Georgi Stranski
Encyclopedia
Georgi Ivanov Stranski (13 August 1847–17 January 1904) was a Bulgarian
physician and politician. A close friend of Hristo Botev
, Stranski was an active member of various organizations founded by Bulgarian emigrants in Romania
(the United Principalities
). After the Liberation of Bulgaria
in 1878, Stranski was one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of Eastern Rumelia
, and its successor after the Bulgarian unification
in 1885, the all-Bulgarian People's Liberal Party of Stefan Stambolov
. Between the accomplishment of the Bulgarian unification on 6 September 1885 and its international recognition in mid-1886, Stranski was the only ever Commissar of South Bulgaria.
, a Sub-Balkan
town in Rumelia
, or the Europe
an part of the Ottoman Empire
(today in central Bulgaria
). In 1864, he moved to Bucharest
, at the time the capital of the autonomous United Principalities of Wallachia
and Moldavia
. In Bucharest, Stranski finished a medical school and graduated in medicine
from the University of Bucharest
in 1874. He remained in Romania as a professional physician, practicing in Buzău
and Bucharest. In 1876, he published the book Medical Lectures. While residing in Romania, Stranski was a prominent member of the sizable Bulgarian diaspora there
and among the founding members of two of its organizations, the Bulgarian Philanthropic Trusteeship and the Bulgarian Central Charity Society. He was particularly close to his townsman, revolutionary and national poet Hristo Botev
(1848–1876), to whom he was best man.
During the Serbo–Turkish War of 1876, Stranski served in the Romanian medical mission in Serbia
. For the duration of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, which brought about the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, he was an army surgeon in the Romanian Army that fought alongside the Russians.
During the Provisional Russian Government of the Bulgarian lands that preceded the establishment of a Bulgarian government, Stranski was the regional doctor of Pleven
. Stranski's political career began with his election to the Constituent Assembly of 1879 and the 1st Ordinary National Assembly of Bulgaria
of the same year. In 1879 he settled in Plovdiv
, the capital of autonomous Eastern Rumelia
, where he continued his medical career and became one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of Eastern Rumelia. He held various high offices in the autonomous province, including Director of Finance (1880–1881), member of the Permanent Committee (1879–1880, 1882–1883) and its chairman (1883–1884), and chairman of the provincial legislative body, the Regional Assembly (1883). As a member of the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee, Stranski was among the most prominent participants in the organization of the Bulgarian unification of 1885, or the accession of Eastern Rumelia to the Principality of Bulgaria
. Following the successful accomplishment of the unification, Stranski became the chairman of the province's provisional government, titled Commissar of South Bulgaria. He held the office until the international recognition of the unification on 5 April 1886 by the Treaty of Tophane and the first National Assembly elections in South Bulgaria in the summer of that year.
After the Bulgarian victory in the Serbo–Bulgarian War
, Georgi Stranski was appointed Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Belgrade
(1886–1887). In Konstantin Stoilov
's short-lived government of 1887, Stranski was Minister of Internal Affairs, succeeding Vasil Radoslavov
. Under Stefan Stambolov
, Stranski held the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations
(1887–1890), a post he took over from Grigor Nachovich
. He was also elected to parliament in the 5th (1887–1890) and 6th (1890–1893) Ordinary National Assembly. Following Stambolov's resignation, Stranski continued his career as a doctor: in 1897–1899 he directed the Aleksandrovska Hospital
in Sofia
, and in 1899–1900 he was the regional doctor of Ruse. Between 1900 and 1904, Georgi Stranski presided over Bulgaria's Supreme Chamber of Control, the national audit
institution. He died on in Sofia.
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
physician and politician. A close friend of Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev , born Hristo Botyov Petkov , was a Bulgarian poet and national revolutionary. Botev is widely considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and national hero.-Early years:...
, Stranski was an active member of various organizations founded by Bulgarian emigrants in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
(the United Principalities
United Principalities
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, also known as the Romanian Principalities, was the official name of Romania following the 1859 election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince or domnitor of both territories...
). After the Liberation of Bulgaria
Liberation of Bulgaria
In Bulgarian historiography, the term Liberation of Bulgaria is used to denote the events of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 that led to the re-establishment of Bulgarian state with the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878, after the complete conquest of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which...
in 1878, Stranski was one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an administratively autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire and Principality of Bulgaria from 1878 to 1908. It was under full Bulgarian control from 1885 on, when it willingly united with the tributary Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution...
, and its successor after the Bulgarian unification
Bulgarian unification
The Unification of Bulgaria was the act of unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and the then-Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia in the autumn of 1885. It was co-ordinated by the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee...
in 1885, the all-Bulgarian People's Liberal Party of Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Nikolov Stambolov was a Bulgarian politician, who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is considered one of the most important and popular "Founders of Modern Bulgaria", and is sometimes referred to as "the Bulgarian Bismarck".- Early years :Stambolov was born in Veliko Tarnovo...
. Between the accomplishment of the Bulgarian unification on 6 September 1885 and its international recognition in mid-1886, Stranski was the only ever Commissar of South Bulgaria.
Biography
Georgi Stranski was born on in KaloferKalofer
Kalofer is a town in central Bulgaria, located on the banks of the Tundzha between the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Sredna Gora to the south. Kalofer is part of Plovdiv Province and the Karlovo municipality...
, a Sub-Balkan
Sub-Balkan valleys
The Sub-Balkan valleys are located between Stara Planina, Vitosha and Sredna Gora. There is great abundance of mineral waters, the most notable spas being Bankya, Sofia, Banya, Pavel Banya, Sliven Mineral Baths, Aitos. They are divided into two parts: western and eastern...
town in Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
, or the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(today in central 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...
