Petrova Niva


Petrova Niva is a historic area in the Strandzha mountains of southeastern Bulgaria where, between 11 and 13 July 1903, a group of Bulgarian Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization delegates announced the outbreak of an anti-Ottoman uprising aimed at liberating southern Thrace from Ottoman rule and proclaimed the Strandzha Republic.
The area lies on the land of the village of Stoilovo in Malko Tarnovo municipality, Burgas Province, within the territory of Strandzha Nature Park. It is among the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria; a monument to the event was built in the 1950s and a church dedicated to Saint Petka was constructed in 2003 for the congress' centennial anniversary, as well as a museum.
The IMARO congress at Petrova Niva was attended by over 300 people, of whom 47 were official delegates. Most of the delegates came from the region of Malko Tarnovo, though the areas of Edirne and Western Thrace were also represented. The congress mostly discussed the very question of whether to organize an uprising, but discussions ceased as the IMARO leadership had already instigated a revolt in the region of Bitola. Despite the lack of enough armaments and the varying preparedness of the local committees, the delegates agreed to aid the insurgents in Macedonia. The rebellions in Macedonia and Thrace are collectively known as the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising.

Delegates

The 47 delegates at the Petrova Niva IMARO congress were:
NameNative placeNotes
Mihail GerdzhikovPlovdivleader of the entire Odrin region east of the Maritsa
Lazar MadzharovNegovan leader of the Lozengrad region
Stamat IkonomovMalko TarnovoBulgarian Army captain, voivode
Georgi KondolovVelikavoivode
Velko DumevVoden leader of the Odrin district committee
Vasil PaskovNevrokop IMARO Central Committee representative for the Edirne region
Georgi VasilevSvilengradEdirne district committee member
Hristo SilyanovIstanbul
Mihail DaevBalchik
Nikola StanchevKazanlakEdirne district committee member
Krastyu BalgariyataVratsaBulgarian Army sergeant, voivode
Dimitar KaterinskiSvilengradSvilengrad district committee leader
Ivan VarnalievVeles
Hristo KaramandzhukovChokmanovoleader of the Smolyan region
Kosta KalkandzhievVarna
Diko DzhelebovMalko Tarnovo
Anastas RazboynikovSvilengradBunarhisar district committee leader
Spas TsvetkovEvla-
Nikola KardzhievLozengrad
Petar AngelovHaskovoBulgarian Army sergeant, voivode
Penyu ShivarovChirpanBulgarian Army sergeant, voivode
Kiro Dimitrov UzunovMalak Samokov
Yordan GeorgievMalko Tarnovo
Georgi KostadnevMalko Tarnovo
M. ArgirovMalko Tarnovo
Nestor IvanovOdrin
Ivan KalchevLozengrad
Dimo YankovMalko Tarnovo
Stoyan PetrovMalko Tarnovo
Lefter MechevMalko Tarnovo
Dimitar HalachevMalko Tarnovo
Tseno KurtevZlatitsaBulgarian Army sergeant, voivode
Petko ZidarovTsiknihor by Malko Tarnovo
Dimitar TashevKolibite by Bunarhisar
Georgi KaloyanovMalko Tarnovo
Stoyan KamilskiKamilite by Malko Tarnovo
Dimitar HristakevRaykovo surgeon's assistant at Burgas, doctor during the uprising
Georgi TenevSvilengradlocal leader at Lyubimets
Hristo Arnaudov AfuzaSvilengradlocal leader at Chepelare
Lazo LazovLozengrad
Yani PopovKarahadar by Lozengrad
Yanko StoyanovMalko Tarnovo
Georgi Todorov DoktoraKratovolocal leader at Velika
Yani VoynovSvilengrad

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