Macedonian collections in serbian libraries

Scattered heritage

MACEDONIAN COLLECTIONS IN SERBIAN LIBRARIES

The biggest damage inflicted upon Macedonian handwritten heritage was done in the 19th and 20th centuries, after the founding of some neighbouring countries, i.e. after the increase of foreign church propaganda and influence. The theft was first carried out by priests from the neighbouring churches (literary heritage was mostly kept in the holy buildings), and afterwards by anyone who could do so – from soldiers to passers-by.

The old manuscripts and books that were collected by travellers such as Stefan Verković, Viktor Grigorovič, Antun Mihanović and others, are most often kept in libraries and museums throughout Europe. However, those in Bulgaria, and even in Serbia, especially in the Serbian and some Montenegrin monasteries, are not yet fully available to Macedonian researchers. Most often they are concealed or, when they are being exhibited, their origin isn’t mentioned, so that our researchers have to obtain information indirectly (from descriptions in articles or from catalogues). Such difficulties notwithstanding, Macedonian scholars of handwritten and literary heritage have catalogued and briefly described around seven hundred manuscripts that reside in European libraries and museums. Even this list isn’t complete, though, since some of the older manuscripts in the collections are described as Serbian, Bulgarian or Russian, even though they originate from Macedonia.

Many valuable Macedonian literary artefacts are to be found in Serbian institutions. In Belgrade's "Svetozar Marković" University Library, among other things, there are two important Macedonian manuscript collections. One of them is from the Lesnovo monastery, and it consists of 31 manuscripts and 10 manuscript fragments. The manuscripts were taken from the Macedonian monastery by the Serbian authorities during the Balkan Wars in 1913, and then taken to the Serbian Seminary at the Belgrade's University. After World War II they were taken to the "Svetozar Marković" University Library in Belgrade (instead of the University Library in Skopje). After a while the collection was not catalogued as a Lesnovo collection, but was renamed (so that its origin is obscured) as The Collection of Ćorović (after the manuscripts catalogue editor!). The second collection consists of 28 priceless Macedonian manuscripts that Josip Cvijović, the once Bitola bishop who later became the Skopje Metropolitan, collected. Those manuscripts mainly originate from the Bitola region. Cvijović took them to Belgrade in the 1930s.

The Serbian Royal Academy, which later grew into the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA), even in the 19th century, collected literary artefacts from Macedonia. In the SASA library today there are many Macedonian manuscripts, the most important of which are: Oliver's menaion (written in 1342 in the Lesnovo monastery; 232 sheets), the Lesnovo prologue (written in the same monastery in 1330; 321 sheets), Speeches (written in the Markov monastery in the 14th century; 318 sheets), a Tetragospel from the Lesnovo monastery dating from early 14th century (258 parchment sheets), a Macedonian Collection from the 18th century, a Requiem of the St. Blagoveštenie monastery in Skopska Crna Gora, a Pčinja "krmčija" (14th century, written in the St. Prohor Pčinjski monastery), a Tetragospel from the 14th century, on 321 parchment sheets (written in the same monastery), and a Collection dating from the 17th century, which contains articles on the Macedonian educators Prohor Pčinjski, Gavril Lesnovski and Ilarion Meglenski.

Before World War II, when the Serbian Orthodox Church was present in Macedonia, via its priests and via all sorts of contests, it managed to collect many old manuscripts and books. One of the most determined collectors at the time was Radoslav Gruić, who collected for the State Museum in Skopje, and from there he took away the manuscripts and books in 1936-37 for delivery to Belgrade. After his death (following the war), his collection was transported to the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade. Today, among other manuscripts, in the Gruić collection in the Church Museum there are six extraordinarily significant Macedonian manuscripts: a tetragospel from the 13th century and one from the 14th century, the Apocryphal Collection of Adži Baba the Teacher (17-18th cent.), a Collection dating from the 18th century, a "Čin na eliosveštenie" (13th century) written on 72 parchment sheets, and a Kičevo octoechos (13th century). In the Serbian Orthodox Church's collection there is also: a Pentecostarion (spring triodion) dating from 1520, Hagiographies and teachings from 1350, and a Kučevište menaion from 1622-23. A part of the manuscripts obtained by the Serbian Orthodox Church can also be found today in the Serbian Patriarchy Library, and the most important of those are: a Psalter from the 16th century, a Requiem of the St. Jovan Bigorski monastery from 1869, a Missal dating from the 16th century, a "Mitarstvo" from the 18th century and a tetragospel from the 15th century.