). In 1864, he moved to Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, at the time the capital of the autonomous United Principalities of Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
and Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
. In Bucharest, Stranski finished a medical school and graduated in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
from the University of Bucharest
University of Bucharest
The University of Bucharest , in Romania, is a university founded in 1864 by decree of Prince Alexander John Cuza to convert the former Saint Sava Academy into the current University of Bucharest.-Presentation:...
in 1874. He remained in Romania as a professional physician, practicing in Buzău
Buzau
The city of Buzău is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Wallachia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Carpathian Mountains and the lowlands of Bărăgan Plain.The city's name dates back to 376 AD when the name...
and Bucharest. In 1876, he published the book Medical Lectures. While residing in Romania, Stranski was a prominent member of the sizable Bulgarian diaspora there
Bulgarians in Romania
Bulgarians are a recognized minority in Romania , numbering 8,025 according to the 2002 Romanian census, down from 9,851 in 1992. Despite their low census number today, Bulgarians from different confessional and regional backgrounds have had ethnic communities in various regions of Romania, and...
and among the founding members of two of its organizations, the Bulgarian Philanthropic Trusteeship and the Bulgarian Central Charity Society. He was particularly close to his townsman, revolutionary and national poet Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev , born Hristo Botyov Petkov , was a Bulgarian poet and national revolutionary. Botev is widely considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and national hero.-Early years:...
(1848–1876), to whom he was best man.
During the Serbo–Turkish War of 1876, Stranski served in the Romanian medical mission in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. For the duration of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, which brought about the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, he was an army surgeon in the Romanian Army that fought alongside the Russians.
During the Provisional Russian Government of the Bulgarian lands that preceded the establishment of a Bulgarian government, Stranski was the regional doctor of Pleven
Pleven
Pleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality...
. Stranski's political career began with his election to the Constituent Assembly of 1879 and the 1st Ordinary National Assembly of Bulgaria
National Assembly of Bulgaria
The National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
of the same year. In 1879 he settled in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, the capital of autonomous Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia
Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an administratively autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire and Principality of Bulgaria from 1878 to 1908. It was under full Bulgarian control from 1885 on, when it willingly united with the tributary Principality of Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution...
, where he continued his medical career and became one of the leaders of the Liberal Party of Eastern Rumelia. He held various high offices in the autonomous province, including Director of Finance (1880–1881), member of the Permanent Committee (1879–1880, 1882–1883) and its chairman (1883–1884), and chairman of the provincial legislative body, the Regional Assembly (1883). As a member of the Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee, Stranski was among the most prominent participants in the organization of the Bulgarian unification of 1885, or the accession of Eastern Rumelia to the Principality of Bulgaria
Principality of Bulgaria
The Principality of Bulgaria was a self-governing entity created as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The preliminary treaty of San Stefano between the Russian Empire and the Porte , on March 3, had originally proposed a significantly larger Bulgarian territory: its...
. Following the successful accomplishment of the unification, Stranski became the chairman of the province's provisional government, titled Commissar of South Bulgaria. He held the office until the international recognition of the unification on 5 April 1886 by the Treaty of Tophane and the first National Assembly elections in South Bulgaria in the summer of that year.
After the Bulgarian victory in the Serbo–Bulgarian War
Serbo-Bulgarian War
The Serbo-Bulgarian War was a war between Serbia and Bulgaria that erupted on 14 November 1885 and lasted until 28 November the same year. Final peace was signed on 19 February 1886 in Bucharest...
, Georgi Stranski was appointed Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
(1886–1887). In Konstantin Stoilov
Konstantin Stoilov
Konstantin Stoilov was a leading Bulgarian politician and twice Prime Minister. Simeon Radev described him as the most European-like of all Bulgarian politicians....
's short-lived government of 1887, Stranski was Minister of Internal Affairs, succeeding Vasil Radoslavov
Vasil Radoslavov
Vasil Radoslavov was a leading Bulgarian liberal politician who twice served as Prime Minister. He was Premier of the country throughout most of World War I....
. Under Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Nikolov Stambolov was a Bulgarian politician, who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is considered one of the most important and popular "Founders of Modern Bulgaria", and is sometimes referred to as "the Bulgarian Bismarck".- Early years :Stambolov was born in Veliko Tarnovo...
, Stranski held the office of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Bulgaria)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria is the ministry charged with overseeing the foreign relations of Bulgaria. It has been in existence since shortly after the Liberation of Bulgaria, with the first minister stepping into office on 17 July 1879...
(1887–1890), a post he took over from Grigor Nachovich
Grigor Nachovich
Grigor Dimitrov Nachovich was a Bulgarian politician and diplomat. One of the early leaders of the Conservative Party and the country's first Minister of Finance, he served as a minister in a number of Bulgarian governments from the late 1879 to 1900, and was also mayor of Sofia in...
. He was also elected to parliament in the 5th (1887–1890) and 6th (1890–1893) Ordinary National Assembly. Following Stambolov's resignation, Stranski continued his career as a doctor: in 1897–1899 he directed the Aleksandrovska Hospital
Aleksandrovska University Hospital
The Aleksandrovska University Hospital is a university hospital in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was founded in 1879 and was named after Bulgarian Prince Alexander I Battenberg in October 1884...
in 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...
, and in 1899–1900 he was the regional doctor of Ruse. Between 1900 and 1904, Georgi Stranski presided over Bulgaria's Supreme Chamber of Control, the national audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
institution. He died on in Sofia.