Indzhe Voyvoda
Encyclopedia
Indzhe Voyvoda (c. 1755, Sliven
– 1821) was a renowned leader (voivod) of an armed band of outlaws (hajduk
s) in Ottoman-held Bulgaria. He mainly operated in the mountainous regions of Strandzha
, Sakar
and the eastern Balkan Mountains
.
During the feudal seditions in the Ottoman Empire Indzhe (his nickname comes from Ottoman Turkish
ince, "slim") became the leader of a large gang of robbers. His band attempted to attack and rob the town of Kotel
, but its inhabitants erected a three-metre high wall and drove them back. He later gave up robbing and began to patronize the poor Bulgarian population, according to one legend leading an insurrection in the early 19th century. In 1806 Indzhe moved to Moldova
, where he enrolled in the local rulers' guard and continued to fight against the Ottomans until dying in battle in 1821 near Sculeni
at the Prut River.
He is still remembered in Bulgarian folklore, and many folk songs honour him. The Bulgarian village of Indzhe Voyvoda in the Strandzha Mountains (more precisely Sozopol
municipality, Burgas Province
) is named in his memory.
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
– 1821) was a renowned leader (voivod) of an armed band of outlaws (hajduk
Hajduk
Hajduk is a term most commonly referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans, Central- and Eastern Europe....
s) in Ottoman-held Bulgaria. He mainly operated in the mountainous regions of Strandzha
Strandzha
Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı in Turkey, while the...
, Sakar
Sakar
Sakar is a mountain in southeastern Bulgaria, between the rivers Maritsa, Tundzha, Sokolitsa and Sazliyka and close to the borders with Greece and Turkey. The mountain's highest peak is Vishegrad at 856 m....
and the eastern Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
.
During the feudal seditions in the Ottoman Empire Indzhe (his nickname comes from Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish language
The Ottoman Turkish language or Ottoman language is the variety of the Turkish language that was used for administrative and literary purposes in the Ottoman Empire. It borrows extensively from Arabic and Persian, and was written in a variant of the Perso-Arabic script...
ince, "slim") became the leader of a large gang of robbers. His band attempted to attack and rob the town of Kotel
Kotel, Bulgaria
Kotel is a town in central Bulgaria, part of Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Kotel Municipality. As of december 2009, the town has a population of 6,232 inhabitants....
, but its inhabitants erected a three-metre high wall and drove them back. He later gave up robbing and began to patronize the poor Bulgarian population, according to one legend leading an insurrection in the early 19th century. In 1806 Indzhe moved to Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, where he enrolled in the local rulers' guard and continued to fight against the Ottomans until dying in battle in 1821 near Sculeni
Sculeni
Sculeni is a commune in Ungheni district, Moldova. It is composed of four villages: Sculeni, Blindeşti, Floreni and Gherman.It is also a border checkpoint to Romania.-Notable people from Sculeni:* Andrei Eşanu, historian* Eliezer Zusia Portugal, rabbi...
at the Prut River.
He is still remembered in Bulgarian folklore, and many folk songs honour him. The Bulgarian village of Indzhe Voyvoda in the Strandzha Mountains (more precisely Sozopol
Sozopol
Sozopol is an ancient seaside town located 35 km south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Today it is one of the major seaside resorts in the country, known for the Apollonia art and film festival that is named after one of the town's ancient names.The busiest times of the year...
municipality, Burgas Province
Burgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
) is named in his memory.