Rayko Daskalov
Encyclopedia
Rayko Ivanov Daskalov ( — 26 August 1923) was a Bulgaria
n interwar politician of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union
(BAPU). One of the chief leaders of the republican
Vladaya Uprising organised by deserted Bulgarian Army troops in 1918 against the government, from 1919 to 1923 Daskalov was a prominent member of the BAPU governments which were in power in Bulgaria in the early post-World War I
period.
A staunch opponent of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO), Daskalov survived an assassination attempt orchestrated by the organisation before he was assassinated in another IMRO attempt while residing in Prague
, Czechoslovakia
.
(today a small town), located near Veliko Tarnovo
in the central north of the Principality of Bulgaria
. He finished the High School of Commerce in Svishtov
and in 1907 left for Berlin
, the capital of the German Empire
. There, he successfully defended a doctorate in finance or economics at the Humboldt University in 1911.
Influenced by early agrarian leader and his fellow-villager Tsanko Tserkovski, Daskalov had become a BAPU supporter as a youth. He joined the party in 1911 and by 1914 he had established himself as one of its more active figures. Daskalov fought as a volunteer in the ranks of the Bulgarian Army during the Balkan Wars
of 1912–1913, and his brother Petko died on the front. In 1915, Daskalov and other BAPU members were sentenced to jail for their alleged involvement in the Declusiere Affair, a British
–French
attempt to force Bulgaria into the Entente
of World War I
. In prison, Daskalov met Georgi Dimitrov
and befriended agrarian leader and future Prime Minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski
.
After Entente forces had breached Bulgaria's defensive line at Dobro Pole
on 18 September 1918, the retreating and deserting Bulgarian troops organised an uprising (known as the Vladaya Uprising) against the current government and Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria. The rebelling soldiers reached Kyustendil
and Radomir and threatened the capital Sofia
. In an attempt to stop the uprising, Daskalov and Stamboliyski were promptly released from captivity and envoyed to the insurgents. It was hoped that due to their popularity, the agrarian leaders would be able to persuade the insurgents into obedience.
Instead of attempting to peacefully end the uprising, Daskalov, soon supported by Stamboliyski, put himself in charge of the rebelling troops. On 27 September, he proclaimed that the monarchist government of Bulgaria was to be overthrown and established the so-called Radomir Republic, with Stamboliyski as its president and himself as commander-in-chief. However, the government managed to rally loyalist troops and quickly crushed the uprising. The end of the rebellion was signalled by the capture of Radomir on 2 October, only five days after Daskalov's proclamation. Severely wounded in the arm in the skirmishes, Daskalov managed to escape to Thessaloniki
, Greece
by surrendering to the advancing Entente forces. As Bulgaria's involvement in the war ended soon thereafter in an armistice, he was pardoned and allowed to return to the country.
and the introduction of the controversial mandatory labour service. He also suggested the establishment of BAPU's paramilitary
force, the Orange Guard, which he personally commanded. Daskalov was successively in charge of several ministries during BAPU's time in power: the Ministry of Agriculture and State Properties
(1919–1920), the Ministry of Finance
(interim
, 1920), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (1920–1922) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Health (1922–1923). He was also elected to parliament for three consecutive National Assembly
terms, from 1919 to 1923.
Politically, Daskalov belonged to the radical leftist wing of BAPU. He was a major opponent of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO), an autonomist organisation in the region of Macedonia
which took a stand against the terms of the Treaty of Neuilly
that imposed Yugoslav
and Greek rule over most of the region. In 1922–1923, Daskalov was at the helm of major repressions against IMRO's activity in Pirin Macedonia, the northeastern part of the region allotted by the treaty to Bulgaria. On 15 December 1922, he was targeted by an IMRO-organised assassination attempt in Sofia. IMRO member (komitadji
) Asen Daskalov threw a bomb at Rayko Daskalov's car in front of the National Assembly building in Sofia, though the politician was not injured.
