Ivan Vedar
Encyclopedia
Ivan Vedar born Danail Nikolov, a.k.a. Yani Ingiliz, Johny English, Ovanes Efendi (equivalents of the name Ivan), Denkooglu (after Deniu, Danail), was born in Razgrad
, present Bulgaria
in 1827. He is often referred to as the founder of freemasonry
in Bulgaria.
He was proficient in many Indo-European languages
, Latin
, and various Arabic
dialects.
, where he picked up many languages, he worked as a sailor on an English
ship, travelling between London
and Melbourne
, he was an interpreter in Turkish institutions in Tsarigrad, he taught languages in İzmir
to the sons of Turkish notables (including Midhat Pasha). During the Crimean war
he travelled over Black Sea
harbours, possibly as a Russia
n spy. He continued his studies in the medical school in Bucharest
, where he got his pseudonym Vedriy or Vedar (meaning cheerful) from the professors Dr Peter Protić and Dr Georgi Atanasović, because of his easy-going temper.
In 1863 in the Tsarigrad branch of Oriental Lodge he was initiated into masonry. He managed to reach the 33rd degree, the last one, according the Old and Accepted Scottish Rite. An even more colourful lifestyle followed — he worked on the first Bulgarian railway Rousse
–Varna
, then as a trade representative in Manchester
, he married the daughter of a respected architect from Rousse, he taught at Robert College
, he was a correspondent for different European newspapers. Midhat Pasha appointed him a "secretary of the external correspondence", which lets him frequently keep in touch with foreign diplomats. He provided financial aid to some uprisings and the revolutionary movement in Rousse, among whose members he had already established friendly relations. He interceded for Zahari Stoyanov
to become a librarian in the Zora cultural club. His lobbying lifted off the decision of Delaver Pasha to massacre
a great part of the population in Rousse in 1877.
After the Liberation of Bulgaria
, Ivan Vedar installed the first Bulgarian regular masonic lodge Balkan Star in Rousse in 1880, among whose members are Nikola Obretenov
, Zahari Stoyanov, Ilarion Dragostinov
, Toma Kardzhiev, and which was visited incognito by the king-to-be Alexander Batenberg. Later, new lodges were founded in Varna
(where the first Great lodge was located for a short time), Sofia
, and some other cities, but in 1887 Vedar was forced to "put asleep" all lodges, because of the danger that their activity gets spoiled by political and interpersonal struggles, so common in the young and inexperienced country.
In the end of his life, he assigned all of his property to the state, saying he had given enough to his children — education and upbringing. The bones of Ivan Vedar were moved to the Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
, and a monument in his honour was put nearby. Modern masonic organisations in Bulgaria issue a medal with his name.
In the end of August, Russian forces fiercely attacked the Turkish quarter in Rousse, which the almost completely razed to the ground. That enraged the Turkish governors and they decided to massacre the whole Bulgarian population in Rousse — all of them were taken out in the field near the Vladikova bahcha (the present Youth's Park), where they spent several days and nights. Vedar managed to slip out of his surrounded house though paying a bag of gold. He dropped in at the Italian
counsul Enrique de Gubernatis, together with whom they invited the influential Turk hajji
Mehmed Alia to ascend with them to the Leventa hill, in order to lobby with Delaver Pasha, the commander of the Egypt
ian forces positioned around the city.
When they came in at the pasha's, the three of them made the masonic sign with a hand. Realizing that he was talking to a higher-ranking brother, he promised Ivan brotherly cooperation. When the delegation came down from Leventa, they found the population surrounded by the regular Egyptian army, which guarded them from the Cherkez and bashi-bazouk
soldiers. The result was an exodus from a secure death for 4000 Rousse citizens and of setting the city ablaze.
Razgrad
Razgrad is a city in northeastern Bulgaria, administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Razgrad Province. As of February 2011, it has a population of 33,238 inhabitants.-History:...
, present Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
in 1827. He is often referred to as the founder of freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
in Bulgaria.
He was proficient in many Indo-European languages
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, and various Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
dialects.
