Pitu Guli (; 1865–1903) was an
Aromanian revolutionary in
Ottoman Macedonia, a local leader of what is commonly referred to as the
Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...
(IMRO).
[Brown, K. (2003) ''The Past in Question: Modern Macedonia and the Uncertainties of Nation'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press); pp. 196–198, ] Nevertheless, Pitu Guli and his family were
Bulgaromans.
Life
Born to a poor family in
Kruševo
Kruševo ( mk, Крушево ; rup, Crushuva "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an alt ...
, he demonstrated an independent and rebellious nature early in life. He left his home in
Macedonia at the age of 17 in search of wealth in the
Bulgarian capital,
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 ...
. In 1885, he returned to Macedonia, as part of a rebel squad of the revolutionary movement against 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 ...
, led by
Adam Kalmikov. He was captured and exiled to eastern
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
for a period of eight years, seven years of which were spent in the prison in
Trabzon
Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the B ...
. In 1895, he again returned to Kruševo and became a member of IMARO. From this time on, he was fully committed to the
autonomy of Macedonia from Turkish rule. Between 1897 and 1902 he was again in Sofia, where he also held an eating house.
In March 1903, he began commanding a revolutionary squad, crossing the Bulgarian-Ottoman border heading for
Kruševo
Kruševo ( mk, Крушево ; rup, Crushuva "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an alt ...
. From April to August 1903, he trained and prepared his irregulars for the upcoming
Ilinden Uprising Ilinden ( Bulgarian/Macedonian Cyrillic: Илинден) or Ilindan (Serbian Cyrillic: Илиндан), meaning "Saint Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías'' ...
. He died in Kruševo, defending the
Kruševo Republic.
Family
Following the revolt,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, with the support of
Austro-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern ...
, succeeded in the acceptance of the
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and ...
("Vlachs") as a separate
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets a ...
with the decree (
irade) of May 10, 1905 by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, so the
Ullah Millet ("Vlach Millet", referring to the Aromanians) could have their own churches and schools. Except for
Bulgarian Exarchist Aromanians, as Guli's family, most members of other ethnicities dismissed the IMRO as pro-Bulgarian. Pitu is father of Tashko Gulev (Shula Guli), who died in 1913 as soldier of the
Bulgarian Army
The Bulgarian Land Forces ( bg, Сухопътни войски на България, Sukhopŭtni voĭski na Bŭlgariya, lit=Ground Forces of Bulgaria) are the ground warfare branch of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. The Land Forces were establishe ...
in the
battle of Bregalnica
The Battle of Bregalnica was fought between the Kingdom of Bulgaria army and the Kingdom of Serbia during the Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of th ...
against the
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of ...
, during the
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 16 ( O.S.) / 29 (N.S.) June 1913. Serbian and Greek armies ...
. He is also father of the revolutionary of the IMRO, Nikola Gulev (Lakia Guli), one of the people closest to
Todor Alexandrov
Todor Aleksandrov Poporushov, best known as Todor Alexandrov ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Тодор Александров), also spelt as Alexandroff (4 March 1881 – 31 August 1924), was a Bulgarian revolutionary, army officer, politician and t ...
. He was arrested by the police of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and died in custody after being tortured in 1924. Pitu Guli is a father of Steryo Gulev (Sterya Guli), who took part in the military units formed by former
IMRO
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...
activists in
Vardar Macedonia during the Bulgarian administration in World War II, to fight the communist
Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод� ...
. He reportedly shot himself after Bulgaria switched sides and withdrew from Yugoslavia in 1944, upon the arrival of
Tito
Tito may refer to:
People Mononyms
*Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980), commonly known mononymously as Tito, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman
*Roberto Arias (1918–1989), aka Tito, Panamanian international lawyer, diplomat, and journal ...
's partisans in Kruševo, in despair over what he saw as a second period of Serbian dominance in Macedonia.
Legacy
Pitu Guli is a national hero in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
and
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 ...
, and remembered as having fought heroically at
Mečkin Kamen (''Bear's Rock'') near Kruševo, where he was killed during the Ilinden Uprising in defense of the
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...
Kruševo Republic.
A
Macedonian Partisan Brigade was named after him.
The
Macedonian partisan Kuzman Josifovski took the alias "Pitu" after him. He is also celebrated in folk songs and poetry throughout the region of
Macedonia, being mentioned in the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
(''
Today over Macedonia'').
[Pål Kolstø, Strategies of Symbolic Nation-building in South Eastern Europe, Routledge, 2016, , p. 188.]
References
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guli, Pitu
1865 births
1903 deaths
People from Kruševo
Aromanian people
Aromanian revolutionaries
Members of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Bulgarian revolutionaries
Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Kruševo
Aromanians from the Ottoman Empire