In February 1923, Daskalov was released from his duties as government minister and in May he was sent to Prague
, the capital of Czechoslovakia
, as Bulgarian minister plenipotentiary to that country. On 9 June, with Daskalov in Prague, a military-supported coup d'état
overthrew Stamboliyski and put in charge a Democratic Alliance
government under right-wing politician Aleksandar Tsankov
. Daskalov attempted to gather international support for the overthrown government and even founded a BAPU government in exile
, though his efforts were of little practical effect.
On 26 August 1923, Daskalov was fatally shot on Holeček Street in the Smíchov
district of Prague by another IMRO associate, Yordan Tsitsonkov, under orders from IMRO leader Todor Aleksandrov
. The assassin was arrested and shortly thereafter released, after the jury found him not guilty. Tsitsonkov's attorney was the known Czech nationalist Jan Renner. Tsitsonkov was retried in October 1924 and sentenced to 20 years in jail under Yugoslav pressure. Tsitsonkov was initially imprisoned in the Tábor
prison but was moved to the prison in Kartouzy after a rumour spread that he was planning to escape. He committed suicide there by hanging in January 1926.
Daskalov was initially interred in Prague's Olšany Cemetery
; his burial ceremony was booed by anti-agrarian Bulgarian students in the city. In 1946, his remains were transferred back to Bulgaria and he was reburied in the Borisova Gradina
in Sofia. A bilingual Czech–Bulgarian commemorative plaque
in Smíchov, Prague, marks the site of Daskalov's assassination; the plaque describes Daskalov as a "great Slav
and a fighter for freedom, democracy and republicanism".
A two-storey house in the town centre of Byala Cherkva, built in 1922 in the yard of the politician's native house, was converted into a museum dedicated to Rayko Daskalov in 1984. The four rooms of the Rayko Daskalov Museum House exhibit documents and items related to the life of the politician. There is also a bust
of Daskalov in his native place, sculpted by Veliko Tarnovo
artist Orfey Mindov.
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 interwar politician of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union
Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union also tiranslated to English as Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union is a political party devoted to representing the causes of the Bulgarian peasantry. It was most powerful between 1900 and 1923. In practice, it was an agrarian movement...
(BAPU). One of the chief leaders of the republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
Vladaya Uprising organised by deserted Bulgarian Army troops in 1918 against the government, from 1919 to 1923 Daskalov was a prominent member of the BAPU governments which were in power in Bulgaria in the early post-World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
period.
A staunch opponent of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO), Daskalov survived an assassination attempt orchestrated by the organisation before he was assassinated in another IMRO attempt while residing in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
Early years and Vladaya Uprising
Rayko Daskalov was born in the village of Byala CherkvaByala Cherkva
Byala Cherkva is a town in Pavlikeni Municipality part of Veliko Turnovo Province, Central-North Bulgaria. The settlement is located close to the town of Pavlikeni about 28 km away from the city of Veliko Tarnovo...
(today a small town), located near Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
in the central north of 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...
. He finished the High School of Commerce in Svishtov
Svishtov
Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality...
and in 1907 left for Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the capital of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. There, he successfully defended a doctorate in finance or economics at the Humboldt University in 1911.
Influenced by early agrarian leader and his fellow-villager Tsanko Tserkovski, Daskalov had become a BAPU supporter as a youth. He joined the party in 1911 and by 1914 he had established himself as one of its more active figures. Daskalov fought as a volunteer in the ranks of the Bulgarian Army during the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
of 1912–1913, and his brother Petko died on the front. In 1915, Daskalov and other BAPU members were sentenced to jail for their alleged involvement in the Declusiere Affair, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
–French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
attempt to force Bulgaria into the Entente
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In prison, Daskalov met Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
and befriended agrarian leader and future Prime Minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski was the prime minister of Bulgaria from 1919 until 1923. Stamboliyski was a member of the Agrarian Union, an agrarian peasant movement which was not allied to the monarchy, and edited their newspaper...
