Vasil Levski

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Vasil Levski The all-time greatest Bulgarian
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Vasil Levski (born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev) was a
Bulgarian revolutionary and a national hero of
Bulgaria, dubbed the Apostle of Freedom. He was
born on July 18, 1837 in the town of Karlovo,
Ottoman Empire (now Bulgaria). Levski began his
education at a school in Karlovo, then he became
an Ortodox monk in the Sopot monastery, under
the religious name Ignatius and was promoted to
hierodeacon, which late inspired one of Levskis
informal nicknames, The Deacon.
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Levskis native house in Karlovo
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Levskis native house in Karlovo
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Inspired by Georgi Sava Rakovskis revolutionary
ideas, Levski left for the Serbian capital
Belgrade during the spring of 1862. He abandoned
his service as a monk and enlisted as a volunteer
in the First Bulgarian Legion, a military
detachment formed by Bulgarian volunteers and
revolutionary workers seeking the overthrow of
Ottoman rule. His courage during training and
fighting earned him his nickname Levski
(Leonine).
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In the spring of 1863, Levski returned to
Bulgarian lands and worked as a teacher near
Karlovo. While there, he supported and gave
shelter to persecuted Bulgarians and organized
patriotic companies among the population. As
his activity caused suspicion among the Ottoman
authorities, he was forced to move.
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Vasil Levski participated as the standard-bearer
of Hitovs detachment (Panayot Hitov and Filip
Totyo led two revolutionary bands which had been
inciting the Bulgarian diasporic community in
Romania to invade Bulgaria and organize
anti-Ottoman resistance.) When the band fled to
Serbia, they were allowed to establish in
Belgrade the Second Bulgarian Legion, an
organization similar to its predecessor and its
goals. Levski was a prominent member of the
Legion.

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Rejecting the emigrant detachment strategy for
internal propaganda, Levski undertook his first
tour of the Bulgarian lands to engage all layers
of Bulgarian society for a successful revolution.
He travelled from Turnu Magurele to Istanbul
and then returned to Bulgaria for a second tour.
Levski visited Plovdiv, Perushtitsa, Karlovo,
Sopot, Kazanlak, Sliven, Tarnovo, Lovech,
Pleven, Nikopol and other Bulgarian
towns, establishing links with local patriots.
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Levski established a wide network of secret
committees in Bulgarian cities and villages,
named Internal Revolutionary Organization (IRO).
The goal of the committees was to prepare for a
coordinated uprising. Apocryphal and
semi-legendary anecdotal stories surround the
creation of Levski's IRO. Persecuted by the
Ottoman authorities who offered 500 Turkish
liras for his death and 1000 for his capture,
Levski resorted to disguises to evade arrest
during his travels. For example, he is known to
have dyed his hair and to have worn a variety of
national costume.
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On September 22,1872 Levski's assistant Dimitar
Obshti robbed an Ottoman postal convoy without
approval from Levski. Although the robbery was
successful, Obshti and the other perpetrators
were soon arrested. They made a full confession
and revealed Levskis leading role. Realising
that he was in danger, Levski decided to flee to
Romania. First he had to collect important
documentation from the committee archive in
Lovech, which would constitute important
evidence if seized by the Ottomans. He stayed at
the nearby village inn in Kakrina, where he was
surprised and arrested on the morning of 27
December 1872.
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The Kakrina inn where Levski was captured by the
Ottoman authorities in late December 1872
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Levski was sent to Sofia, where he was brought to
trail. While he acknowledged his identity, he
did not reveal his accomplices or details
related to his organisation, taking full
blame. Ottoman authorities sentenced Levski to
death by hanging. The verdict was carried out on
February 18, 1873 in Sofia
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In cities and villages across Bulgaria, Levski's
contributions to the liberation movement are
commemorated with numerous monuments, and many
streets bear his name. Monuments to Levski also
exist outside Bulgaria. Three museums dedicated
to Levski have been organized. The life of Vasil
Levski has been widely featured in Bulgarian
literature and popular culture. Vasil Levskis
hanging is observed annually across Bulgaria on
February 19. One of the most monuments to Levski
now stands where his verdict had been carried
out. In 2007, he topped a nationwide television
poll as the all-time greatest Bulgarian.
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Levski looked beyond the act of liberation he
envisioned a pure and sacred Bulgarian republic
of ethnic and religious equality. His concepts
have been described as a struggle for human
rights. We will be free in complete liberty
where the Bulgarian lives in Bulgaria, Thrace,
Macedonia people of whatever ethnicity live in
this heaven of ours, they will be equal in
rights to the Bulgarian in everything. We will
have a flag that says, Pure and sacred
republic... It is time, by a single deed, to
achieve what our French brothers have been
seeking...
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Vasil Levski the all-time greatest Bulgarian
was prepared to sacrifice his life for the
revolution and placed Bulgaria and the Bulgarian
people above personal interests If I shall
win, I shall win for the entire people. If I
shall lose, I shall lose only myself.