![Georgi Stranski](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Georgi_Stranski.jpg)
Georgi Ivanov Stranski ( bg, Георги Иванов Странски) (13 August 1847 – 17 January 1904) 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 ...
physician and politician. A close friend of
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...
, Stranski was an active member of various organizations founded by Bulgarian emigrants in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
(the
United Principalities
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia ( ro, Principatele Unite ale Moldovei și Țării Românești), commonly called United Principalities, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia, ...
). After the
Liberation of Bulgaria
The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...
in 1878, Stranski was one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia ( bg, Източна Румелия, Iztochna Rumeliya; ota, , Rumeli-i Şarkî; el, Ανατολική Ρωμυλία, Anatoliki Romylia) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, '' vilayet'' in Turkish) in the Ott ...
, and its successor after the
Bulgarian unification
The Unification of Bulgaria ( bg, Съединение на България, ''Saedinenie na Balgariya'') was the act of unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and the province of Eastern Rumelia in the autumn of 1885. It was co-ordinated ...
in 1885, the all-Bulgarian People's Liberal Party of
Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Nikolov Stambolov ( bg, Стефан Николов Стамболов) (31 January 1854 OS– 19 July 1895 OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revolutionary, and poet who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is consider ...
. Between the accomplishment of the Bulgarian unification on 6 September 1885 and its international recognition in mid-1886, Stranski was the only ever Commissar of South Bulgaria.
Biography
Georgi Stranski was born on in
Kalofer
Kalofer ( ) is a town in central Bulgaria, located on the banks of the Tundzha between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. Kalofer is part of Plovdiv Province and the Karlovo municipality. It is best known as th ...
, a
Sub-Balkan town in
Rumelia, or the
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
(today in central
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
). In 1864, he moved to
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, at the time the capital of the autonomous United Principalities of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
and
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...
. In Bucharest, Stranski finished a medical school and graduated in
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
from the
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...
in 1874. He remained in Romania as a professional physician, practicing in
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carp ...
and Bucharest. In 1876, he published the book ''Medical Lectures''. While residing in Romania, Stranski was a prominent member of the sizable
Bulgarian diaspora there and among the founding members of two of its organizations, the Bulgarian Philanthropic Trusteeship
and the Bulgarian Central Charity Society. He was particularly close to his townsman, revolutionary and
national poet
A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...
(1848–1876), to whom he was
best man
A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...
.
During the Serbo–Turkish War of 1876, Stranski served in the Romanian medical mission in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
. For the duration of the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, which brought about the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, he was an army surgeon in the
Romanian Army
The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...
that fought alongside the Russians.
During the Provisional Russian Government of the Bulgarian lands that preceded the establishment of a Bulgarian government, Stranski was the regional doctor of
Pleven.
Stranski's political career began with his election to the Constituent Assembly of 1879 and the 1st Ordinary
National Assembly of Bulgaria
The National Assembly ( bg, Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution.
Ordin ...
of the same year. In 1879 he settled in
Plovdiv, the capital of autonomous
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia ( bg, Източна Румелия, Iztochna Rumeliya; ota, , Rumeli-i Şarkî; el, Ανατολική Ρωμυλία, Anatoliki Romylia) was an autonomous province (''oblast'' in Bulgarian, '' vilayet'' in Turkish) in the Ott ...
, where he continued his medical career and became one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of Eastern Rumelia. He held various high offices in the autonomous province, including Director of Finance (1880–1881), member of the Permanent Committee (1879–1880, 1882–1883) and its chairman (1883–1884), and chairman of the provincial
legislative body, the Regional Assembly (1883). As a member of the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee, Stranski was among the most prominent participants in the organization of the Bulgarian unification of 1885, or the accession of Eastern Rumelia to the
Principality of Bulgaria. Following the successful accomplishment of the unification, Stranski became the chairman of the province's provisional government, titled Commissar of South Bulgaria.
He held the office until the international recognition of the unification on 5 April 1886 by the Treaty of Tophane and the first National Assembly elections in
South Bulgaria in the summer of that year.
After the Bulgarian victory in the
Serbo–Bulgarian War, Georgi Stranski was appointed Bulgarian diplomatic agent in
Belgrade (1886–1887). In
Konstantin Stoilov
Konstantin Stoilov ( bg, Константин Стоилов) (23 September 1853 O.S. – 23 March 1901 O.S. ) was a leading Bulgarian politician and twice Prime Minister. Simeon Radev described him as the most European-like of all Bulgaria ...
's short-lived government of 1887, Stranski was Minister of Internal Affairs, succeeding
Vasil Radoslavov
Vasil Hristov Radoslavov ( bg, Васил Христов Радославов) (27 July 1854 – 21 October 1929) was a leading Bulgarian liberal politician who twice served as Prime Minister. He was Premier of the country throughout most ...
. Under
Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Nikolov Stambolov ( bg, Стефан Николов Стамболов) (31 January 1854 OS– 19 July 1895 OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revolutionary, and poet who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is consider ...
, Stranski held the office of
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations (1887–1890), a post he took over from
Grigor Nachovich.
He was also elected to parliament in the 5th (1887–1890) and 6th (1890–1893) Ordinary National Assembly. Following Stambolov's resignation, Stranski continued his career as a doctor: in 1897–1899 he directed the
Aleksandrovska Hospital in
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...
, and in 1899–1900 he was the regional doctor of
Ruse
Ruse may refer to:
Places
*Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria
**Ruse Municipality
** Ruse Province
** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency
*Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia
* Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...
. Between 1900 and 1904, Georgi Stranski presided over Bulgaria's Supreme Chamber of Control, the national
audit institution.
He died on in Sofia.
Honors
* The
Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital
Dr. Georgi Stranski University Hospital is a major hospital located in Pleven, Bulgaria. It is one of the oldest in the country, as well as the largest in northern Bulgaria.
History
The hospital was established in 1865, before the Liberation o ...
in
Pleven was named after him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stranski, Georgi
1847 births
1904 deaths
People from Kalofer
People's Liberal Party politicians
Foreign ministers of Bulgaria
Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria)
Bulgarian military doctors
Bulgarian expatriates in Romania
University of Bucharest alumni
19th-century Bulgarian physicians
20th-century Bulgarian physicians