The Ottoman Cossack Brigade and the Crimean War

1)      Efrosina was a nun /XIV century, her real name was Stoyanka/. She was the sister of despot Momchil* /1305 – 07. 07. 1345/.

2)      Momchil /1305 – 07. 07. 1345/ was a “honsar” (brigand); he was also a “stratiot” in service to the Roman empire; a mercenary leading an army of 2000 men in the court of king St. Dushan; he was assigned as ruller of Meropa (a region in the Rodopa mountain) by Joan Kantakuzin . He was offered the title of “despot” by Anna Savoiska (the mother of the young Joan V Paleolog) if he was to fight for them against Kantakuzin, which he gladly accepted thus  becoming an independent ruler of Meropa. In june  of 1344 he  successfully forced out the fleet of Umur beg from Abdera (destroying 3 of the 15 ships). Not long after that, he successfully ambushed Kantakuzin, capturing a lot of his men. A few months later, he joined Kantakuzin and received the title “sevastokrator”, and  declared the town of Xanthi* (in greek -  Ξάνθη; in turkish – İskeçe) to be his capital. He had the following castles (towns, villages) in his possession: St. Irina (near Smolian) and Podvisd (near the village of Ustowo); Ksanti – capital, Peritor and Hristopolis (Kavala), Koznik, St. Nedelia, several castles near Krumgrad. He had 300 horsemen and 5000 foot troopers. Momchil was killed in a battle with Kantakuzin’s army (who was reinforced by Joan Assen – Kntakuzin’s brother-in-law and by Umur beg) near the castle of Peritor.

3)      Raiko /XIV/. He was Momchil’s cousin. Leader of his army. In the battle of Peritor he was left with 50 men do defend the castle. After Momchil’s death he returned back home to Moesia /Bulgaria/ with Momchil’s wife and the rest of his soldiers. Kantakuzin allowed them, to take all of their possessions with them.

4)      Valko Dobrudzanski /second half of XIV century/ - son of Efrosina (Momchil’s sister). Voyevoda and ruler of Fakia and it’s catles: Belewren, Karwarsara, Saralak. Along with his brothers Peicho and Niko he fought against Murad I. He killed his brother Peicho, and with his army  moved to Dobrudza. He fought near  Babadag and was wounded near the Mara castle (west of the Tulcha river). He died in Vulkovo village.

5)      Peiko and Niko /second half of the XIV century/ - twin sons of Efrosina. They fought with their brother against Murad I, and were co-rulers of Fakia. Peiko was killed by Valko. Niko surrendered to the ottomans and kept his title and army (the army’s rallying point was at Voinik – Bakadzik - 30km from Yambol).

The next known member of the kin of Bimbelov is Peicho Ovcharia (the shepherd), known also as “Chantala Peicho”.

6)      Peicho Ovcharia /end of the XV century to the first half of the XVI century/ - grandson of Peicho (Efrosina’s son). He had a great number of flocks, so he was called the shepherd or “ovchar”. He was given the title “aga” by Selim I (1512 – 1520) for his participation in the civil war between Selim and his father Baiazid II. He died after 1522. The title of “aga” from that day forward was worn by every male member of the kin.

7)      “Chantala” Stoyan /first half of the XVII century – 1683/ - son of Niko, grand - grandson of Peicho Ovcharia  “Chantala”. His two older brothers were killed by the ottomans. He became an “aga” by right. Stoyan participate in the siege of Viena (1683). He died the same year, probably during the siege.

8)      Deli Peicho /XVII century/ - younger brother of “Chantala” Stoyan. He became an outlaw – “haidut”.

9)      Niko aga  /XVII century/ - son of Stoyan, husband of Lava Nikiovica from the village of Voinik (Voinuk).

10)   Stoyan Nikov and Valko Nikov /middle of the XVII century – 1729 (probably)/. Stoyan aga and Valko aga are both sons of Niko aga. Actually they received the nickname “binbela”. It was said that: “They weren’t Beleni, they were “beli” (a turkish word for mischief), but not one, not two, not five, not ten, not hundred, but a thousand – binbela”. They gave the new name of the kin Binbela – Binbeli. They were close friends and were in correspondence with the kin of Dzimbrilovtzi (they were named that way because they used to squeeze their turkish captives between rocks like “dzibri” (marc – a plant from which one can make white brandy), Palezkovi (they used to burn alive their captives) and the Zguevtzi (who also used to burn people).

11)   Marin Palabuiuk /end of the XVII century - 1732/ - aga, son of Stoyan Nikov. He became aga after the deaths of his father and uncle. He was described as big, moustached and very hard. On a celebration (engagement ceremony) in Tagarkioi  Marin got drunk. A bull charged at the people, Marin Palabuik said: “Let’s see will you charge me ?”. As you can guess, he was stabed by the bull. He died by his wounds. He had a daughter called Mira, she died in 1759.

