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Vasil Levski
Bulgarian revolutionary
Born	July 18, 1837 Karlovo
Died	February 19, 1873 Sofia

Vasil Levski (Bulgarian: Васил Левски, also transliterated as Vassil Levski), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (Васил Иванов Кунчев) was a Bulgarian revolutionary, ideologist, strategist and theoretician of the Bulgarian national revolution and leader of the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule. Vasil Levski This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Karlovo is a town in Central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Striama (in Bulgarian: Стряма). It has a population of 28,000 (as of 2005). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (12 June 2006) 1,203,680  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,326,377 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website...

Due to his major significance to the liberation of Bulgaria, Vasil Levski is hailed as a national hero and often referred to as "The Apostle of Freedom" by the Bulgarian people. His life is described, for example, in a book by the British writer Mercia MacDermoth.

Biography

Early life

Levski was born in 1837 in Karlovo, a prosperous center of industry at that time . He took the vows of a deacon at the age of twenty four (for which reason he was often nicknamed "The Deacon") but later abandoned religion, in order to join the liberation movement. Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Karlovo is a town in Central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Striama (in Bulgarian: Стряма). It has a population of 28,000 (as of 2005). ...

In 1862 Levski went to Serbia to enlist as a volunteer in the Bulgarian Legion organized by another Bulgarian revolutionary, Georgi Rakovski. The pseudonym "Levski" (like a lion) dates from that period - during a training exercise he performed a long jump qualified by his mates as the jump of a lion. Between 1862-1868 he participated in all Bulgarian armed assaults against the Ottoman Empire. 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože pravde (English: God of Justice) Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Serbian, cyrillic script1 Government Republic  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica  - President Boris Tadić Establishment    - Formation 814   - First Serbian Uprising 1804   - Internationally recognized July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of SCS created December 1, 1918   - SCG dissolved June... Participants in the Second Bulgarian Legion (1867-1868). ... Portrait of Georgi Sava Rakovski Georgi Sava Rakovski (Георги Сава Раковски, born Sava Stoykov Popovich, Сава Стойков Попович, 1821 – 1867) was a 19th-century Bulgarian revolutionary and writer and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival and the resistance against Ottoman rule. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem At the height of its power (1683) Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

Revolutionary theory and ideas

At the end of the 1860s Levski developed a revolutionary theory, which meant a decisive step forward for the Bulgarian liberation movement. The theory saw the national liberation revolution as an armed rising of all Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire. The insurrection was to be prepared, controlled and co-ordinated by a central revolutionary organisation. This organisation was to include a number of local revolutionary committees in all parts of Bulgaria and was supposed to operate fully independent from any foreign powers. Levski's theory came as a result of the repeated failures to realise Rakovski's ideas, i.e. armed detachments coming from neighboring countries to provoke a general uprising leading to Bulgaria's liberation from Ottoman yoke. Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem At the height of its power (1683) Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

Levski also determined the future form of government in liberated Bulgaria - a democratic republic, standing on the principles of the Human and Citizen Rights Charter of the French Revolution. That was the only document hitherto known to guarantee the individual freedom of expression, speech and association. The French Revolution (1789–1799) was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. ... Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ... Freedom of speech is enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is granted formal recognition by the laws of most nations. ... Freedom of association is the right enjoyed by free adults to mutually choose their associates for whatever purposes they see fit. ...

Organized revolutionary network

Vasil Levski as colour bearer

In 1869 Levski set about setting up local committees. By the middle of 1872 he had succeeded in establishing a strong network of committees in a number of Bulgarian towns and villages which were in constant contact with and subordination to the clandestine government in the town of Lovech. The committees provided weapons, organised combat detachments, and engaged in punitive actions against heavy-handed Ottoman officials and Bulgarian traitors. Image File history File links Bulgaria-history-Vassil-Levski-01. ... Image File history File links Bulgaria-history-Vassil-Levski-01. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... View over Lovech The Covered Bridge Lovech (Bulgarian: Ловеч) is a town in north-central Bulgaria with a population of about 50,000. ...

In May 1872, the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee and the Internal Revolutionary Organization became convinced that a coordination of the efforts would be for the general good, and merged into one organization. 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee (Bulgarian: Български революционен централен комитет) or BRCK was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded in 1869 among the Bulgarian emigrant circles in Romania. ... The Internal Revolutionary Organisation ( Вътрешна революционна организация), IRO, was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded and built up by Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski...

