Georgi Stoyanov Todorov ( bg, Георги Тодоров) (born on 10 August 1858 in

Bolgrad Bolhrad ( uk, Болгра́д, Bolhrad, ; bg, Болград, Bolgrad; ro, Bolgrad, Gagauz: ''Bolgrad''), is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the administrative center o ...

(contemporary

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

); died on 16 November 1934 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 ...

) 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 ...

general who fought in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878),

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War ( bg, Сръбско-българска война, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', sr, Српско-бугарски рат, ''Srpsko-bugarski rat'') was a war between the Kingdom of Ser ...

(1885), Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918).

Biography

At the age of 19, he volunteered in the Bulgarian Corps (

Opalchentsi ) , war=the Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876-1878) and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 , image= , caption=The standard of the Bulgarian Opaltchentsi , active=1877-1878 , ideology= Bulgarian nationalism , leaders= Collective leadership , groups= , ...

) during the Russo-Turkish Liberation War. After the liberation, he graduated the first course of the Military School in Sofia (1879). In 1882, he entered the Sankt Peterburg Academy but could not graduate it because he returned for the

Unification of Bulgaria 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 and took part in the war that followed immediately after it. During the war against

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 ...

, he commanded a unit which fought successfully against the enemy in the area of

Vidin Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as ...

and Kula. After the war, he participated in the dethroning of

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

and was dismissed from the Army in 1886. Only a year later, he returned to office. On 13 August 1887, he was promoted to Major. On 1 January 1896, Todorov became a

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. He served in the Military School and as a chief of the

Sevlievo Sevlievo ( bg, Севлиево ) is a town in north-central Bulgaria, part of Gabrovo Province. Sevlievo is known as one of the wealthiest towns in Bulgaria owing to the well developed local economy, high employment rate and major foreign inve ...

garrison. On 1 January 1910 he was promoted

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and a commander of the Seventh Rila Infantry Division.

Balkan Wars

During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

(1912–1913) as a commander of the Seventh Rila Infantry Division, he advanced towards Solun and on 26 January 1913 he defeated the Ottomans in the Battle of Bulair. 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 r ...

(1913), he and his division participated in the

Battle of Kalimantsi The Battle of Kalimanci ( bg, Битка при Калиманци, sr, Битка код Калиманаца) was a battle fought between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Bulgaria during the Second Balkan War. The battle started on ...

where the

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

were defeated.

First World War

After the accession of

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 the First World War, he commanded the 2nd Army. He led the operations in Macedonia which ended with the defeat of the Serbs in the

Battle of Ovche Pole A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. With that success, the Bulgarians did not allow the meeting of the Serbian Army and the

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...

- French forces who embarked in Solun. In February 1917, he was in command of the 3rd Army and defeated the

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Roman ...

in Dobrudzha. From 8 September 1918, he became commander-in-chief 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 ...

after the illness of General

Nikola Zhekov Nikola Todorov Zhekov ( bg, Никола Тодоров Жеков; german: Nikola Todorow Schekow; 6 January 1865 – 1 November 1949) was the Minister of War of Bulgaria in 1915 and served as commander-in-chief from 1915 to 1918 during World Wa ...

. He participated in the

Battle of Dobro Pole The Battle of Dobro Pole ( sr, Битка код Доброг Поља, Bitka kod Dobrog Polja; gr, Μάχη του Ντόμπρο Πόλε, Máchi tou Dóbro Póle), also known as the Breakthrough at Dobro Pole ( bg, Пробив при До� ...

, which was the crucial Serbian victory in 1918. He was dismissed in 1919. General Georgi Todorov died on 16 November 1934 in Sofia.

Honours and awards

* :

Order of Bravery The Order of Bravery ( bg, Орден за Храброст) is a Bulgarian order which existed during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and currently exists in the Republic of Bulgaria. It was the second highest in the Kingdom of Bulgaria and is the fourt ...

, 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes * : Order of St Alexander, 1st class with Swords, 4th and 5th classes without swords * : Order of Military Merit, 1st class * :

Order of Stara Planina Orders, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003. The National Military History Museum of Bulgaria in Sofia currently has over 150 Bulgarian Orders in the co ...

, 1st grade with swords - awarded posthumously on 20 December 2012Указ № 436 от 20 декември 2012 г. за награждаване посмъртно с орден „Стара планина“ първа степен с мечове на генерал-лейтенант Михаил Попов Савов
(Държавен вестник, брой 2, 8.1.2013, стр. 3) * :

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

* :

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

, 1st and 2nd classes * :

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal ( tr, Liyakat Madalyasi) translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoma ...

References

* Азманов, Димитър. Български висши военоначалници през Балканската и Първата световна война, София 2000, с. 237 * Коев, Илиян и др. Българо-турски военни отношения през Първата световна война. Сборник от документи (1914–1918), София 2004, с. 517

Biography

Balkan Wars

First World War

Honours and awards

References

Further reading