12)   Marincho the Senior /end of the XVII – 1762/ - aga, son of Valko Nikov. He became aga after the death of his cousin Marin Palabuiuk (1732). He participated in the battle of Poltava (1709) along with the ottoman -swedish army. After their defeat, he escorted the swedish king Karl XII from Bender, thorough Fakia (Karl XII gave a gift to Marincho’s wife) to Demotika.  To show his gratitude, Karl XII gave Marincho a blue ribbon, which was weared over the showder (in Europe the blue ribbon was the sign and was given to dukes). Marincho was aga from 1732 to 1762. He kept distance from the atrocities commited by his brother Peicho, the Dzimbrilovtzi, the Palezkovi and the Zguevtzi. He was described like a big man, with big eyes and mustaches, and a deep voice. He wore clean clothes and used to ride arabian stallion. He wasn’t a funny man, he hated the drunks and the monks. He was also fluent in turkish, moldovian and greek . When he got old, he started riding russian horses, and wearing “tight european boots” , he “loved to praise Karl’s ribbon”. His wife Dafna Marinchovitza, “lived almost 100 years”, she was  smart and was fluent  also in turkish and greek.

13)   Niko the Calm /end of the XVII – 1775/ - farmer and cattle – breeder, son of Valko. He had only one son – hadzi Valko.

14)   Peicho Sheitana /end of the XVII – 1781/ - aga, son of Valko. He was married to Stoyanka Dzibrilova from the kin of Dzibrilovtzi. In 1762 he rejected the tite “aga”, and refused to wear a “chanta”. He was called a “sheitan” (devil in turkish), cause he had no hair, eyebrows, beard and mustaches. It was said that he didn’t have a nose also. He had insomnia.

15)   Stoyan the Molla – son of Marincho the Senior. He studied in Constantinople; Mira – daughter of Marincho Palabuiuk. She studied in Constantinople with her cousin Stoyan; Dafna – daughter of Stoyan the Molla. She was married to Marincho Zguev (died in 1820).

16)   Valko Sheitanpeichev Bimbelov */middle of the XVIII century – 1831/ - son of Peicho Sheitana. A fighter against the ottoman rule. During the civil war in the empire (beginning of the XIX century) and during the Russian – Ottoman war (1828 – 1829) he tried to unite the “haiduk” cheti (squads) in south - wester Bulgaria. After the Odrin peace treaty, he moved to Besarabia.

Fakia* - It’s first name was Slanik, settlers from the village of Fakia - in modern day Kiustendil district, renamed Slanik during the rule of tzar Peter I (927 – 970). Tzar Peter I made from Fakia (Slanik) a city and made a rode from Fakia to Preslav called “Peter’s road” („Петров друм”). The castle (fortress) surrounding the city was called Omor Faki (from “omorfa” – beautiful, named after emperor Nikifor Foka, who passed through the city in 971.). After the fall of Fakia in 1367 under the ottoman rule, the city went downhill. According to Dzura pasha: “There isn’t such a place, in the whole empire, which has as many castles (fortresses) as Fakia.”.           Niko became a vassal of Murad and kept a lot of his possessions: fortresses, land, own army. Fakia’s borders were: east – Black see; west – Tundza river; north – the Balkan mountain; saouth – Strandza mountain.

Momchil** - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momchil

Xanthi*** - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthi

Valko Sheitanpeichev Bimbelov**** - He is the legendary “Valchan voyevoda” – known from the bulgarian folk tales and songs. His first wife was from Ohrid. She was kidnapped by the “bei” of Itaprakioi, who took her to his harem in Odrin. Valcho sieged his “chiflik” (manor) for 3 days, after that he burned it to the ground. He took the bei’s daughter, which was 10 years old. When she turned 16, Valcho made her his second wife. Valchan voyevoda was in correspondence with the russian emperor Nikolai I, with general Dibich (serbian in the russian army) and several bulgarian voyevodas. After the end of the war (1828 – 1829) Valchan moved to Besarabia with few members of his kin (including Stefan Todorov Dimov / Stefan Karadzha*). Valko died in 1831 in Braila.

Stefan Karadzha***** - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Karadzha

sources:

1)    Giozelev, V. – “Momchil iunak”;

2)    Haitov, N. – “Masters of Rodopa”;

3)    Haitov, N. – “Rodopa legends”;

4)    Neikov, B. - “Fakian legends, collection of folk stories about the forefathers of the voyevoda Stefan Karadzha. Stefan Karadzha and his forefathers”;

5)    Pavlov, P.- “Who is who in medieval Bulgaria”;

Submitted by my friend Ivanko. The original topic can be found here: http://nauka.bg/forum/index.php?showtopic=4283&mode=linear