Defense of the Shipka

The defense of the Shipka pass in the Balkan Range, painted by Professor Iliya Petros in the French Parliament, calling upon the governments to take measures to put an end to the sufferings of the heroic Bulgarian people.

Thus the categoric resolve of the Bulgarian people to win their liberty and the powerful world movement in their defence finally forced European diplomacy to place the Welcoming the Russian troops in Bulgaria, an old engraving from the same epoch Bulgarian question on the agenda. On Russia’s initiative, a conference was convened in Constantinople in December 1876 of the ambassadors of the Great Powers to discuss the situation on the Balkans after the suppression of the uprisings in Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia’s defeat in the war with Turkey in the summer of 1876. The situation was favourable for the Bulgarians. On the one hand, the powerful movement in defence of the Bulgarian people had forced Russia to give up its post- Crimean policy of restraint from taking decisive steps on

The monument on Mount Shipka

The monument on Mount Shipka the Balkan problems and, on the other, it had paralyzed the actions of the champions of the status quo, of the Ottoman Empire among the British and French ruling circles. In spite of British and Austro-Hungarian resistance, the conference decided to grant autonomy not only to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but to Bulgaria as well, within her recognized ethnical boundaries: Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia. The apprehensions of the British and Austro- Hungarian ruling circles that Russia’s influence might become too pronounced, imposed a compromise at the expense of the “Bulgarian people: it was decided to found two, instead of one state — eastern Bulgaria with Turnovo for capital, and western Bulgaria with Sofia for its centre.

Encouraged by its military successes and counting on the lack of unanimity between the Great Powers, the Ottoman government rejected the decisions of the ambassadorial conference. After having thus exhausted all diplomatic means, Russia declared war on Turkey on April 12 (25), 1877. Soon after that Romania also joined the war on Russia’s side. The military operations took place in the Caucasus and in the Balkans, but the Balkan front was the more important of the two, for the main forces of the belligerent countries were concentrated here where the decisive battles took place.

The Bulgarian people welcomed the news about the declaration of the war with indescribable enthusiasm. In the very first few days more than 7,500 Bulgarian volunteers appeared at the head-quarters of the Russian Army. They were organized in 6 battalions under the command of General Stoletov. Another 6 battalions were formed in the course of the military operations, when scores of Bulgarian detachments started operating within the Turkish rear, and thousands of Bulgarian scouts rendered invaluable services to the Russian military intelligence. The whole Bulgarian nation was in the service of the Russian army. The Russian soldiers were welcome guests in every Bulgarian home and the population started building fortifications and roads, provided the army with horses and other animals, showed the ways, organized field hospitals.

Now it is so quiet and peaceful place. It is at the edge of rose valley and one of the place for holidays to Bulgaria.

Break out on May 1

On Benkovski’s proposal the meeting decided that the uprising should break out on May 1, but the developments forced the hand of the insurgents. The Turkish authorities learned about the meeting in Oborishte and sent gendarmes to Panagyurishte and Koprivshtitsa to arrest the organizers. The chairman of the revolutionary committee in Koprivshtitsa Todor Kableshkov had to escape and after a short meeting the committee took the decision that the uprising should start immediately. The quiet town in the mountains was shaken by gun shots and the alarm of ringing church bells. The streets were filled with young men in insurgents’ uniforms. The police headquarters were taken by storm and soon the red and green banner of the insurgents with an enraged lion embroidered on it with the words ‘Freedom or Death’ underneath was fluttering over it. A messenger was sent immediately on horseback to Panagyurishte carrying the celebrated ’letter signed in blood’ from the insurgents in Koprivshtitsa to the committee in Panagyurishte.

The letter gave rise to indescribable enthusiasm in Panagyurishte. Benkovski gave out the order to start the uprising immediately. In only several minutes power passed over into the hands of the insurgents. The detach-ment of Turkish gendarmes sent to Panagyurishte to arrest the revolutionary committee was put to flight. The local schoolmistress Raina Popgeorgieva, whom the people called Princess Raina, joined the insurgents dressed in their uniform, on horseback, holding aloft the banner she herself had sewn and embroidered. The whole town gathered in the square to listen to Benkovski’s fiery speech. A provisional government was formed with the prominent citizen of Panagyurishte Pavel Bobekov at the head. Couriers set out from the centre of the uprising, Panagyurishte, for all the villages in the district and for the other revolutionary districts with the long-awaited news and appeal to rise at once in an armed uprising. Benkovski himself assembled some 200 armed mounted insurgents who formed his legendary ‘flying detachment’ and led them on a tour of the villages to inspire and organize the people.

