Hristo Botev

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Hristo Botev (Bulgarian: Христо Ботев,

also transliterated as Hristo Botyov) (6
January 1848 [O.S. 25 December 1847] – 2
June [O.S. 20 May] 1876), born Hristo
Botyov Petkov (Bulgarian: Христо Ботьов
Петков), was a Bulgarian poet and
national revolutionary.[1] Botev is widely
considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic
historical figure and national hero.
 Христо Ботев
Hristo Botev

Bulgarian revolutionary and poet

Born 6 January 1848
Kalofer, Bulgaria
Died 2 June 1876 (aged 28)
near Vola Peak, Vratsa
Mountain (part of the
Stara Planina Range)
Occupation poet, journalist,
revolutionary
Nationality Bulgarian
Spouse Veneta Boteva
Children Ivanka

Biography
Early years

Botev's house in Kalofer

Botev was born in Kalofer (some

historians suggested that he was born in
Karlovo and after several days was
brought to Kalofer). His father, Botyo
Petkov (1815–1869), was a teacher and
one of the most significant figures of the
late period of the Bulgarian National
Revival towards the end of the Ottoman
occupation.[2] He had a strong influence
on his son during the latter's youth.

In 1863, after completing his elementary

education in Kalofer, Botev was sent by his
father to a high school in Odessa.[3] While
there, he was deeply impressed by the
work of the liberal Russian poets of the
day. He left high school in 1865 and spent
the next two years teaching in Odessa and
Bessarabia. In the meantime he began
creating his first poetic works and also
established strong connections with the
Russian and Polish revolutionary
movement. His political views soon
started to take shape.

Botev returned to Kalofer at the beginning

of 1867, where he temporarily replaced his
ill father as a teacher.[3] In May, during the
festivities celebrating Saints Cyril and
Methodius (it was his father who first
organized at the end of the school year
such festivities which today correspond to
Bulgaria's national holiday on 24 May), he
made a public speech against the
Ottoman authorities and the wealthy
Bulgarians (whom he alleged were
collaborating with the Ottomans). Botev
was pressed into leaving the town as a
result. He initially decided he would return
to Russia, but due to lack of money
instead opted for Romania, at the time an
asylum for many Bulgarian exiles.

Exile

For some time he lived in an abandoned

mill near Bucharest with Vasil Levski, the
eventual leader of the Bulgarian
insurgency, and the two of them initially
became close friends. Later he would
describe this period in his works.
From 1869 to 1871 Botev worked again as
a teacher in Bessarabia, keeping close
relations with the Bulgarian revolutionary
movement and its leaders. In June 1871
he became editor of the revolutionary
emigrant newspaper "Word of the
Bulgarian Emigrants" (Duma na bulgarskite
emigranti), where he began publishing his
early poetic works. Imprisoned for some
months, due to his close collaboration with
the Russian revolutionaries, Botev started
working for the "Liberty" (Svoboda)
newspaper, edited by the eminent
Bulgarian writer and revolutionary Lyuben
Karavelov. In 1873 he also edited the
satiric newspaper "Alarm clock" (Budilnik),
where he published a number of
feuilletons, aimed at those wealthy
Bulgarians, who did not take part in the
revolutionary movement.

The Bulgarian revolutionary movement

was put in danger with the capture of Vasil
Levski by Ottoman authorities at the end
of 1872. At the time Levski was the
indisputable leader of the Bulgarian
insurgency. He had established a net of
revolutionary committees, supervised by
the Bulgarian Central Revolutionary
Committee (BCRC; In Bulgarian: БРЦК)
located in Romania, which had the task of
preparing the Bulgarian revolutionaries for
the future general uprising against the
Ottoman rule. Levski was brought to trial,
sentenced to death by hanging and
executed on 19 February 1873. His death
was a serious blow to the morale of the
revolutionary movement.

