Voivode Indzhe the Voivode

Stoyan, known as Indzhe the Voivode, was one of the best-known Bulgarian hajduks during the period of disorder in the Ottoman Empire in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His name comes from the Turkish word "ince", meaning "slender", probably given because of his physique and fighting skills while he was a Kardzhali band leader in the Balkan Mountains.

Indzhe, born in the village of Popovo in Bolyarovo Municipality, was left an orphan after his mother's second marriage in Sliven. At the age of seven he was sent to a Janissary school in Constantinople, where he received the nickname Indzhe because of his physique and fighting skills.

In 1799, Indzhe joined Kara Feyzi and participated in the capture of Lozengrad and attacks on caravans after the Sliven fair. After the successful robbery, they withdrew north of the Balkan Mountains.

Stoyan Indzhe subsequently broke away from the Kardzhali bands and led a hajduk group in Strandzha, Sakar and the Bakadzhitsi hills. Known for his considerable organisational skills and courage, he attempted to organise a revolt against the sultan's authority.

In 1806, Indzhe left for Moldavia, where he served in the guard of the Moldavian princes. He participated in the uprising in the Danubian Principalities in 1821 as a commander of a thousand, together with Kara Kolyo. He died tragically on 17 June 1821 at the Battle of Sculeni on the River Prut. Indzhe the Voivode's deeds inspired numerous legends and folk songs, and Yordan Yovkov used his figure in the story "Indzhe" from the collection "Legends of the Balkan Mountains".