There's a library rich in old Macedonian manuscripts and books in the Dečani monastery, too. The Russian researcher A. Gilferding, as early as 1857, found in the Dečani monastery several old Macedonian manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries (among which the Dečani Psalter and the Dečani Gospel), which he took to the Public Library in St. Petersburg. It is assumed that this monastery, as well as other Serbian monasteries and churches, has Macedonian manuscripts and old books that, because of their inaccessibility, haven’t been catalogued by Macedonian scholars. In the Chilandar monastery, which is run by Serbian priests and monks, there is also a rich Macedonian handwritten and literary heritage, which includes several dozen manuscripts dating as early as the 14th century!

In Belgrade's National Library, which was destroyed during German bombing in 1941, there used to be a large Macedonian literary heritage, i.e. several hundreds of old Macedonian manuscripts, among which there were 36 manuscripts that Jordan Hadži Konstantinov – Džinot dispatched. During the bombing many Macedonian manuscripts were destroyed, among which around thirty from the 14th century, of which not even a photocopy was saved; that is, the biggest Macedonian manuscript collection that has ever existed in a library was destroyed. It is interesting to mention that before the bombardment all the manuscripts were placed in special crates and were ready to be transported to a safe place. During the attack, they were in the library's ground floor, which the fire reached on the third day of the bombardment. But in the meantime no-one had thought of the several thousand manuscripts. However, during World War II the same library began to form a new collection, once more out of Macedonian manuscripts. Among the first ones in it were the Gurište Tetragospel dating from the 15th century, the Poreč Tetragospel from the 16th century etc. Of course, after the war, Macedonian manuscripts were collected in the same library in Belgrade, instead of in Skopje.

Similar neglect of Macedonian manuscripts happened during World War I as well, when the manuscript collection from the National Library in Belgrade was accidentally left at the Niš railway station. Some Austrian soldiers took several manuscripts from it, and some of the manuscripts were Macedonian.

To be continued...

Nove Cvetanoski

Diplomat Ivo Andric about petition of Macedonians to League of Nations in Geneva in 1932

I can not accept and enforce a document in which Serbian people are depicted as an impostor in one of our provinces!

Confidential diplomatic reports of Ivo Andric: Edward the 8th, The King of England, thanked the Macedonians living in Canada for their loyalty! A petition of twelve Macedonian refugees from Sofia “with offensive expressions about our regime outside Southern Serbia”!

“Mr. Minister, as I already had the honor of notifying you during our last stay in Geneva, the Secretariat of the League of Nations because of eventual objections by our government, on 17th November submitted a petition signed by 12 Macedonian refugees in Sofia to our permanent delegation. I concluded immediately that the petition contained a significant number of exceptionally offensive expressions (for example, our regime in Southern Serbia is characterized as Serbian domination and our people there are depicted as rotten Serbian impostors), which is why I have decided to protest to the Secretariat’s section in charge and to turn the attention towards the consequences that this petition might have on the overall minority procedure by delivering such documents to the governments.

The “Vardar Valley” project – rejected by the League of Nations 80 years ago?

