Uprisings
72 results
Banditry in Eastern Bulgaria
In 1879–1880, Turks carried out revolts and guerrilla operations, described as banditry, in the eastern Principality of Bulgaria. The unrest developed after the Russo-Turkish War, when substantial groups of Turks formed armed forces around Eski Dzhumaya and Osman Pazar.
Botev's Detachment
Hristo Botev's detachment, initially called St George, was formed in April 1876 to support the uprising in Bulgaria planned by the Giurgiu Revolutionary Committee. Hristo Botev, the celebrated Bulgarian poet and revolutionary, was appointed its voivode.
Captain Dyado Nikola's Uprising
In 1856, during the Crimean War, an uprising broke out in the Tarnovo and Gabrovo regions, organised by Nikola Filipovski, known as Captain Dyado Nikola or simply Dyado Nikola. It arose from the mobilisation of the population in the Bulgarian lands as a consequence of the war.
Dimitraki's Revolt
Dimitraki's Revolt was an uprising that broke out in the Kula region in 1856 under the influence of the Crimean War of 1853–1856. Its organiser was Dimitar Petrov, a distinguished officer in the Crimean War who had been awarded the Cross of St George for bravery.
Dragota's Uprising
Dragota's Uprising of 1255 was an attempt by the Bulgarian population of Melnik and its surrounding region to rise against the authority of the Empire of Nicaea. Dragota, commander of the Melnik garrison and a former Bulgarian governor of Serres, decided to rebel against Nicaean rule.
Georgi Voyteh's Uprising
Following Peter Delyan's uprising of 1040–1041, Georgi Voyteh's uprising of 1072–1073 was the second serious attempt to win the Bulgarian state's independence from Byzantine rule. Georgi Voyteh is thought to have been of noble descent, but to achieve the uprising's aims, the Serbian king was asked to send his son Konstantin Bodin, a grandson of Tsar Samuel, as continuity in succession to the Bulgarian throne was sought.
Hadzhi Stavri's Revolt
Hadzhi Stavri's Revolt was an attempted uprising forming part of Lyuben Karavelov's strategy to liberate Bulgaria and establish the First Bulgarian Legion. After the Serbian authorities disbanded the legion in 1862, Hadzhi Stavri Koynov formed a detachment of around 100–150 men.
Ivan’s revolt against Peter I
Ivan, a son of Tsar Simeon, rebelled against his brother Tsar Peter I because the order of succession had been disrupted. Ivan gained the support of some boyars who opposed the pro-Byzantine policy of the new ruler and his guardian, George Sursuvul.
Ivaylo's Uprising
The Second Bulgarian Uprising, also known as Ivaylo's Uprising or the Peasants' War, broke out as a response by Bulgaria's people to feudalisation and social injustice left by weak tsars and Mongol invasions. The middle class and peasants suffered under heavy taxation, the aristocracy grew increasingly powerful, and ordinary people lost their freedoms.
Karposh's Uprising
Karposh's Uprising was one of three uprisings against Ottoman rule that broke out almost simultaneously in the late seventeenth century, alongside the Second Tarnovo and Chiprovtsi uprisings. As early as the spring of 1689, Strahil Voivode led a detachment of hajduks and voynuks.
Mancho's Revolt
In 1826, Mancho agreed to become a voivode and led a Bulgarian band of fifteen to seventeen men in the struggle against the Turks. Despite its small size, it inflicted serious losses on its Turkish pursuers, earning their respect.
Mara's Uprising
The uprising is well documented in various sources, including works by Kiro Tuleshkov (1876), Nedyalko Markov (1907) and Zvezdelin Tsonev (1937). One source is Kiro Tuleshkov's article, published in issues 20 and 21 of the newspaper Bulgarian Voice, issued in Bolhrad.
Michael's Revolt against Peter I
The revolt of Michael, Tsar Simeon's eldest son, against Tsar Peter I began after Peter's accession, when Michael was denied the throne despite having held the title kanartikin, or heir apparent, during his father's lifetime. Michael was made a monk after Peter I ascended the throne.
Nestor's Revolt
In the early eleventh century, Byzantium experienced serious political instability. The lands around the Danube had long been left unprotected by Byzantine garrisons, which also frequently had to incorporate Bulgarian mercenaries.
Panayot Hitov's Detachment
In 1867, Panayot Hitov's detachment set out towards eastern Bulgaria with thirty-one volunteers, growing to forty-eight after men from the Golden Hope and Filip Totyu detachments joined it. It crossed the Danube from Romania east of Tutrakan and followed this route: Belitsa, Pobit Kamak, west of Razgrad, Blagoevo, the upper Cherni Lom River, Prolaz to the east in the Targovishte region, between Omurtag and Kamburovo, between Zelena Morava and Gorsko Selo in the Omurtag region, Ticha in the Kotel region, and the area around Kotel.
Peter Delyan's Uprising
Peter Delyan's uprising took place in 1040–1041. It was undertaken by united Bulgarians in the Morava region and Macedonia against Byzantium.
The Anti-Christian Revolt
In the spring of 866, Prince Boris I suppressed a revolt that followed the population's mass conversion to Christianity. It was organised by some of the boyars and involved people from every part of the country and various ethnic groups, including Bulgars and Slavs.
The April Uprising
The Stara Zagora Uprising of 1185 clearly showed that the Bulgarian people had reached the point of uniting their forces and conducting larger-scale military action against the Ottoman Empire, expressed in the extensive April Uprising of 1876. The Giurgiu Revolutionary Committee undertook its organisation and preparation.
The Bachkovo Uprising
The Bachkovo Uprising of 1861 formed part of a series of popular uprisings and protests in the Ottoman Empire in the second half of the nineteenth century, known as the Bulgarian liberation struggle. It took place in the area of Bachkovo Monastery in central Bulgaria.
The Batak Uprising
Batak's role in the April Uprising was to provide supplies for the insurgents, block important roads and deal with neighbouring Pomak villages. On 20 April 1876, some of the village's armed men, led by the voivodes Petar Goranov and Stefan Trendafilov Kerelov-Petstotnik, rose against Turkish rule.
The Bishops' Uprising in Sofia, Samokov and Western Bulgaria
The historical setting of the uprising is described as one of extensive Turkish violence against the Bulgarian population, particularly the clergy. This violence is viewed as Turkish retaliation against Christians for the wars then being fought: the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739.
The Brăila Revolts
The Brăila Revolts were a series of unsuccessful attempts at rebellion against Ottoman rule undertaken by Bulgarians between 1841 and 1843 in Brăila and other settlements in Wallachia, Moldavia and Bessarabia. These revolts were marked by failure and severe reprisals by the Turkish authorities.
The Chervena Voda Insurgent Detachment
The Chervena Voda Insurgent Detachment was formed in 1875 during preparations for a general Bulgarian uprising. In August, the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee (BRCC), led by Hristo Botev, decided to launch an uprising in September.
The Chiprovtsi Uprising
During Ottoman rule, Chiprovtsi became a region with special status because of its numerous ore deposits. They were designated as a hass, a sultan's feudal estate.
