Todor Kableshkov ( Bulgarian: Тодор Каблешков) (13 January 1851 – 16 June 1876) was a 19th-century

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 Maced ...

n revolutionary and one of the leaders of the

April Uprising The April Uprising ( bg, Априлско въстание, Aprilsko vastanie) was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The regular Ottoman Army and irregular bashi-bazouk units brutally su ...

. Born in

Koprivshtitsa Koprivshtitsa ( bg, Копривщица, pronounced , from the Bulgarian word , ''kopriva'', meaning "nettle") is a historic town in the Koprivshtitsa Municipality in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the ...

in a wealthy family, he studied in his hometown and then in Plovdiv between 1864 and 1867 and founded the ''Zora'' enlightenment society in 1867. He continued his education in

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational ...

in Istanbul, but was forced to return to Koprivshtitsa because of illness. He worked in

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...

as a telegraph operator in 1873 and was then a station master near

Pazardzhik Pazardzhik ( bg, Пазарджик ) is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality. The Tatars founded Pazardzhik in ...

, where he engaged in cultural and educational activities. Kableshkov returned to Koprvishtitsa in the beginning of 1876 and committed himself to revolutionary work. He was assigned the head of the local revolutionary committee in Koprishtitsa and deputy-apostle of the

Panagyurishte Panagyurishte ( bg, Панагюрище, also transliterated ''Panagjurište'', ) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of ...

revolutionary district. He was the first to proclaim the April Uprising on 20 April 1876 and is the author of the famous '' Bloody Letter'' to the Panagyurishte revolutionary district. Kableshkov was the head of the military council in Koprivshtitsa and led a ''cheta'' (band, detachment) together with

Panayot Volov Panayot Volov ( bg, Панайот Волов; c.1850 – 26 May 1876), also known under pseudonym Petar Vankov ( bg, Петър Ванков)), was the organizer and leader of the Gyurgevo Revolutionary Committee of the Bulgarian April Uprising ...

, with which he went round the nearby villages. After the uprising was suppressed by the Ottoman authorities, Kableshkov fled in the interior of

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border be ...

with a small group. He was captured near

Troyan Troyan ( bg, Троян ) is a town remembering the name of Roman Emperor Trajan, in Lovech Province in central Bulgaria with population of 21,997 inhabitants, as of December 2009. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Troyan Mun ...

and was afterwards tortured in the Lovech and Veliko Tarnovo prisons. Todor Kableshkov eventually committed suicide in the

Gabrovo Gabrovo ( bg, Габрово ) is a town in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an internat ...

police office at the age of 25. Todor Kableshkov is remembered as one of the most courageous Bulgarian revolutionaries especially considering the young age at which he entered the revolutionary movement. His home house in Koprivshtitsa is now turned into a museum and a monument was built on the place he decided to start the rebellion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kableshkov, Todor 1851 births 1876 deaths People from Koprivshtitsa Bulgarian revolutionaries April Uprising of 1876 Galatasaray High School alumni 19th-century Bulgarian people 1870s suicides