148 years since the outbreak of the April Uprising

In the spring of 1876, decisive days for the future of the Bulgarian people occurred. Uprisings have been raging in Bosnia and Herzegovina for more than half a year, Serbia and Montenegro are preparing to declare war on the Ottoman Empire, the leading European countries are closely monitoring the development of the situation. The young generation of actors of the Bulgarian national liberation movement clearly realizes that inaction now would mean that the Bulgarians would miss their historic chance to achieve the desired freedom. The time has come for a national uprising.

At the end of 1875, a group of hard-hearted hush gathered in the Romanian city of Giurgievo to work out the plan of the future uprising. The tactics and organization of the rebellion, the revolutionary districts and their apostles are defined. In the following months, the preparation begins. "What feverishness prevails and what alertness in the eyes! Something is cooking. Young people hold secret meetings. Apostles come and go. They leave traces in hearts and minds.” – this is what Ivan Vazov wrote in his memories of the spring of 1876. The uprising broke out prematurely on April 20, 1876 in Koprivshtitsa and gradually covered the western part of Sredna Gora, the Maritsa river valley and the foothills of the Rhodopes. In Northern Bulgaria, the most massive actions are taking place in the area of ​​the villages of Novo Selo, Batoshevo and Krvenik. The fire of the rebellion also reached the Macedonian regions of Malashevo and Pianets.

Although it did not spread across all Bulgarian lands, the April Uprising had the largest territorial scope of all previous rebellions and united the largest number of Bulgarians in one common goal - a free Bulgaria. In this sense, his evaluation as the apogee of the national revolution is completely fair. 

The memory of the spring of 1876 echoes in our historical memory with a painful resonance. The April epic ends with a huge humanitarian tragedy, the civilian population experiences the fanatical cruelty of the Ottoman troops and Bashibozuk on their backs. With its actions, the High Gate unequivocally shows that it will in no way allow the Bulgarians to reject the authority of the Sultan. Mercilessly suppressed, the April Uprising still played its historical role - Europe learned that not only Bosnians, Serbs and Montenegrins, but also Bulgarians wanted their freedom and were ready to give their lives for it. Faced with the wave of empathy with the fate of the conquered peoples, the governments of the old continent have no choice but to tackle the Bulgarian issue as well - initially by means of diplomacy, and later on the battlefield.

Text: Mihail Simov, PhD