20 Facts About Apostol Petkov

Apostol Petkov Terziev was a Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary and one of the leaders of the national liberation movement in Ottoman Macedonia.

Apostol Petkov was a leading Komitadji in the armed units of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees and later participated in the Bulgarian People's Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization.

Apostol Petkov took part in the battles against the Ottoman authorities in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising and Macedonian Struggle.

Apostol Petkov was born Apostol Terziev, a member of the old Terviev family, in the town of Boymitsa.

Apostol Petkov was illiterate but found a job working as a cantonment officer on the Thessaloniki-Skopje railway line, where he remained until 1892 when he decided to become a rebel.

Apostol Petkov had two brothers and a cousin who would join the rebels, which led to their deaths.

Apostol Petkov was the first cousin of Gonos Yiotas, a Slavophone Greek, who after initially siding with IMRO, defected to the Greek side.

Apostol Petkov then divided his force into smaller groups to attack an Ottoman contingent of 110 soldiers resulting in one death on each side.

The uprising was ultimately put down and Apostol Petkov fled to Bulgaria.

Apostol Petkov returned to Ottoman Macedonia in 1904 to resume the struggle.

Apostol Petkov was contacted by the Greek Consul of Thessaloniki, Lambros Koromilas to ask him to join the Greek struggle in the region but an agreement was not reached.

Voivoda Apostol Petkov took it upon himself to raise the morale of those aligned with the Bulgarian Exarchate, which had fallen after the Ilinden Uprising.

Apostol Petkov had erected a gallows in Giannitsa as a fear tactic towards the Greeks and others who supported the Greek struggle.

Apostol Petkov's revenge took the form of the killing of a distinguished Greek and his family of the village of Gradelfos.

Voivoda Apostol Petkov was wounded in the heel but escaped with 5 others.

Apostol Petkov was able to quickly organize a band and in the same year, had great successes against the Ottoman army and the Greek Makedonomachoi.

Apostol Petkov was pardoned following the Young Turk Revolution, However, he was disappointed in the new policy that was put in place and went to Bulgaria in 1910.

In that same year, Apostol Petkov became one of the organizers of the Bulgarian People's Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization and re-enter to Ottoman Macedonia with a new armed band.

On 2 August 1911, Apostol Petkov was killed, under unclear circumstances.

Apostol Petkov died together with Ioryi Mucitano and Vasil Pufkata.