As chief of matters in the permanent delegation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in the League of Nations, in April 1932 Ivo Andric sent an interesting report related to Macedonia about a project, which is still current, the “Vardar Valley”. Namely, Andric reported about the work of the Committee of public affairs which was in session the previous week in Paris, where 13 projects proposed by Greece, Bulgaria, Latvia, Poland and Yugoslavia were reviewed. According to Andric, Greece proposed building roads and drainage of the valley of Vardar and Struma Rivers.

Only the drainage of Struma’s basin was accepted, but only prior to expertize at the spot. Bulgaria didn’t receive money for a railway connection with Romania; Latvia received money for roads; out of ten railway track projects, Poland only received money for two; and out of the five proposals, Yugoslavia got money for four. Only the “Vardar Valley” proposal was rejected. As Andric reported – “The Committee could not pass the project about the Morava – Vardar – Aegean Sea project because its eventual building did not seem technically, nor economically justified according to the principles of this international action, which particularly refers to the section from Stalach to the Aegean Sea.” Ambassador Andric was happy to report that the Committee accepted the project for the drainage of the Skadar Lake and the project for a system of roads from the Austrian border, across Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade and Nish, to Thessaloniki.

It is unknown why Andric didn’t mention any Macedonian city along this road even though it passed the whole length of the country, from Preshevo to Thessaloniki. Perhaps, it was because to him, Macedonia was a “province got by an agreement” where “our people are depicted as crooked Serbian impostors”.

Among other Andric’s reports about Macedonia and the Macedonian issue was his report about the activities of the Macedonians in America while he was Acting Chief of the Political department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which was prepared in collaboration with the embassy in London. The report was dated 14th October 1936 and it concerned, as he said, the Congress of the Macedonian political organization in Indianapolis, USA: “It is my honor to inform you that the Organ of the MPO in USA and Canada, Macedonian Tribune, which is published in Indianapolis, USA, dedicates its whole 19th September issue to the Congress of the Macedonian brotherhoods, held in Toronto on the 5th, 6th and 7th the previous month. According to the newspaper, there were around 5000 Macedonian and Bulgarian workers present, whose event was reinforced by the Croatian separatists in Canada.

The Congress was in session for three days and one of the decisions was to send a resolution to all the countries in the League of Nations against the terror that the Serbian authorities are doing in Macedonia. It was also decided that their immigrating organ, The Macedonian Tribune, was published twice a week on six pages. The newspaper also communicated a telegram from the English King, Edward the 8th, directed to the Congress through the governor in Canada, in which he expressed his gratitude to the Macedonians living in Canada for their loyalty while he also thanked for their telegram.

The newspaper continued with the information that the Serbian and the Greek consuls tried to undermine the meaning of the Congress with the Canadian authorities by blaming the Macedonian expatriates to be terrorists, but they failed. The newspaper also wrote about the historic fight of the Macedonians for a free Macedonia, communicating Hristo Nizamov’s speech in which he explained “who is Macedonia, why it should be free, what are her sons and daughters looking for and what kind of fight are they having”. A total of 3600 dollars were collected at the Congress.

Yugoslav ambassador in fascist Germany!

After three years in the permanent delegation in Geneva, Andric got a wealth of experience and contacts with world diplomats accredited in the League of Nations, so in 1935 he was at the very top of Yugoslav diplomacy; he became Acting Chief of the Political department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Two months later he became second in charge in the Yugoslav diplomacy – by a decree issued by the royal governor on 5th November 1937 he was named vice-minister of foreign affairs. On 5th February 1939, Cincar-Markovic, who was an ambassador in Berlin till then, became the minister of foreign affairs in the new government of Dragisha Cvetkovic.

A new ambassador in Berlin had to be appointed and the choice was Ivo Andric. That is how future Nobel prize winner, writer Ivo Andric became an ambassador in Hitler’s fascist Germany, where he stayed until 1941. He started working on 10th April 1939 and there were 15 more people working with him in the Mission. According to Miladin Miloshevic, who researched the diplomatic engagement of Ivo Andric in detail, the mission in the Third Reich was particularly difficult and delicate, with Andric himself saying later in his life that those years were the most difficult ones in his life.

