Co-operation of the Balkan people

The Bulgarians and the Greek Uprising. When, somewhat later, in 1821 the Greek Uprising broke out, conceived and organized by Philiki Eteria on a broad all Balkan foundation, it won the sympathy of the masses of the Bulgarian people. Several thousand Bulgarians with a number of prominent commanders, such as Dimiter and Pavel Makedonski, Alexander Nikolaevich, Indje Voyvoda, and others, from Bessarabia, formed one of the basic contingents of the forces of Ypsilanti and a great part of the forces of Vladimirescu. They fought bravely. The Greek historian I. Philimon, a contemporary of the uprising, wrote about the development of the Danubian principality: 'Greece was born in the battles at Galati Dragsani, Sculeni, and Secu, with the loss of great numbers of'Greek heroes and beloved sons of the people of the same religion - our brothers Serbs and Bulgarians; they all died the death of heroes.'
When the uprising flared up in Greece, the Bulgarians, who found a way by hundreds to make their appearance in the front ranks of the fighters and took part with honour as was generally recognized in all the greater battles for the freedom of the Greek people, were the most numerous among all volunteers. The struggle was waged on Greek territory against forces many times superior to those of the rebels. All illusions about the success of the uprising outside Greece were lost; nevertheless, the numerous Bulgarian forces, headed by such glorious commanders as Hadji Hristo and Hadji Mihail embraced the Greek cause as a cause of their own and thus won the gratitude of the coming generations.
With their active participation in the liberation struggle of Serbs and Greeks in the early years of the 19th century the Bulgarians established lasting cooperation in the revolutionary struggles, a cooperation which continued to manifest itself to varying degrees, in the following decades as well.

My school-book � �History and civilization for 11^th grade�, Prosveta, Sofia, 2001
Lesson №28. Political movements and armed manifestations of the Bulgarians until the middle of the XIX century

 
Chapter �Participation of the Bulgarians in the liberation battles of the Serbian and the Greek people�

The liberation tendencies among the Bulgarians are stimulated by the fights of the neighbouring Christian nations. They take part in them under the motto �battle for faith� as they hope that they will receive help when their time comes. In the First Serbian uprising, which has started in 1804, the Bulgarians take part in masses in support of the Serbs. In the border regions there are a number of armed risings and the detachments of Haidut Velko Petrov, Kondo voivoda, Dragan Papazoglu, which number up to several thousand people each, take part in the decisive battles. Known is the so-called Ichko�s peace, merits for which has the Bulgarian Petar Ichko from Voden.

The war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire from 1806 gives new hopes to the Bulgarians. The support to the Russian army is directed by the political centre of Sophronius of Vratsa. The meetings with military and diplomatic representatives of Petersburg, the support of Zambin and Nekovich, the gathering of intelligence reports in favour of the Russians, the appeals to the Bulgarian people in 1810 and the establishment of the Bulgarian zemska army are a part of the initiative of this centre in support of the Russian army. Besides this, the Bulgarian detachments, led by Georgi Mamarchev, display real heroism in the fights at Silistra. According to the Bucharest peace treaty from 1812 Russia preserves its right for patronage of the Christian nations in the Ottoman Empire.

Even more massive is the participations of the Bulgarians in the Greek rebellion, which started in 1821. They join the detachments of Alexader Ipsilanti and Tudor Vladimiresku in the transdanubian principalities and in the structure of the Greek forces in continental Greece. Hadji Hristo, Angel Gatso, Angel Sofianer, Hadji Mihal, Petar Moraliata, Ivan Seliminski and many other famous Bulgarians give their contribution in the fight of our southern neighbours.  A part of them rise and receive leading posts in the Greek army and after this they take part in the building of free Greece.

The Russo-Turkish war from 1828-1829 ends with the Edirne peace treaty, which gives freedom to Greece and the autonomies of Serbia, Wallachia and Moldavia are extended. During the military actions the Bulgarian detachments in the army of gen. Dibich Zabalkanski are led by G. Mamarchev and Panayotis Fokiano. During its whole battle campaign the Russian army is supported by the Bulgarians, as the rebellious uprisings are especially considerable in South-Eastern Bulgaria. After the signing of the peace, G. Mamarchev prepares a rebellion in the Kotlen and Sliven regions, but it is thwarted under the orders of the Russian command. For the magnitude of the Bulgarian participation in this war we can judge by the fact that after the withdrawal of the Russian army from the eastern Bulgarian lands, around one hundred thousand Bulgarians leave their settlements and move to the north of the Danube, as they settle in Moldavia, Besarabia and Southern Russia. This most massive debulgarization of Eastern Bulgaria reflects most negatively on the process of erection of te Bulgarian nation.

Document of the age � �The Bulgarians in the Greek rebellion�

List of the voevods of General Hadji Hristo with the number of their soldiers

Published by N. Todorov, V. Traykov. Bulgarians, participants in the battles for the liberation of Greece, 1821-1828, S., 1971

My cavalry                                                     385

To Konsta Servos                                           100

To Hadji Bairaktaris                                        100

To Yanko                                                       90

                                                                    725

To Anagnostit Stilidiotis                                   50

To Yanulis                                                      25

To Hadji Stefan                                              150

To Hadji Stavros                                             40

                                                                    1070

To Yani Pelgamlis                                           30

To Nanos Emanuil                                           65

To Luka Lavaditis                                            95

To Georgi Bugiuka                                          25

                                                                     1330

To Georgi Stilidiotis                                         35

To Duka Stilidiotis                                           20

To Angel Sofianer                                           15

(they�re in the fortress)

To Gika Georgiu                                             50

To Stefo Servos                                             50

All together                                                    1600

                                                           Patriot:
Hora, 20.IV.1825                               Hadji Hristo
                                                           Bulgarian