Historical figure Dimitar Miladinov

Dimitar Hristov Miladinov was born in Struga in 1810. The source states that he entered monastic life at St Naum Monastery before studying at a Greek school in Ohrid. He taught in Ohrid from 1830 to 1832, then continued his education at the secondary school in Ioannina. He later taught in Ohrid, Kilkis and elsewhere and began collecting folklore.

Between 1849 and 1854, he taught in towns and villages across Macedonia, continuing to advocate equal rights for Bulgarians and their culture. Greek clergy persecuted him for his patriotic activities. He travelled through Macedonia collecting donations to complete the Bulgarian Church of St Stephen in Constantinople. Ottoman authorities arrested him in 1861, and he passed through several prisons before dying on 11 January 1862, probably of typhus.

He is best known for Bulgarian Folk Songs, a collection of authentic songs published with his brother Konstantin in Zagreb in June 1861. He was married to Mitra Matova and had six children.

An important figure in the National Revival and a campaigner for national independence, Miladinov made a lasting contribution as a folklorist to preserving Bulgarian popular culture.