A MONUMENT to Kapitan Petko Voivoda (Captain Petko the Commander) will be put up on Garibaldians Hill in Rome, Foreign Minister Solomon Passi announced on August 20 after choosing the model of the future statue.
The monument will be erected in October, just a week before Bulgaria celebrates the 160th anniversary of the birth of Petko Voivoda - a prominent figure in Bulgarian history from the times of the struggle for national liberation from Ottoman rule. The reason for installing the statue on this place in Rome, is that Petko was a friend of Giuseppe Garibaldi and together they fought battles for the liberation of the island of Crete from the Ottomans.
Born on December 18, 1844, in the village of Dogan Hissar, in today's Turkey, Petko Kiryakov formed a rebel squad after several of his relatives were slaughtered by the local Turkish bey. In the course of almost two decades he fought against the Ottoman outrages in the Rhodopes and the Aegean Thrace.
Most of the life of Petko Kiryakov was not unveiled by historians but by the prominent Bulgarian writer Nikolai Haitov, who wrote a novel and a script turned into a TV series, which become a favourite of most Bulgarians. Haitov spent many years in the region of the Rhodopes to search for information on the liberation hero.
Petko was popular among ethnic Bulgarians, Turks and Greeks because he defended the rights of all poor among them. This Bulgarian Robin Hood did not limit himself to territories inhabited by Bulgarians; he was eager to fight for any people in Europe suffering injustice. In a way, he was the first Bulgarian to turn the ideal of united Europe into practice. Part of his efforts was the amazing friendship that he had with Garibaldi.
In 1864, Petko was in touch with Greek revolutionaries. He spent a year in the Athens Military School, learning the secrets of military art and tactics. Greece had been an independent state since 1829 but vast regions of the country and many islands, including Crete were still under Ottoman rule.
While in Greece, Kiryakov learned that Garibaldi, the leader of the Italian revolution, had been heavily wounded. At this time Italy was occupied by the Austrian Empire. And the two met in person in 1866 at the estate of the famous Italian. The 60-year-old Garibaldi became like a teacher to the 22-year-old Petko.
"He, the Italian hero, gave me directions that I recalled my entire life and followed in my struggle against the Ottoman oppressors," Kiryakov once said of this important friendship. Garibaldi helped the young Bulgarian to form a squad of 220 volunteers, mainly Italians, which was later joined by other Bulgarian and Greek revolutionaries and went to Crete to lead many battles against the Ottomans.
The uprising in Crete ended tragically, despite being supported by the Greek government with weapons, money and volunteers. The Great Powers decided in favour of the Ottomans and asked them for no more than reforms. The island again became part of Greece in 1913 after the Second Balkan War.
After spending some time in Alexandria (Egypt) and Marseille (France) Petko returned to Bulgaria and continued his struggle until after the liberation. He spent the last years of his life in the city of Varna. Contrary to what anyone could expect, these last years were far from calm.
Several times he was arrested and imprisoned by the regime of Stefan Stambolov. Despite being politically inactive, Petko was accused of being a Russophile and was even framed for organising a plot against the prime minister. Police raided his home in Varna and stole important documents and belongings of Kiryakov, among them probably a ring, which was a gift from Garibaldi.
After meeting Petko Voivoda, Garibaldi was very interested in the fate of Bulgaria. As a shrewd and experienced man, Garibaldi accurately appraised the extraordinary talent of the young Bulgarian. As a token of his friendship, the Italian leader presented Petko with a golden ring and gave him the rank of captain.
This rank was also given to him by the Russian Emperor Alexander II, who also presented the Bulgarian hero with the St.George's Cross and an estate near Kiev for services to Russia.
Captain Petko Voivoda died in 1892 in Varna and was almost forgotten. He deservedly returned on a white horse in the 1980s with Haitov's revelations.
The monument will be erected in October, just a week before Bulgaria celebrates the 160th anniversary of the birth of Petko Voivoda - a prominent figure in Bulgarian history from the times of the struggle for national liberation from Ottoman rule. The reason for installing the statue on this place in Rome, is that Petko was a friend of Giuseppe Garibaldi and together they fought battles for the liberation of the island of Crete from the Ottomans.
Born on December 18, 1844, in the village of Dogan Hissar, in today's Turkey, Petko Kiryakov formed a rebel squad after several of his relatives were slaughtered by the local Turkish bey. In the course of almost two decades he fought against the Ottoman outrages in the Rhodopes and the Aegean Thrace.
Most of the life of Petko Kiryakov was not unveiled by historians but by the prominent Bulgarian writer Nikolai Haitov, who wrote a novel and a script turned into a TV series, which become a favourite of most Bulgarians. Haitov spent many years in the region of the Rhodopes to search for information on the liberation hero.
Petko was popular among ethnic Bulgarians, Turks and Greeks because he defended the rights of all poor among them. This Bulgarian Robin Hood did not limit himself to territories inhabited by Bulgarians; he was eager to fight for any people in Europe suffering injustice. In a way, he was the first Bulgarian to turn the ideal of united Europe into practice. Part of his efforts was the amazing friendship that he had with Garibaldi.
In 1864, Petko was in touch with Greek revolutionaries. He spent a year in the Athens Military School, learning the secrets of military art and tactics. Greece had been an independent state since 1829 but vast regions of the country and many islands, including Crete were still under Ottoman rule.
While in Greece, Kiryakov learned that Garibaldi, the leader of the Italian revolution, had been heavily wounded. At this time Italy was occupied by the Austrian Empire. And the two met in person in 1866 at the estate of the famous Italian. The 60-year-old Garibaldi became like a teacher to the 22-year-old Petko.
"He, the Italian hero, gave me directions that I recalled my entire life and followed in my struggle against the Ottoman oppressors," Kiryakov once said of this important friendship. Garibaldi helped the young Bulgarian to form a squad of 220 volunteers, mainly Italians, which was later joined by other Bulgarian and Greek revolutionaries and went to Crete to lead many battles against the Ottomans.
The uprising in Crete ended tragically, despite being supported by the Greek government with weapons, money and volunteers. The Great Powers decided in favour of the Ottomans and asked them for no more than reforms. The island again became part of Greece in 1913 after the Second Balkan War.
After spending some time in Alexandria (Egypt) and Marseille (France) Petko returned to Bulgaria and continued his struggle until after the liberation. He spent the last years of his life in the city of Varna. Contrary to what anyone could expect, these last years were far from calm.
Several times he was arrested and imprisoned by the regime of Stefan Stambolov. Despite being politically inactive, Petko was accused of being a Russophile and was even framed for organising a plot against the prime minister. Police raided his home in Varna and stole important documents and belongings of Kiryakov, among them probably a ring, which was a gift from Garibaldi.
After meeting Petko Voivoda, Garibaldi was very interested in the fate of Bulgaria. As a shrewd and experienced man, Garibaldi accurately appraised the extraordinary talent of the young Bulgarian. As a token of his friendship, the Italian leader presented Petko with a golden ring and gave him the rank of captain.
This rank was also given to him by the Russian Emperor Alexander II, who also presented the Bulgarian hero with the St.George's Cross and an estate near Kiev for services to Russia.
Captain Petko Voivoda died in 1892 in Varna and was almost forgotten. He deservedly returned on a white horse in the 1980s with Haitov's revelations.
