Rakovski: the legend

[AleksandarBG]

Rakovski: the legend

In 2006 Bulgaria marks the 185th birth anniversary of Georgi Rakovski, ideologist of the organized Bulgarian national-liberation movement against the five-century long Ottoman rule. Reckless visionary, incredible person – in this way Bulgarian classic Ivan Vazov captured him in verse. During his lifetime, this handsome and presentable man was a living legend. His life was a chain of vicissitudes, adventures and persecution that would easily inhabit a thick Dumas novel. Rakovski was chosen by fate to be a founder in many ways. Few are aware, for instance, that we owe to him the creation of the first Bulgarian tricolor.
Rakovski was born in 1821 in the town of Kotel, the eastern Balkan Range. His name by birth was Sabi Stoykov Sabev. He graduated from a prestigious Greek school in Istanbul where he was trained in liberal art, ancient and modern languages. In the early 1840s he joined the Balkan insurgent movement against the Ottoman Empire. In 1842 he got involved in the Braila riots – an attempt of the Bulgarian emigration to send armed squads to Bulgaria. Romania however feared conflict with the Ottoman government and sent its troops to crush the riots. As a key organizer in one of the conspiracies the young Bulgarian from Kotel was sentenced to death. As a Greek citizen at that time however, he was handed over to Greece but in the meantime, managed to flee to France. He spent a year and a half in Marseilles and was back to Bulgaria with the pseudonym Rakovski. In 1844 he was thrown into a Turkish dungeon following a conflict with Kotel dignitaries who were loyal to the Ottoman authorities. Three years later he was released.
The Crimean War originally confronting Russia and Turkey opened in 1853. Rakovski saw in that war a chance for Bulgaria’s liberation. In the meantime he contributed into the origin of a clandestine society committed to doing reconnaissance to the benefit of Russia and to preparing the Bulgarians for an uprising. Rakovski was promoted to chief interpreter of the Turkish Danubean Army but was soon disclosed. He was arrested and was facing a new death sentence. Once again the daring man ran away and set up a small armed unit in the Balkan Range prepared to back possible Russian offensive there. The Russians did not reach that far following the intervention of Britain and France in the war.
In the aftermath of the Crimean War Rakovski drew up a plan for the liberation of Bulgaria suggesting an armed uprising prepared responsibly and in line with the liberation struggles of other Balkan nations. This was based on his knowledge of the experience of Italian and Polish revolutionary leaders. In 1862 Rakovski was in Belgrade to found the First Bulgarian Legion, a 600-strong regiment. He planned to lead the legion into Bulgaria. All this happened 2 years after the celebrated march of Garibaldi and his 1000 fighters. The legion performed brilliantly in an 1862 Serb-Turkish conflict but after it was settled, the legion was dissolved. In the years that followed Georgi Rakovski devoted his time to masterful diplomacy acting an intermediary between the Balkan nations for the sake of joint action against the Empire.
Throughout his revolutionary agenda, Rakovski was also a busy writer and publisher of a few newspapers. One of them – Danubean Swan was bilingual – in Bulgarian and French. He wrote a few studies advocating Bulgaria’s democratic and European development. His ideas outstripped his time and included modes of cooperation in the Balkans as well as plans to play down the rivalry between the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant denominations. Rakovski has been recognized as the founder of the Romantic Movement in the Bulgarian national literature. Just like other Renaissance men he had command of several foreign languages and had encyclopedic interests in many different areas – ranging from history and Bulgarian folklore to Indian studies.
One of Rakovski’s descendants argues that the family could be traced back to King Ivan Shishman – the last king prior to the Ottoman conquest of Bulgaria. In Southeast Europe the Kotel genius was accepted as a Bulgarian prince and despite his unstable financial circumstances, he demonstrated remarkable self-confidence. In 1867 in Bucharest Rakovski was preparing a new liberation campaign. According to his plans, a few squadrons were to enter Bulgaria and urge the local people for an uprising. As the campaign gained momentum, his health deteriorated. Rakovski died of tuberculosis on 9 October that same year – 11 years ahead of Bulgaria’s liberation, the cause of his life.

Written by Veneta Pavlova
English language Daniela Konstantinova


I found this in the site of bulgarien national radio(thanks to ImperiaBG)
Commies says about Rakovski, its a small man in scientice plan. Because Rakovski denied the slavic theory, because of this commies says lies like this.
Rakovski is the first who says we are not slavs, are aryans.
I can`t find material on english about him scientific, i can find on Bulgarien, if someone know... lets write.