Revolutionary Danail Popov

Danail Hristov Popov was born on 1 January 1840 in Pleven. His father, the priest Hristo, was known as Father Hino. His family had its roots in the village of Cherven Bryag and moved to Pleven in the early years of the nineteenth century.

Danail's education included a period in Pleven and schooling in Bucharest, Romania, where his father died and he became an employee at the Romanov-Rasidescu printing house. There he learned several foreign languages.

Meetings with Georgi Rakovski had a considerable influence on the young Danail, who left the printing house, moved to Galați and engaged in transporting emigrants from Lom and Vidin back to Bulgaria.

After settling in Turnu Măgurele in 1863, Danail Popov engaged in trade and developed a successful business. In 1866 he became a member of the Secret Bulgarian Central Committee.

He actively supported rebel detachments, organising and financing those of Filip Totyu and Panayot Hitov in 1867 and those of Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha in 1868.

Danail Popov became a trusted associate of Vasil Levski and played a key role in organising and building the Internal Revolutionary Organisation between 1868 and 1872. He created the seal of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee and actively participated in preparing the first pseudonyms, ciphers and passwords for clandestine correspondence.

Through their friendship and mutual trust, Danail Popov and Vasil Levski formed the Pleven Local Revolutionary Committee in 1869 and laid the foundations of the Internal Revolutionary Organisation.

Popov provided important funds and support for preparations for the uprising. He purchased revolvers and cartridges ordered by the Lovech Local Revolutionary Committee and supplied three advanced rifles from Belgium, two of which he gave to Vasil Levski and Angel Kanchev.

His activities extended beyond helping the uprising. Danail Popov ensured the security of Levski's secret correspondence and looked after his archive in Turnu Măgurele.

After Bulgaria's successful liberation in 1878, Danail Popov did not return to his homeland. Instead, he settled in Turnu Măgurele, where he established a successful business and enjoyed financial prosperity.

He died on 12 April 1909 in Turnu Măgurele. After his death, the city of Pleven named one of its boulevards after him in recognition of his great contribution to the Bulgarian national revolutionary movement.