With Levski's death the BCRC was divided

in two factions: Botev and his supporters
including Stefan Stambolov and Panayot
Hitov backed the idea that preparations
should be started for an immediate
uprising, while the moderate
revolutionaries, led by Lyuben Karavelov,
thought that it was too early for such
actions.[4] Botev intended to start an
uprising in the first possible moment, to
take advantage of the international
situation (the mounting tension between
the Ottoman Empire on one side, and
Serbia and Russia on the other), as well as
the fact that the revolutionary net,
established by Levski, was still relatively
intact and could take an active part in the
preparations. The revolt in Bosnia and
Herzegovina of 1875 was another factor
that inspired Botev and Stambolov that a
rebellion should start in Bulgaria as well.
They thought that the greater the turmoil in
the Balkans was, the more attention they
will attract among the Great powers.[5] In
the beginning of August 1875 Karavelov
already quite ill stepped down as president
of BCRC and Botev was elected the new
president.[5] Led by the thought that the
Bulgarian people were ever ready for a
rebellion he thought that no careful
preparations were needed.[5] This resulted
in the unsuccessful Stara Zagora Uprising
of September 1875.

Death

In the beginning of 1876 the Bulgarian

revolutionary émigrés in Romania were
convinced that a general armed uprising of
Bulgarians against Ottoman occupation
was imminent. In April 1876 the émigré
community in Bechet decided to organise
an armed company to cross the Danube
and take part in the expected uprising. The
organisers (known within the movement
as "apostles") of the planned insurgency in
the 3rd Revolutionary District centred in
Vratza, who had crossed into Romania to
try to solicit additional support from the
Bulgarian expat community, met with
Botev and convinced him that the planned
guerrilla company would be best employed
in their area. While busily recruiting and
arming fighters they were reached by the
news that the insurgency had prematurely
started.
The recruiters tried to secure an
experienced Bulgarian guerrilla leader
(known as voivoda) as commander, but
the two who were approached refused for
political reasons. Thus, Botev himself,
though lacking combat experience, took
overall command of the company. Military
expertise was provided by Nikola
Voinovski (1849–1876), a graduate of the
Emperor Nicholas Military Academy, who
had previously held the rank of lieutenant
in the Russian army. Due to time restraints
and the need for secrecy the company did
not undergo any formal combat training as
a unit and had to rely on the individual
fighting skills and experience of its
members. The news of the uprising
brought new urgency to the preparations
and on 16 May 1876 (in the then used
Julian calendar) the 205-strong company
was finally equipped and ready to deploy.

Botev devised an ingenious plan for

crossing into the Empire without
immediately alerting either the Romanian
or the Ottoman authorities. The rebels
disguised as gardeners boarded in groups
at several Romanian ports the Austro-
Hungarian passenger steamship Radetzky.
When the last group was taken on board at
Bechet the rebels retrieved their concealed
weapons and seized control of the ship.
(This incident was later commemorated in
a popular poem and song.) Botev
confronted the captain Dagobert
Engländer, stated his intent to reach the
Ottoman side of the Danube and explained
the political motivation behind his actions.
Engländer was so moved by Botev's
impassioned speech that he rendered full
support and even later refused to
cooperate with the Ottoman authorities
who requested the use of his ship to
pursue the rebel company.

Botev disembarked near Kozloduy and,

together with every member of the
company, ritualistically kissed the soil of
the Homeland. As the rebels proceeded
inland, they gradually realised, that despite
previous misleadingly enthusiastic
messages by the local "apostles", the 3rd
Revolutionary District had not risen.
Furthermore, due to the violent
suppression of the uprising proceeding
elsewhere in the Bulgarian-populated
territories, the entire Ottoman military
machine, including regular army garrisons
and irregular bashi-bazouks, was
mobilised and thickly patrolling the area.
Botev and his staff officers decided to
press on to the comparative safety of the
Vratza Mountains while trying to rouse the
Bulgarian population on their way. The
population intimidated by the
overwhelming Ottoman military presence
refused to be incited into any overt sign of
rebellion.

The company almost immediately became

the focus of incessant bashi-bazouk
attacks. Voinovski displayed some
excellent defensive tactics helped by the
still high morale and discipline of the
company. On 18 May the massing bashi-
bazouks caught up with the company in
force and Botev had to go to ground on the
Milin Kamak Hill some 50 km from the
Danube. Under Voinovski's skilful
command the rebels managed to hold off
the numerically superior Ottoman
irregulars without taking serious
casualties until the arrival of two Ottoman
companies of regular troops. The regulars,
using two light artillery pieces and their
superior rifles, managed to inflict heavy
casualties among the rebels from a safe
distance, but their three attempts to follow
up with frontal charges were repulsed by
disciplined rebel fire. The Ottoman
company lost about 30 killed or wounded.
According to their custom the Ottomans
ceased hostilities at nightfall, and the
rebels split into two groups and managed
to slip through the enemy lines to continue
their forced march towards the mountains.
The monument ontop of Mount Okoltchitza
commemorates Botev and all those who fell fighting
for the independence of Bulgaria.