Biography
During Danail's early years, his father, the architect Karastoyan, was requested to build a house for a local Turk, an important person. (Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule then.) The requester refused to pay, a row flared up with knives taken out, and, in order to save his father, Danail killed the Turk. What followed was a change of his name and life under cover. He studied in a college in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, where he picked up many languages, he worked as a sailor on an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
ship, travelling between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, he was an interpreter in Turkish institutions in Tsarigrad, he taught languages in İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
to the sons of Turkish notables (including Midhat Pasha). During the Crimean war
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he travelled over Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
harbours, possibly as a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n spy. He continued his studies in the medical school in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, where he got his pseudonym Vedriy or Vedar (meaning cheerful) from the professors Dr Peter Protić and Dr Georgi Atanasović, because of his easy-going temper.
In 1863 in the Tsarigrad branch of Oriental Lodge he was initiated into masonry. He managed to reach the 33rd degree, the last one, according the Old and Accepted Scottish Rite. An even more colourful lifestyle followed — he worked on the first Bulgarian railway Rousse
Rousse
Ruse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
–Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, then as a trade representative in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, he married the daughter of a respected architect from Rousse, he taught at Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
, he was a correspondent for different European newspapers. Midhat Pasha appointed him a "secretary of the external correspondence", which lets him frequently keep in touch with foreign diplomats. He provided financial aid to some uprisings and the revolutionary movement in Rousse, among whose members he had already established friendly relations. He interceded for Zahari Stoyanov
Zahari Stoyanov
Zahari Stoyanov , born Dzhendo Stoyanov Dzhedev , was a Bulgarian revolutionary, writer, and historian. A participant in the April Uprising of 1876, he became its first historiographer with his book Memoirs of the Bulgarian Uprisings...
to become a librarian in the Zora cultural club. His lobbying lifted off the decision of Delaver Pasha to massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
a great part of the population in Rousse in 1877.
After the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
, Ivan Vedar installed the first Bulgarian regular masonic lodge Balkan Star in Rousse in 1880, among whose members are Nikola Obretenov
Nikola Obretenov
Nikola Tihov Obretenov was a Bulgarian revolutionary, one of the combatants for the liberation of Bulgaria, and a participant in the Stara Zagora Uprising and the April Uprising...
, Zahari Stoyanov, Ilarion Dragostinov
Ilarion Dragostinov
Ilarion Ivanov Dragostinov , nicknamed Arbanascheto was a Bulgarian revolutionary and an important figure in the organization and direction of the anti-Ottoman April Uprising of 1876....
, Toma Kardzhiev, and which was visited incognito by the king-to-be Alexander Batenberg. Later, new lodges were founded in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
(where the first Great lodge was located for a short time), Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, and some other cities, but in 1887 Vedar was forced to "put asleep" all lodges, because of the danger that their activity gets spoiled by political and interpersonal struggles, so common in the young and inexperienced country.
In the end of his life, he assigned all of his property to the state, saying he had given enough to his children — education and upbringing. The bones of Ivan Vedar were moved to the Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
Pantheon of National Revival Heroes
The Pantheon of National Revival Heroes is a Bulgarian national monument and an ossuary, located in the city of Rousse. 39 famous Bulgarians are buried in it, including Lyuben Karavelov, Zahari Stoyanov, Stefan Karadzha, Panayot Hitov, Tonka Obretenova, Nikola Obretenov, Panayot Volov, Angel...
, and a monument in his honour was put nearby. Modern masonic organisations in Bulgaria issue a medal with his name.
The event in Rousse in 1877
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
counsul Enrique de Gubernatis, together with whom they invited the influential Turk hajji
Hajji
Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
Mehmed Alia to ascend with them to the Leventa hill, in order to lobby with Delaver Pasha, the commander of the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian forces positioned around the city.
When they came in at the pasha's, the three of them made the masonic sign with a hand. Realizing that he was talking to a higher-ranking brother, he promised Ivan brotherly cooperation. When the delegation came down from Leventa, they found the population surrounded by the regular Egyptian army, which guarded them from the Cherkez and bashi-bazouk
Bashi-bazouk
A bashi-bazouk or bashibazouk was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army...
soldiers. The result was an exodus from a secure death for 4000 Rousse citizens and of setting the city ablaze.