Kosta Tsipushev
Encyclopedia
Konstantin Dimitrov Tsipushev, also known as Kotse Tsipushev - (Radoviš
, Ottoman Empire, today Republic of Macedonia
- 1877, Sofia
, Bulgaria
- 1968) was a Bulgaria
n 19th-20th century revolutionary. He was among the members of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees. Kosta graduated from the Bulgarian school in Radovish in 1895 and then the Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki
. In 1899 he began to study in the Sofia University
. Later he married the sister of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) leader Todor Alexandrov and graduated in chemistry in Geneve. Afterwards Tsipushev returned to Radovish and worked there as a teacher, continuing his participation in the activity of IMARO. He was arrested several times by the Ottoman authorities and imprisoned for two years. At that time he worked subsequently as with Gotse Delchev
, Dame Gruev
, Boris Sarafov
and Todor Alexandrov.
During the Balkan Wars his cheta aided the Bulgarian Army. After the wars he continued to work in the Bulgarian administration in Strumitsa, but also as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) leader in the area. During the First World War he supported the Bulgarian army again and was prominett with his anti - Serbomans
activity. At the end of the war Tsipushev was captured by the English troops in the area and delivered to the Serbian authorities as war criminal. Tsipushev was sentenced to death, which sentence was substituted with 20 years prison and as a consequence he spent the next 19 years from his life in different Yugoslav
prisons. After his liberation in 1938 he went back to Bulgaria. During Bulgarian annexation of Vardar Banovina
between 1941 - 1944 he returned to Macedonia again. However after 1944 Communist Bulgaria and Communist Yugoslavia began a policy of making Macedonia connecting link for the establishment of new Balkan Federative Republic and stimulating here a development of distinct Slav Macedonian consciousness.
Tsipushev was expelled from Yugoslavia to Bulgaria, but as a concession to the Yugoslavian side, Bulgarian communist authorities agreed also with the recognition of a distinct Macedonian ethnicity as part of the population in the Bulgarian Macedonia. They made an attempt to gain Tsipushev on their side as collaborationist, but he refused. Because he openly opposed the official policy of macedonization, he was repressed and exiled to the interior of Bulgaria. His memoirs called 19 years in Serbian prisons issued in 1943 were banned and obliterated from the communists. At the end of the 1950s the Bulgarian Communist Party, however repealed its previous decision and adopted a position denying the existence of a “Macedonian” nation.
Afterwards Tsipushev was partially rehabilitated. He died in Sofia in 1968. With the fall of Communism his book was issued in Republic of Macedonia in 2003 and reissued in Bulgaria in 2006.
Radoviš
Radoviš is a city positioned in the southeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is the second largest city in the southeastern region. The city is the seat of Radoviš Municipality, which is spread on the bottom of Plačkovica Mountain and the northern part of the Radoviš-Strumica valley. The...
, Ottoman Empire, today Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
- 1877, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
- 1968) was a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n 19th-20th century revolutionary. He was among the members of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees. Kosta graduated from the Bulgarian school in Radovish in 1895 and then the Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki
Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki
The Sts. Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki was the first Bulgarian high school in Macedonia. One of the most influential Bulgarian educational centres in Macedonia and Southern Thrace, it was founded in autumn 1880 in Ottoman Thessaloniki and existed until...
. In 1899 he began to study in the Sofia University
Sofia University
The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
. Later he married the sister of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) leader Todor Alexandrov and graduated in chemistry in Geneve. Afterwards Tsipushev returned to Radovish and worked there as a teacher, continuing his participation in the activity of IMARO. He was arrested several times by the Ottoman authorities and imprisoned for two years. At that time he worked subsequently as with Gotse Delchev
Gotse Delchev
Georgi Nikolov Delchev was an important revolutionary figure in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia and Thrace at the turn of the 20th century...
, Dame Gruev
Dame Gruev
Damyan Yovanov Gruev or Damjan Jovanov Gruev, often known by his short name Dame Gruev, was an insurgent leader in Ottoman Macedonia and Thrace...
, Boris Sarafov
Boris Sarafov
Boris Petrov Sarafov was a revolutionary from the region of Macedonia, one of the leaders of Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee and Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization...
and Todor Alexandrov.
During the Balkan Wars his cheta aided the Bulgarian Army. After the wars he continued to work in the Bulgarian administration in Strumitsa, but also as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) leader in the area. During the First World War he supported the Bulgarian army again and was prominett with his anti - Serbomans
Serbomans
Serbomans is a Bulgarian-Macedonian term for local people that live in the region of Macedonia and claim to belong to Serbian ethnicity, that support the Serbian national ideals or officially declare themselves as Serbs. It is used pejoratively by Bulgarians to refer to Macedonians who refuse the...
activity. At the end of the war Tsipushev was captured by the English troops in the area and delivered to the Serbian authorities as war criminal. Tsipushev was sentenced to death, which sentence was substituted with 20 years prison and as a consequence he spent the next 19 years from his life in different Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
prisons. After his liberation in 1938 he went back to Bulgaria. During Bulgarian annexation of Vardar Banovina
Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina or Vardar Banate or Vardarska Banovina was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. It was located in the southernmost part of the country, encompassing the whole of today's Republic of Macedonia, southern parts of Central Serbia and southeastern parts of...
between 1941 - 1944 he returned to Macedonia again. However after 1944 Communist Bulgaria and Communist Yugoslavia began a policy of making Macedonia connecting link for the establishment of new Balkan Federative Republic and stimulating here a development of distinct Slav Macedonian consciousness.
Tsipushev was expelled from Yugoslavia to Bulgaria, but as a concession to the Yugoslavian side, Bulgarian communist authorities agreed also with the recognition of a distinct Macedonian ethnicity as part of the population in the Bulgarian Macedonia. They made an attempt to gain Tsipushev on their side as collaborationist, but he refused. Because he openly opposed the official policy of macedonization, he was repressed and exiled to the interior of Bulgaria. His memoirs called 19 years in Serbian prisons issued in 1943 were banned and obliterated from the communists. At the end of the 1950s the Bulgarian Communist Party, however repealed its previous decision and adopted a position denying the existence of a “Macedonian” nation.
Afterwards Tsipushev was partially rehabilitated. He died in Sofia in 1968. With the fall of Communism his book was issued in Republic of Macedonia in 2003 and reissued in Bulgaria in 2006.