May 2, 1876

[Martin Antonenko]

Uprising against the Ottomans!



On May 2nd, 1876 (our era!) an uprising against the Ottoman rule breaks out in Bulgaria!



The survey went down in history as the "April Uprising" because the Julian calendar applies in - Russian Orthodox - Bulgaria - and according to this calendar is April 20th!



A total of around 10,000 armed men rise up against Muslim rule all over the country - led by local committees ...



... against the overpowering Ottoman occupation army, which has 10,000 regulars, 80,000 militants (the so-called "Baschi-Basouks")...

... and an artillery battalion in the country.

At no point do the insurgents succeed in setting up an orderly cooperation and strategy between the many local committees - each cell fights for itself.

It is true that there are spectacular successes at the beginning - government buildings in Opriwschtiza and Panagyurishte, the Konak, in which the Turkish military is holed up, can be briefly occupied.

But then the Ottomans strike back - whereby the Baschi-Basouk in particular stand out for their completely unrestrained cruelty!

One place after another is recaptured by the Ottoman army, one insurrection group after another is destroyed ...





... several thousand civilians, including women and children, are murdered.

Many are burned alive in the village churches.


**continued next post**

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Part II


The last desperate battle is delivered on a mountain above the Archangel Michael Monastery in the valley of the Drjanowo River ...



... on May 11th (April 29th) the Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Hristo Botew ...



... and 250 loyalists of an approximately 10,000 strong Ottoman force under the leadership of Fazla Pascha ...:









Of course Botew and his people have no chance - and the poet and the last survivors of his group try to escape with the Austro-Hungarian river steamer "Radtzky", who happened to be present.

But Botev is shot by an Ottoman soldier ...



... and his last loyal followers are all killed.

According to joint information from the Russian consul from Adrianople, the German chargé d'affaires from Plovdiv and Sir Walter Baring, who was sent by the British government ...



... there were "15,000 victims, mostly women and children, that 79 villages, 9,000 houses, 200 churches, 10 monasteries and schools were destroyed and around 72,000 Bulgarians became homeless."



At least 100,000 other Bulgarians are deported as slaves to Asia Minor by the Ottomans.

The Ottoman government initially stated a number of victims of 3,100, but later revised it to 15,000. It was probably even higher.

The events will trigger the Russo-Turkish War of 1877/78, in which the Russians will come to the aid of their "Slavic brothers" - and enforce Bulgarian and Romanian independence on the battlefield ...!

 

[Nap]

Cheers Martin

Heavy fighting and severe losses everywhere , good reference pics plenty of poss subjects for figures aswell

The innocents certain,ybwerecshown no mercy by the Ottoman troops

Interesting again

Nap

 

[Airkid]

Good thread Martin - quality picture back-up too. Plus ca change... eh?