.
After Entente forces had breached Bulgaria's defensive line at Dobro Pole
Battle of Dobro Pole
The Battle of Dobro Pole was a World War I battle, fought on 15 September 1918. The battle resulted in a decisive Entente victory, with a defeated Bulgaria left to sign an armistice, which removed it from World War I....
on 18 September 1918, the retreating and deserting Bulgarian troops organised an uprising (known as the Vladaya Uprising) against the current government and Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria. The rebelling soldiers reached Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
and Radomir and threatened the capital 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...
. In an attempt to stop the uprising, Daskalov and Stamboliyski were promptly released from captivity and envoyed to the insurgents. It was hoped that due to their popularity, the agrarian leaders would be able to persuade the insurgents into obedience.
Instead of attempting to peacefully end the uprising, Daskalov, soon supported by Stamboliyski, put himself in charge of the rebelling troops. On 27 September, he proclaimed that the monarchist government of Bulgaria was to be overthrown and established the so-called Radomir Republic, with Stamboliyski as its president and himself as commander-in-chief. However, the government managed to rally loyalist troops and quickly crushed the uprising. The end of the rebellion was signalled by the capture of Radomir on 2 October, only five days after Daskalov's proclamation. Severely wounded in the arm in the skirmishes, Daskalov managed to escape to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
by surrendering to the advancing Entente forces. As Bulgaria's involvement in the war ended soon thereafter in an armistice, he was pardoned and allowed to return to the country.
In office and assassination
After BAPU won the 1919 elections, Rayko Daskalov was a permanent presence in the party's governments from October 1919 to February 1923, with Stamboliyski as Prime Minister. As a prominent member of the BAPU cabinet, Daskalov was behind several of the government's major reforms, including the large-scale land reformLand reform
[Image:Jakarta farmers protest23.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Farmers protesting for Land Reform in Indonesia]Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution,...
and the introduction of the controversial mandatory labour service. He also suggested the establishment of BAPU's paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
force, the Orange Guard, which he personally commanded. Daskalov was successively in charge of several ministries during BAPU's time in power: the Ministry of Agriculture and State Properties
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Bulgaria)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Bulgaria is the ministry charged with regulating agriculture and forestry in the country. It was founded as the Ministry of Agriculture and State Property on 24 July 1911, when it was separated from the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture.The Minister...
(1919–1920), the Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance (Bulgaria)
The Ministry of Finance of Bulgaria is established in 1879 in accordance with the Tarnovo Constitution. The Ministry is responsible for formulating and implementing the budget and the fiscal and financial policy of Bulgaria....
(interim
Interim
Interim is an album by British rock band The Fall, compiled from live and studio material and released in 2004. It features the first officially released versions of "Clasp Hands", "Blindness" and "What About Us?" — all of which were later included on the band's next studio album Fall Heads Roll —...
, 1920), the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (1920–1922) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and National Health (1922–1923). He was also elected to parliament for three consecutive National Assembly
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:...
terms, from 1919 to 1923.
Politically, Daskalov belonged to the radical leftist wing of BAPU. He was a major opponent of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO), an autonomist organisation in the region of Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
which took a stand against the terms of the Treaty of Neuilly
Treaty of Neuilly
The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine, dealing with Bulgaria for its role as one of the Central Powers in World War I, was signed on 27 November 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France....
that imposed Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Greek rule over most of the region. In 1922–1923, Daskalov was at the helm of major repressions against IMRO's activity in Pirin Macedonia, the northeastern part of the region allotted by the treaty to Bulgaria. On 15 December 1922, he was targeted by an IMRO-organised assassination attempt in Sofia. IMRO member (komitadji
Komitadji
The term Komiti meaning "a rebel, member of a secret revolutionary society", refers to members of rebel bands operating in the Balkans during the final period of the Ottoman Empire, fighting against Turkish authorities in Macedonia...
