Kruševo Republic
Encyclopedia
During the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
in 1903 the rebels from the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization in Kruševo
proclaimed a short lived Kruševo Republic.
On 3 August 1903, the rebels captured the town of Kruševo and established a revolutionary government, proclaiming the Kruševo Republic, which was one of the first modern day republic in the Balkans
. The Republic existed only for 10 days - August 3 to August 13, and was headed by president Nikola Karev
. Amongst the various religious and ethnic groups in Kruševo a Republican Council was elected with 60 members - 20 representatives from each one: Bulgarians
(Bulgarian Exarhists
), Aromanians
and Slav-speaking, Vlach-speaking and Albanian-speaking Patriarchist
Greeks. The Council also elected an executive body - the Provisional Government, with six members (2 from each group), whose duty was to promote law and order and manage supplies, finances, and medical care. The "Kruševo Manifesto
" was published. Written by Nikola Karev himself, it outlined the goals of the uprising, calling upon the population to join forces with the provisional government in the struggle against Ottoman tyranny, in order to attain freedom and independence.
The Turkish
government was surprised by the uprising, taking extraordinary military measures to suppress. After fierce battles near Mečkin Kamen, the Turks managed to destroy the Kruševo Republic, committing atrocities against the rebel forces and the local population. Today an enormous monument on the hill above Kruševo marks the elusive dream of the Ilinden revolutionaries. In the area there is another monument called Mečkin Kamen. This was the place where Pitu Guli
's band (cheta) was trying to defend the town of Kruševo from the Turkish troops coming from Bitola. The whole band and their leader (voivode) perished and Kruševo as well as many of the nearby villages were set to fire by the Ottomans.
Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising
The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising or simply the Ilinden Uprising of August 1903 |Macedonia]] affected most of the central and southwestern parts of the Monastir Vilayet receiving the support mainly of the local Bulgarian peasants and to some extent of the Aromanian population of the region...
in 1903 the rebels from the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization in Kruševo
Kruševo
Kruševo also spelled Krushevo, is a town in the Republic of Macedonia. It is the highest town in Macedonia, situated at an altitude of over 4,000 feet above sea level. The town of Kruševo is the seat of Kruševo Municipality.-History:...
proclaimed a short lived Kruševo Republic.
On 3 August 1903, the rebels captured the town of Kruševo and established a revolutionary government, proclaiming the Kruševo Republic, which was one of the first modern day republic in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. The Republic existed only for 10 days - August 3 to August 13, and was headed by president Nikola Karev
Nikola Karev
Nikola Janakiev Karev was a revolutionary in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia. He was born 23 November 1877 in Kruševo and died 27 April 1905 in the village of Rajčani, both today in the Republic of Macedonia. Karev was a local leader of what later became known as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary...
. Amongst the various religious and ethnic groups in Kruševo a Republican Council was elected with 60 members - 20 representatives from each one: Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
(Bulgarian Exarhists
Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953....
), Aromanians
Aromanians
Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...
and Slav-speaking, Vlach-speaking and Albanian-speaking Patriarchist
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
Greeks. The Council also elected an executive body - the Provisional Government, with six members (2 from each group), whose duty was to promote law and order and manage supplies, finances, and medical care. The "Kruševo Manifesto
Kruševo Manifesto
The Krusevo Manifesto is a manifesto published by the Revolutionary Committee of Kruševo Republic during the 1903 Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising in the wider region of Macedonia...
" was published. Written by Nikola Karev himself, it outlined the goals of the uprising, calling upon the population to join forces with the provisional government in the struggle against Ottoman tyranny, in order to attain freedom and independence.
The Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
government was surprised by the uprising, taking extraordinary military measures to suppress. After fierce battles near Mečkin Kamen, the Turks managed to destroy the Kruševo Republic, committing atrocities against the rebel forces and the local population. Today an enormous monument on the hill above Kruševo marks the elusive dream of the Ilinden revolutionaries. In the area there is another monument called Mečkin Kamen. This was the place where Pitu Guli
Pitu Guli
Pitu Guli was an Aromanian revolutionary in Ottoman Macedonia, a local leader of what is commonly referred to as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization ....
's band (cheta) was trying to defend the town of Kruševo from the Turkish troops coming from Bitola. The whole band and their leader (voivode) perished and Kruševo as well as many of the nearby villages were set to fire by the Ottomans.