Uprising spread

The fire of the uprising spread to almost all towns and villages in the district and in the cities of Plovdiv and Pazardjik, where numerous Turkish garrisons were stationed. The insurgents fought bravely but the forces of the enemy were superior. The entire might of the Empire was sent against their old rifles and wooden cannons made of cherry-tree trunks. The insurgent towns and villages fell one after another into the hands of the bashibozouks (irregular armed Turkish hordes) and of the regular forces, armed with most up-to-date weapons. After three days of fierce battles, on April 30, the Turks entered Panagyurishte, which was set on fire by the artillery. All inhabitants, mainly old men and women with small children, who had not managed to run away and hide in the mountains, were massacred. The same fate befell the towns of Klissoura, Strelcha and scores of other settlements in the Sredna Gora mountains. The leaders of the uprising, together with small groups of insurgents, tried to escape to Romania, but most of them fell in ambushes along the long road: Benkovski was killed not far from Teteven, Volov – near the town of Byala. Kableshkov was captured and committed suicide in prison.

Crimean War

The failure of the attempted uprising during the Crimean War had convinced Rakovski that the Bulgarian people had to rely, above all, on themselves. He did not change the strategic plan of the preceding uprisings – namely, the connection between the uprisings and the entry of hostile armed forces into the Empire – but introduced a new content into it: the backbone of the uprising were no longer expected to be the hostile foreign forces, but Bulgarian military detachments, organized and trained abroad. With this aim in view, Rakovski organized in 1861 the so-called First Bulgarian Legion, with the active support of the Serbian government, The legion numbered 600 men, fought gallantly, and was able to show its excellent military training and high militant spirit during the armed clashes between the Serbian patriots and the Turkish garrison of the Belgrade fortress in June 1862.The Serbo-Turkish conflict, however, was soon settled peacefully and the legion was disbanded, A detachment headed by the famous voevode Panayot Hitov, which was sent to Bulgaria to do propaganda, work in favour of the uprising, was forced to come back to Serbia, whereas a rebel detachment from Turnovo which had taken to the mountains was routed by the Turks.

Rakovski was not discouraged and undertook in 1863 a diplomatic tour with the aim of organizing an alliance of the Balkan peoples against Turkey. Conditions proved to be unfavourable at that time, but three years later, in con-nection with the outbreak of a major uprising on the Island of Crete, such an alliance was established under Russia’s guidance. In Rakovski’s absence, a group of Bulgarian emigrants from the liberal bourgeois circles set up a Secret Bulgarian Central Committee with Ivan Kassabov at the head. The Committee signed a ‘Sacred Coalition’ against Turkey with representatives of the Romanian government. This Coalition, however, proved fruitless because of the prompt settlement of the Romano-Turkish conflict. Then the Secret Committee wrote a memorandum to the Sultan demanding the establishment of a Turko-Bulgarian dualistic monarchy, but the memorandum, of course, was never answered.

Secret Central Committee

Parallel with the Secret Central Committee, a ‘Benevolent Society’(Committee of Elders) was also active Vassil Levski – a great Bulgarian revolutionary and democrat, fighter for national liberation during the third quarter of the 19th century in Bucharest, consisting of pro-Russian representatives of the Bulgarian bourgeoisie and headed by the rich businessman Hristo Georgiev. Stirred into action by the Russian government, the ‘Committee of Elders’ started negotiations with the Serbian government for a joint struggle against Turkey and for the establishment, in case of a successful outcome, of a federal Serbo-Bulgarian state – a Yugoslav Kingdom.

 

Healthy Food for Us

Hello all. Today we do little bit more to control our food regime. I believe we can do big differences with little change.

BAKED FRIED CHICKEN BREAST with MIXED VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS

Non-stick cooking spray

½ cup plain dried bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons cornmeal

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

1 large egg white

½ teaspoon salt

1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 cups mixed vegetables

 

1- Pre-heat oven to 350°. Spray a medium baking pan with cooking spray. On waxed paper, mix bread crumbs, cheese, cornmeal, and ground red pepper.

2- In pie plate, beat egg white and salt. Dip each piece of chicken in egg white mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in pan; spray lightly with cooking spray.

3- Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until coating is crisp and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife. Add mixed vegetables to chicken. Bake for 5 more minutes. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

NUTRITION CONTENT

Per Serving

Makes 6 servings

Calories: 245

Total fat: 5.69g

Saturated fat: 2.33g

Carbohydrates: 21.09g

Protein: 25.8g

Cholesterol: 56.61mg

Sodium: 476mg

Dietary fiber: 4.56g

20-MINUTE CHICKEN CREOLE

INGREDIENTS

4 medium chicken breast halves (1 ½ lbs total) skinned, boned, and cut into V-inch strips

1, 14-ounce can tomatoes, cut up

1 cup low-sodium chili sauce

1 ½ cups chopped green pepper (1 large)

½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

¼ teaspoon salt non-stick cooking spray

1- Spray deep skillet with non-stick spray coating. Preheat pan over high heat. Cook chicken in hot skillet, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

2- Reduce heat. Add tomatoes and their juice, low-sodium chili sauce, green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked rice or whole wheat pasta.

NUTRITION CONTENT

Per Serving

Makes 6 servings

Calories: 255

Total fat: 3g

Saturated fat: 0.8g

Carbohydrates: 16g

Protein: 31g

Cholesterol: 100mg

Sodium: 465mg

Dietary fiber: 1.5g