Voivode Nikola Adzhema

Nikola Dimitrov Adzhema was a Bulgarian hajduk voivode from the town of Sliven who participated in the hajduk movement alongside the detachments of Georgi Trankin and Panayot Hitov.

Between 1858 and 1863 he actively participated in events in the Sliven region. During this period he and Panayot Hitov carried out attacks with Circassians in the village of Mogila and elsewhere against Ali Efendi, the qadi of Sliven.

In 1858 a hajduk band was formed, including Georgi Trankin, Panayot Hitov and Stoyan Papazooglu, and Nikola Adzhema joined it. Georgi Trankin was chosen as the detachment's voivode because of his experience and length of service. Over the following two years, the detachment terrorised Turks and wealthy notables in the Sliven, Kotel and Elena sections of the Balkan Mountains. After the voivode's death in the Elena district in 1860, command passed to Panayot Hitov. Nikola Adzhema is described as one of the best hajduks in the detachment, full of courage and determination.

In 1863 Panayot Hitov sent six men, including Nikola Adzhema, to Sarnena Sredna Gora and the Tvarditsa Balkan Mountains. However, the detachment came under Turkish attack near the village of Korten, and Nikola Adzhema was captured and thrown into Sliven's prison. After torture and suffering, he died that same year, 1863.