) Asen Daskalov threw a bomb at Rayko Daskalov's car in front of the National Assembly building in Sofia, though the politician was not injured.
In February 1923, Daskalov was released from his duties as government minister and in May he was sent to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the capital of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, as Bulgarian minister plenipotentiary to that country. On 9 June, with Daskalov in Prague, a military-supported coup d'état
Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923
The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923, also known as the 9 June coup d'état , was a coup d'état in Bulgaria implemented by armed forces under General Ivan Valkov's Military Union on the eve of 9 June 1923...
overthrew Stamboliyski and put in charge a Democratic Alliance
Democratic Alliance (Bulgaria)
The Democratic Alliance was a Bulgarian party that existed between 1923 and 1934 when all parties were banned. During most of that period it was the ruling party in the country making it the third longest-ruling party in the country after the Bulgarian Communist Party and the People's Liberal...
government under right-wing politician Aleksandar Tsankov
Aleksandar Tsankov
Aleksander Tsolov Tsankov was a leading Bulgarian right wing politician between the two World Wars.-Biography:...
. Daskalov attempted to gather international support for the overthrown government and even founded a BAPU government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
, though his efforts were of little practical effect.
On 26 August 1923, Daskalov was fatally shot on Holeček Street in the Smíchov
Smíchov
Smíchov is a district of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and is part of Prague 5. It is located on the west bank of the Vltava river....
district of Prague by another IMRO associate, Yordan Tsitsonkov, under orders from IMRO leader Todor Aleksandrov
Todor Aleksandrov
Todor Aleksandrov Poporushov also transliterated as Todor Alexandrov also spelt Alexandroff, was a Bulgarian freedom fighter and member of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees since 1897 and later of the Central Committee of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary...
. The assassin was arrested and shortly thereafter released, after the jury found him not guilty. Tsitsonkov's attorney was the known Czech nationalist Jan Renner. Tsitsonkov was retried in October 1924 and sentenced to 20 years in jail under Yugoslav pressure. Tsitsonkov was initially imprisoned in the Tábor
Tábor
Tábor is a city of the Czech Republic, in the South Bohemian Region. It is named after Mount Tabor, which is believed by many to be the place of the Transfiguration of Christ; however, the name became popular and nowadays translates to "camp" or "encampment" in the Czech language.The town was...
prison but was moved to the prison in Kartouzy after a rumour spread that he was planning to escape. He committed suicide there by hanging in January 1926.
Personal life and commemoration
On 9 February 1919, Rayko Daskalov married Nevena, an agrarian sympathiser from an affluent Sofia family. Aleksandar Stamboliyski was his best man at the wedding. The couple had two children, Stefan and Svetla. The daughter, Svetla Daskalova, would follow in her father's footsteps as a BAPU politician and would become a long-time Minister of Justice (1966–1990) during the communist rule of Bulgaria.Daskalov was initially interred in Prague's Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemetery is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once having as many as two million burials. The cemetery is particularly noted for its many remarkable art nouveau monuments.- History :...
; his burial ceremony was booed by anti-agrarian Bulgarian students in the city. In 1946, his remains were transferred back to Bulgaria and he was reburied in the Borisova Gradina
Borisova gradina
Borisova gradina or Knyaz-Borisova gradina is the oldest and best known park in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Its construction and arrangement began in 1884 and it is named after Bulgarian Tsar Boris III....
in Sofia. A bilingual Czech–Bulgarian commemorative plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
in Smíchov, Prague, marks the site of Daskalov's assassination; the plaque describes Daskalov as a "great Slav
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
and a fighter for freedom, democracy and republicanism".
A two-storey house in the town centre of Byala Cherkva, built in 1922 in the yard of the politician's native house, was converted into a museum dedicated to Rayko Daskalov in 1984. The four rooms of the Rayko Daskalov Museum House exhibit documents and items related to the life of the politician. There is also a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Daskalov in his native place, sculpted by Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
artist Orfey Mindov.