Aleksandar Turundzhev ( bg, Александър Турунджев; mk, Александар Турунџев, Aleksandar Turundžev; 1872–1905) was a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

from Ottoman Macedonia and leader of the

Lerin Florina ( el, Φλώρινα, ''Flórina''; known also by some alternative names) is a town and municipality in the mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. The town of Florina is the capital of the ...

cheta of the

Internal Macedonian Adrianople Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...

. According to the post-WWII

Macedonian historiography Historiography in North Macedonia is the methodology of historical studies used by the historians of that country. It has been developed since 1945 when SR Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia. According to the German historian it has preserve ...

, he was an

ethnic Macedonian Macedonians ( mk, Македонци, Makedonci) are a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group native to the region of Macedonia in Southeast Europe. They speak Macedonian, a South Slavic language. The large majority of Macedonians identif ...

Biography

He was born in 1872 in the village of Gorno Varbeni in Monastir Vilayet (today Xino Nero in

Amyntaio Amyntaio ( el, Αμύνταιο, before 1928: Σόροβιτς - ''Sorovits''; Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Суровичево, Сорович), is a town and municipality in the Florina regional unit of Macedonia, Greece. The population of Amyntaio p ...

, Greece). He joined the IMARO while he was young as a

rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...

and took part in terrorist operations. Starting in 1902 he was under the command of the Bulgarian officer Georgi Papanchev, but after his death in May, by June 1903 he becomes a

voyvoda Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

of the cheta in Florina. In the time of the Ilinden Uprising he played a big part in the battles in the territory around Lerin. During all the years of illegal residence and movement, Turundzhev regularly surrounded the villages in Lerin and some in Lower Prespa and

Bitola Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...

Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising

After the decision to begin a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

on the ''Salonica Congress of IMARO'' and its confirmation on the ''Smilevo Congress'', Turundzhev was given the task to organize his own village and prepare it for the uprising. When finished with the military training of his fellow villagers of all ages, but mostly aged 20–25 years, Turundzhev with all of them, about 230 people, made a training, organized several Thalia (maneuver) with that in the improvised clashes between insurgents. During the Ilinden Uprising in Lerin was fulfilled the directive given on the Smilevo Congress for guerrilla mode of

warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

. Turundzhev mobilized a total of 500 fighters, with including 100 rebels from his native village. Ottoman

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

s drafted a detailed plan of the counteroffensive against Macedono-Bulgarian revolutionary, rebel units. To stop the uprising, the

vilayet A vilayet ( ota, , "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement init ...

authorities made a decision to accommodate a new unit in the village of Turundzhev on 14 November 1903. The presence of the Ottoman units did not scare the IMRO members of ''Ekshi su'', and it didn't srop the organization's activity of Turundzhev, who began a reconstruction of the revolutionary net in his region.

Death

On the end of 1904 he was betrayed by Mitre Ginkov in the village of Aetos. He was captured and taken to the Turkish court in

, where he was sentenced to

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

. His punishment was done in public, on 29 August 1905 in front of Bitola's ''At-bazaar'' he is killed with

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

. According to the British Consul in Thessaloniki, Robert Graves, the same day several thousand citizens followed the coffin, which was covered with wreaths from the Bulgarian Church congregation. His grave is in the cemeteries ''Saint Nedela'' in Bitola, North Macedonia.Куманов, Милен. „Македония. Кратък исторически справочник“, София, 1993.

References

External links

Image from a card from the brother of Turundzhev Во Битола одбележани 107 години од смртта на Александар Турунџев
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turundzhev, Aleksandar 1872 births 1905 deaths People from Amyntaio Members of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Executed revolutionaries People executed by the Ottoman Empire by hanging 20th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Bulgarian revolutionaries Macedonian Bulgarians Bulgarian people murdered abroad Executed Bulgarian people Revolutionaries from the Ottoman Empire