Capture

Monument commemorating Levski's hanging in Sofia

In the autumn of 1872, following a notorious robbery of an Ottoman post-office courrier organised by the activists of the revolutionary organisation (as claimed - to procure money for weapons, and against Levski's order), the Ottoman police followed in the trail of several committees in northeastern Bulgaria, including the organisation's headquarters in Lovech. The numerous arrests of revolutionaries threatened to destroy the organisation. In an attempt to save its documentation, Levski set off to a risky journey but unfortunately was captured, brought to trial, convicted and hanged by the Ottoman authorities in Sofia on 19 February 1873. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1675x1494, 714 KB) Summary Image of monument commerating the execution of Vasil Ivanov Kunchev in Sofia, Bulgaria. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1675x1494, 714 KB) Summary Image of monument commerating the execution of Vasil Ivanov Kunchev in Sofia, Bulgaria. ... The Monument to Vasil Levski in Sofia, Bulgaria Closer view of one of the sides The Monument to Vasil Levski (Bulgarian: , Pametnik na Vasil Levski) in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is one of the first monuments to be built in the then newly-liberated Principality of... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (12 June 2006) 1,203,680  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,326,377 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website... Position of Sofia in Bulgaria Coordinates: Country Bulgaria Province Sofia-City Mayor Boyko Borisov Area    - City 1,310 km²  - Land (?) km²  - Water (?) km² Elevation 550 m Population    - City (12 June 2006) 1,203,680  - Density 907/km²  - Metro 1,326,377 Time zone EET (UTC+2) EEST (UTC+3) Website...

Heritage

The large national-wide network of revolutionary committees he set up continued to function even after his death and was essential in the April Uprising of 1876. The uprising itself failed but it paved the way for the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-1878 which ultimately led to Bulgaria regaining its independence after almost five centuries of oppression. Development of the April Uprising The April Uprising (Bulgarian: Априлско въстание) was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876, the indirect result of which was the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. ... Plevna Monument near the walls of Kitai-gorod. ...

Honours

Levski Peak, and in association with it also Levski Ridge in Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for Vasil Levski, as is the successful soccer team, PFC Levski Sofia. Levski Peak (Връх Левски (Vrah Levski) vr&h lev-ski) is a mountain in Antarctica, rising to approximately 1,430 metres in the western extremity of Levski Ridge, Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island. ... Levski Ridge (Bulagrian: Хребет Левскиhre-bet lev-ski) is the central ridge of the Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island. ... Tangra Mountains (Tangra Planina tan-gra pla-ni-na) form the principal mountain range of Livingston Island, Antarctica and extend 30km in the west-southwest to east-northeast direction between Barnard Point and Renier Point. ... Livingston Island (62°36′ S 060°30′ W) is 61 km (38 mi) long and from 3 to 32 km (2 to 20 mi) wide, lying between Greenwich and Snow Islands in the South Shetland Islands. ... The South Shetland Islands or Iles Shetland du Sud or Islas Shetland del Sur or New South Britain or New South Shetland or Shetland Islands or South Shetlands or Sydshetland or Süd-Shetland Inseln are a chain of islands in the Southern Ocean lying about 120 kilometres northward of... PFC Levski Sofia (Bulgarian: ) is the most popular Bulgarian football club, playing in the capital, Sofia. ...

See also

• History of Bulgaria
• List of Bulgarians
• Internal Revolutionary Organisation

The history of Bulgaria as a separate country began in the 7th century with the arrival of the Bulgars and the foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire together with the local seven Slavic tribes, a union recognized by Byzantium in 681. ... This is a partial list of famous Bulgarians: // Slatan Dudow Rangel Valchanov Nikola Kovachev Sophia Peer Vulo Radev Nikola Korabov Ani Valchanova Apostol Karamitev Georgi Cherkelov Georgi Georgiev Georgi Georgiev-Gets Georgi Kaloyanchev Georgi Mamalev Grigor Vachkov Hristo Mutafchiev Hristo Shopov Itzhak Fintzi Yosif Sarchadzhiev Katya Paskaleva Kosta Tsonev Krastiu... The Internal Revolutionary Organisation (Bulgarian: Вътрешна революционна организация), IRO, was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded and built up by Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski in the period between 1869 and 1871. ...

External links

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Vasil Levski

• History of Bulgaria