The next day passed without sighting the

enemy, but at this point it was obvious that
no local reinforcements could be
expected. On the morning of 20 May, the
sentries detected advancing bashi-
bazouks and 5 companies of regular
Ottoman troops. The men immediately
took strong positions near Mount
Okoltchitza. The defense was divided into
two sectors, one commanded by Voinovski
and the other by Botev. Soon two
battalions of enemy regulars, led by
Hassan Hairi Bey, assaulted Voinovski's
fighters, while the bashi-bazouks
concentrated on Botev's position.
Voinovski's men, with concentrated fire,
inflicted heavy losses on the advancing
enemy and countered their attempts at
encirclement. In their turn Botev's men
repelled several bashi-bazouk attacks and
drove the enemy back with a
counterattack. At dusk the fighting died
down as the Ottomans again withdrew for
the night. The rebels lost about 10 killed,
and many were wounded in the day's
fighting. It was at this point, at dusk on 20
May 1876 (in the Julian calendar,
equivalent to 2 June 1876 in today's
Gregorian calendar), that a single bullet,
most probably fired by a concealed
Ottoman sharpshooter, hit Botev in the
chest, killing him instantly. After the death
of their leader and chief inspiration, the
company suffered a serious drop in
morale and began to disperse. Very few
managed to evade capture or death. In all,
130 company members were killed and
most of the others captured and
imprisoned or executed.
Botev was survived by his wife, Veneta,
daughter, Ivanka, and stepson, Dimitar.

National Icon
Botev's image was methodically built up
as a revolutionary icon by 19th-century
Post-Liberation intellectuals and authors,
most notably by Zahari Stoyanov and Ivan
Vazov. The more controversial aspects of
his biography including his anarchist and
early Socialist ideology were deliberately
toned down in order not to offend
Bourgeois sensibilities. Ironically, his
ideology and association with Russian
anarchists helped the Communist
propaganda of the second half of the 20th
century to paint him as the pioneer of
Bulgarian socialism and thus perpetuate
his cult. Consequently, as with any super-
exposed public figure with controversy in
their past, over the years Botev has on
numerous occasions become the target of
sensationalist 'discoveries' predominantly
in the tabloid press.

Literary works
In 1875 Botev published his poetic works
in a book called "Songs and Poems",
together with another Bulgarian
revolutionary poet and future politician and
statesman, Stefan Stambolov. Botev's
poetry reflected the sentiments of the poor
people, filled with revolutionary ideas,
struggling for their freedom against both
foreign and domestic tyrants. His poetry is
influenced by the Russian revolutionary
democrats and the figures of the Paris
Commune. Under this influence, Botev
rose both as a poet and a revolutionary
democrat. Many of his poems are imbued
with revolutionary zeal and determination,
such as My Prayer ("Moyata molitva"), At
Farewell ("Na proshtavane"), Hajduks
("Haiduti"), In the Tavern ("V mehanata"), or
Struggle ("Borba"). Others are romantic,
balladic (Hadzhi Dimitar),[6] even elegiac.
Perhaps the greatest of his poems is The
Hanging of Vasil Levski ("Obesvaneto na
Vasil Levski").

Poems:
 First
Original Title Transliteration Translation
Published

Майце си Maytze si To My Mother 1867

Към брата си Kam brata si To My Brother 1868

Елегия Elegia Elegy 1870

Делба Delba Division 1870

До моето първо либе Do moeto parvo libe To My First Love 1871

На прощаване в 1868 г. Na proshtavane v 1868 At Farewell in 1868 1871

Хайдути Hayduti Hajduks 1871

Пристанала Pristanala Eloped 1871

Борба Borba Struggle 1871

Странник Strannik Stranger 1872

Гергьовден Gergyovden St. George's Day 1873

Патриот Patriot Patriot 1873

Защо не съм...? Zashto ne sam...? Why am I not...? 1873

Послание (на св. Poslanie (na sveti Epistle (to the Bishop of
1873
Търновски) Tarnovski) Tarnovo)