After the demonstrations in Belgrade, when the pact with Hitler was rejected, the diplomatic relations were abolished, Yugoslavia was attacked and Ambassador Andric, along with the people who worked in the embassy left Berlin on 7th April 1941. By a special train he got to the Swiss border town of Konstanz, where all the Yugoslav diplomatic representatives from Europe were gathered, approximately 200 people.

There, Andric was offered to enter the neutral Switzerland, but he refused because he didn’t want to leave the people he worked with in the embassy in Berlin. He stayed in Konstanz until 30th May 1941 when he was taken to Belgrade by a special train. He arrived there on 1st June 1941. After the hearing at the Gestapo, 11 diplomats, mostly consuls, were returned to prison in Germany. Six of them were convicted for espionage and sent to camp, and the rest were released and brought back to Yugoslavia. Andric remained in Belgrade. With a decision by the Ministry council on 15th November 1941, he was retired as a highest ranking diplomat.

Blaze Minevski (Матица на иселеници)

Македонците се натрапници во српска покраина!?

Не можам да примам и да спроведам документ во кој за нашиот народ се зборува како за натрапник во една наша покраина, пишува Андриќ за петицијата на Македонците упатена до Лигата на народите во Женева, во декември 1932 година

Строго доверливи дипломатски извештаи на Иво Андриќ

„Господине министер, како што веќе имав чест да ве известам за време на вашиот последен престој во Женева, Секретаријатот на Лигата на народите, на 17 ноември, поради евентуални забелешки на нашата влада, на нашата постојана делегација и достави една петиција потпишана од дванаесетмина македонски бегалци во Софија. Веднаш констатирав дека во петицијата се наоѓаат значителен број исклучително навредливи изрази (така, на пример, нашиот режим во јужна Србија се карактеризира како „domination serbe“ (српска доминација), а за нашето население таму се зборува како за „des intrus serbes corrompus“ (расипани српски натрапници) и затоа решив да протестирам до надлежната секција на Секретаријатот, да свртам внимание на последиците што петицијава може да ги има врз целата малцинска процедура со доставување вакви документи до владите.

Инаку, самиот факт дека Секретаријатот на Лигата на народите ни ја достави ваквата петиција, значи дека наведените изрази не ги смета за особено навредливи и дека на некој начин се солидаризира со ваквиот тон на преписка меѓу потписниците на петицијата и Секретаријатот, односно одделните влади“, пишува на 28 декември 1932 година Иво Андриќ, шеф на постојаната делегација на Кралството Југославија во Лигата на народите во Женева, во извештајот до својот министер за надворешни работи Богољуб Јевтиќ.

Во истиот извештај амбасадорот на Кралството Југославија, подоцна писател и добитник на Нобеловата награда за книжевност, подробно го известува министерот и за тоа дека директорот на Секцијата за малцинства лично го известил дека генералниот секретар ја проучил петицијата и решил да им ја достави, па затоа сега е незгодно нашиот претставник да ја враќа пред да ја достави до својата влада, која секогаш има право и можност да ја одбие поради навредливи изрази во неа.

„Јас одговорив - пишува Андриќ - дека ми жал што морам да останам на својот став и дека не можам да примам и да проследам никаков документ во кој за нашиот народ се говори како за натрапник во една наша покраина, која ни припадна врз основа на меѓународни договори, оние исти договори кои Лигата на народите е должна да ги брани. Генералниот секретар потоа побара петицијата да му се врати, да ја разгледа уште еднаш и да ја достави за анализа до правната секција на Секретаријатот. За ова му реферирав на г. К. Фотиќ, помошник министер, кој во тоа време престојуваше во Женева, а по вашето доаѓање во Женева вие ја одобривте мојата постапка“.

