Revolutionary Todor Alexandrov

Todor Alexandrov Poporushev was a Bulgarian revolutionary born on 4 March 1881 in the Novo Selo quarter of Štip, into the family of the teacher Alexander Poporushev and Maria Hadzhiyaneva-Poporusheva. From 1888 he attended school in Radoviš, where his father had been sent to teach. He continued his education in Štip, completing the second and third lower-secondary forms.

In 1906, Todor Alexandrov rose to become leader of the Skopje Revolutionary District. He distinguished himself as a pragmatic organiser, avoiding the theoretical disputes that caused divisions within the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMARO).

In 1907, because of illness, he taught in Burgas, but was later called to take charge of the treasury of IMARO's Foreign Representation after the murders of Boris Sarafov and Ivan Garvanov. He then became district voivode by decision of the Third Congress of the Skopje Revolutionary District.

In 1910, after IMARO was restored, Todor Alexandrov toured the Skopje Revolutionary District and participated in the disarmament campaign of 1910.

In 1912, the attacks in Štip and Kočani were carried out under his leadership and were among the events that prompted the outbreak of the Balkan War in 1912.

During the wars for national unification, Todor Alexandrov led Detachment No. 52 of the Macedonian-Adrianople Volunteer Corps. With his detachment he reached Kukush and handed the town over to the Bulgarian military units. Before that, the detachment established a base between Karadag and Lake Ardzhan, carried out attacks and took part in various operations against the Ottoman Empire.

During the First World War, after Bulgaria's mobilisation in 1915, Todor Alexandrov served at the Headquarters of the Active Army. He participated in organising the administration of the liberated lands. During this period IMARO's structures were incorporated entirely into the Bulgarian army. Todor Alexandrov was awarded the Order of Military Merit.

Todor Alexandrov continued his activities after the war, fighting for the rights of the Bulgarian population in Macedonia, which became part of the newly formed Yugoslav and Greek states. He participated in sending detachments into Macedonia and supported the campaign for the region's autonomy. Todor Alexandrov remained one of IMARO's prominent leaders and a determined defender of Bulgarian interests in the region.