Хаджи Димитър Hadzhi Dimitar[6][1] 1873

В механата V mehanata In the Tavern 1873

Моята молитва Moyata molitva My Prayer 1873

Зададе се облак темен Zadade se oblak temen A Dark Cloud Is Coming 1873

Ней Ney To Her 1875

Обесването на Васил Obesvaneto na Vasil

The Hanging of Vasil Levski 1876
Левски Levski

Legacy
In 1885 a commemoration committee was
founded on the date of Botev's death, 1
June.[3] A monument was presented on
the main square of Vratsa in 1890 in the
presence of King Ferdinand.[7] Some of the
most prominent Bulgarians in the new
history of the country, such as Stefan
Stambolov and Zahari Stoyanov, devoted a
lot of attention to Botev and his deeds for
Bulgaria.[8] Soon Botev became a mythical
figure in the Bulgarian National Revival,
and is even today commemorated as one
of the two greatest Bulgarian
revolutionaries alongside Vasil Levski. A
replica of the Danube steamship Radetzky
which he commandeered that brought him
to Bulgaria was rebuilt using money raised
by over 1 million students in 1966 and is
now preserved as a museum ship.

Every year at exactly 12:00 on 2 June, air

raid sirens throughout all of the country
resonate for a minute to honour Hristo
Botev and those who died for the freedom
of Bulgaria. People everywhere stand still
for 2 to 3 minutes until the sirens are
stopped.

The following are named after Hristo

Botev:

Botev Point and Botev Peak on

Livingston Island in the South Shetland
Islands
The highest peak in Stara planina
The city of Botevgrad
Streets and boulevards in most
Bulgarian cities
Streets in some Macedonian cities
Streets and boulevards in many
Romanian cities
A number of schools and high schools
Several football clubs – FC Botev Vratsa,
PFC Botev Plovdiv, Botev Ihtiman, Botev
Galabovo, Botev Kozlodui, Botev
Boljarovo, etc.
Several football stadiums in Bulgaria
Hristo Botev Radio - second channel of
Bulgarian National Radio
The International Botev Prize
Asteroid (225238) 2009 QJ5, which was
discovered on 23 August 2009, by F.
Fratev – Zvezdno Obshtestvo
Observatory (Bulgaria).
An avenue in Kraków, Poland
A street in Sarajevo, Bosnia and
Herzegovina (renamed in 1995)
A street in Chișinău, Republic of
Moldova
A street (Botevova) in Prague, Czech
Republic (in a housing estate where all
 the streets are named after Bulgarian
places and people)

References
1. J. D. B. (1910). "Bulgaria (Literature)".
The Encyclopaedia Britannica; A
Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature
and General Information . IV
(BISHARIN to CALGARY) (11th ed.).
Cambridge, England: At the University
Press. p. 786. Retrieved 18 July 2018
– via Internet Archive.
2. Trencsényi; Michal Kopeček (2007).
Discourses of Collective Identity in
Central and Southeast Europe (1770–
 1945). Central European University
Press. p. 473. ISBN 963-7326-60-X.
3. Trencsényi, Kopeček; p.473
4. Perry, Duncan (1993). Stefan
Stambolov and the Emergence of
Modern Bulgaria, 1870–1895. Duke
University Press. p. 23. ISBN 0-8223-
1313-8.
5. Perry, p.23
6. Bull, Lucy Catlin (1897). "Ivan Vazoff
(1850 -)". In Warner, Charles Dudley
(ed.). Library of the World's Best
Literature. Ancient and Modern . 26.
New York: R.S.Peale and J.A. Hill.
 pp. 15265–15266. Retrieved 18 July
2018 – via Internet Archive.
7. Trencsényi, Kopeček; pp.473–4
8. Trencsényi, Kopeček; p.474

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Hristo Botev.

HristoBotev.com (Bulgarian)
Works by Khristo Botev at Project
Gutenberg
Works by or about Hristo Botev at
Internet Archive
Hristo Botev, On Discord Among the
Balkan Peoples , 1875
2 June 1876 Daily Bleed Calendar
reference page
Kalofer.com Hristo Botev Museum in
Kalofer
bmc-bg.webbly.com First CD
compilation of Botyov's Songs
Topencharov, Vl. Khristo Botev. Paris,
1982
 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911).
"Bulgaria/Language"  . Encyclopædia
Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge
University Press.
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