorities and the Macedonians in Tikvesh deteriorated, especially after the May 1913 census, the atmosphere became very tense. During the census, Macedonians were forced to declare themselves “Serbian” or “Bulgarian” and those who refused to pick one or the other were severely punished. When the Serbians did not get the results they expected they escalated the terror against the Macedonians killing MRO member Aleksandar Vidov and torturing Natsa Pindzhurova, Dime Pindzhurov’s mother. As word got around of an imminent Uprising in Tikvesh, more Chetas began to arrive, including those led by Vojvodas Vasil Chakalarov, Deacon Evstatij, Panajot Karanfilov, Eftim Sprostranov, Petar Chaulev and Milan Gjurlukov. A revolutionary Headquarters was established and led by two groups. One group, led by Misho Shkartov, operated from Negotino and the second led by Doncho Lazarov and Dime Pindzhurov operated from Kavadartsi. In May 1913 Doncho Lazarov organized a conference in Begnishte that was attended by more than 60 local representatives from the Tikvesh Region villages. The greatest concern expressed by the attendees was Macedonia’s imminent division by the three new occupiers. In order to prevent Macedonia’s division, the group decided to expedite preparations so that the Uprising could begin in June. No exact date was given but its start would be signaled by the setting of fires in the villages and by the burning of houses that were occupied by Serbian gendarmes and officials. It was also decided at this meeting to burn Dolni Disan to the ground because the entire village was occupied by Pomaks who were now loyal to the Serbian authorities and had committed violent crimes against the Macedonian population. News about the Uprising spread like wildfire and more armed insurgents began to pour in, gathering in Vatasa where, on June 12th, 1913, the beginning of the Uprising was proclaimed. The first act of rebellion was the raising of the region’s 1903 Ilinden, Macedonian flag. Just seeing the Macedonian flag flying high lifted the Macedonian spirits and riled up the crowd to chant anti-Serbian slogans. After finding out what had just happened, Serbian authorities dispatched a Serbian military unit, reinforced with local Bashi-Bazouks, to Vatasa to disperse the crowds. The sudden appearance of Serbian soldiers in the vicinity sent the Macedonians into hiding. Many, including Doncho Lazarov’s Cheta, hid in underground tunnels near the village. Unable to find the rebels frustrated the Serbians who then took their anger out on the unarmed civilian population. Seeing how the situation had turned, Lazarov took advantage of it, summoned all Chetas in the vicinity, including the one led by Misho Shkartov, and launched an attack on the rear of the Serbian army stationed at Pepelishte and Mushantsi.

By launching an attack on the Serbian army, Lazarov was hoping to not only draw in the Serbian unit out of Vatasa but to draw in the rest of the Macedonian Chetas operating in the vicinity as well as the Bulgarian army.

The first battle of this Uprising took place on June 19th, 1913. It was an unexpected and surprise attack which led the Serbian Tikvesh District Chief Secretary Dushan Nikolich to call for reinforcements from Skopje. On June 20th, 1913 Nikolich sent a message to the Serbian Supreme Command informing his superiors that his soldiers, personnel and gendarmes had to retreat from Negotino because they had been attacked by local renegade bands. Serbian command wasted no time and the same day dispatched its 14th Infantry Regiment commanded by Jevrem Ilich and about 1,000 soldiers from the 5th Regiment from Veles to the trouble zone. In the meantime the Serbian army, police and administration personnel stationed in Kavadartsi were evacuated and sent to Gradsko. On June 21st, Nikolich again informed his superiors at Supreme Command that heavily armed residents from Kavadartsi had taken positions around the city, while Bulgarian Chetas (Chetas that had fought alongside the Bulgarian army) were moving towards Prilep. Supreme Command responded by immediately ordering the formation of a strong detachment from the companies stationed in Bitola, Krushevo and Kichevo and one battery from Bitola to be sent to Kavadartsi and Krivolak to crush the uprising. In the next six days the Macedonian insurgents fought gallantly and would not allow the enemy to enter the villages Palikura, Rosoman and Ribartsi. In the meantime more Chetas joined the fight and with the help of the local population managed to free Kavadartsi, Krivolak and Negotino. After the Serbians were driven out the Macedonians established their own control which lasted for seven days. A Municipal Council was established consisting of 12 members as well as a commission consisting of three members. While waiting for a Serbian counter attack about 1,000 insurgents took up defensive positions. Some took to the hills and set up positions near Palikura and Grbovets while others took positions in Manastirets and Ribartsi. The insurgents in Negotino took up positions on the right bank of the Luda Mara River at the mouth of the Tsrna Reka River. While waiting for the counter attack it was anticipated that help might arrive from other regions of Macedonia. Even women joined the fight, one of whom was Efka Mojsova. Supported by Yaja Aga’s Bashi-Bazouks, the Serbian infantry arrived with artillery and cavalry backup and took up positions on the left bank of the Trna Reka River. A battle broke out starting with a Serbian artillery attack against the insurgent positions at Manastirets, Sirkovo and Ribartsi, followed by an infantry and cavalry attack. The attacks however were quickly repulsed and both sides retreated to their initial positions with heavy losses.

Reinforced by newly arrived units, on June 25th, 1913, the Serbian army regrouped and again carried out a very strong counter offensive against the Tikvesh insurgents. There was heavy fighting for two days outside of Kavadartsi during which time the city population fled to the mountains, Radovish and Shtip. In the evening of June 26th, 1913 the Serbian army breached the city defenses and stormed the city terrorizing the remaining population, killing 25 people and burning down about 50 homes. In Negotino 171 people were killed and 250 houses and 300 stores were burned down. On June 27th, 1913 Fillip Zhivotich, Kavadartsi District Secretary, informed Serbian Supreme Command that the situation in Kavadartsi had been extinguished. Having been driven out of their defensive positions, the Macedonian Chetas fled and set up a refugee camp near the village Konopishte, where the various refugees and Chetas assembled. At this point the council of Vojvodas decided that all women and children should return to their homes and suggested that the young men cross the Vardar River and flee the country to save themselves. Vojvodas Shkartov and Lazarov retreated to Kozuf Mountain and the remaining refugees returned to the city. On July 17th, 1913 Dushan Nikolich again informed Serbian Supreme Command that Serbian rule and the administration in the region had been restored. Later the Serbians amnestied those who had escaped and fled the country and carried out another census just to show the world that Tikvesh belonged to Serbia and that its population was all Serbian. According to a Carnegie Commission report and to records kept by Blazho Videnov, one of the Macedonian leaders who took part in the uprising, about 1,200 people were killed and many women were raped during the Uprising. Of the 1,200, 363 were from Kavadartsi, 263 from Negotino, 89 from Vatasa and the rest from other places in Macedonia. On top of the rapes and killings about 1,000 houses were also burned down. Most of these atrocities were committed by members of Yaja Aga’s Bashi-Bazouks and by Vasilije Trbich’s Serbian detachment. Even though the Tikvesh Uprising was an armed struggle against Serbian rule it was also a protest against Macedonia’s division. The entire Uprising was organized and led by local Macedonian Revolutionaries, supported only by the local population. In seven days they not only liberated the entire Tikvesh Region but also established Macedonian authority. The people of Tikvesh, once again, demonstrated the existence of a Macedonian national consciousness, patriotism and a desire for freedom and independence. Even though the Tikvesh Uprising was only a local incident, it was of great significance in the history of the Macedonian people and an indication of their eternal desire to be free and have their own independent and sovereign state.