„Вчера - продолжува Андриќ - ме побара директорот на Секцијата за малцинства и ми соопшти дека генералниот секретар дошол до уверување дека, во спомнатите изрази, нашата влада навистина може да види навреда и затоа отстапува од својата намера петицијата да ни ја упати како на Влада, па можеме да сметаме како и воопшто да не ни е доставена. Известувајќи за ова, чест ми е да ви доставам во прилог еден препис на петицијата за која станува збор“, завршува овој извештај од Женева, испратен од амбасадорот Иво Андриќ до Министерството за надворешни работи во Белград.

„ВАРДАРСКА ДОЛИНА“ ОДБИЕНА ОД ЛИГАТА НА НАРОДИТЕ ПРЕД ОСУМДЕСЕТ ГОДИНИ!?

Како отправник на работите во постојаната делегација на Кралството Југославија во Лигата на народите во Женева, Иво Андриќ во април 1932 година испраќа мошне интересен извештај поврзан со Македонија за проект кој и денес е актуелен, проектот „Вардарска долина“.

Андриќ известува за работата на Комитетот за јавни работи, кој заседавал претходната недела во Париз, при што биле разгледувани тринаесет проекти предложени од Грција, Бугарија, Летонија, Полска и од Југославија. Според извештајот на Андриќ, Грција имала предложено изградба на патишта и проекти за одводнување на долината на Вардар и Струма. Прифатено е само исушувањето на сливот на Струма, но по претходна експертиза на самото место. Бугарија не добила пари за железничко поврзување со Романија; Летонија добила за патишта, Полска од десет проекти за пруги добила пари за две, а Југославија од пет предлози, добила четири. Одбиен е само предлогот за Вардарска долина.

- Проектот на каналот Морава - Вардар - Егејско Море, Комитетот не можеше да го усвои затоа што неговата евентуална изградба не изгледа ни технички ни економски оправдана според принципите на оваа меѓународна акција, а тоа особено се однесува на потегот од Сталаќ до Егејското Море - известува Андриќ.

Тој со задоволство известува дека Комитетот го прифатил проектот за исушување на Скадарското Езеро и проектот за системот патишта од Австриската граница преку Љубљана, Загреб, Белград и Ниш до Солун. Зошто Андриќ во овој патен правец не спомнува ниту еден македонски град, иако трасата бездруго минува по должината на цела Македонија од Прешево до Солун – не се знае. Можеби затоа што за него Македонија е „провинција добиена со договор“, каде што за „нашето население се зборува како за расипани српски натрапници“.

Меѓу другите извештаи на Андриќ за Македонија и македонското прашање е и неговиот извештај во својство на в.д. началник на политичкото одделение на Министерството на надворешни работи на Кралството Југославија, подготвен во соработка со амбасадата во Лондон, а во врска со активностите на Македонците во Америка. Извештајот е од 14 октомври 1936 година, а се однесува на Конгресот на, како што вели, Македонската политичка организација во Индијанополис, САД: „Чест ми е да известам дека органот на Македонската политичка организација (МПО) во Соединетите Американски Држави и Канада, МАКЕДОНСКА ТРИБУНА, која излегува во Индијанополис, Соединетите Американски Држави, посветува цел број од 19 септември на Конгресот на македонските братства одржан на 5, 6 и на 7 претходниот месец во Торонто. На Конгресот, според весникот, присуствувале околу 5.000 македонски и бугарски печалбари, чија манифестација ја потсилиле и хрватските сепаратисти во Канада. Конгресот заседавал три дена и на него, меѓу другото, била донесена одлука да се упати резолуција до сите држави во Лигата на народите против теророт што го врши српската власт во Македонија. Исто така е одлучено нивниот орган во емиграција, МАКЕДОНСКА ТРИБУНА, да се издава двапати неделно на шест страници.

СТРОГО ДОВЕРЛИВИ ИЗВЕШТАИ ЗА ВАНЧО МИХАЈЛОВ!

Во својство на помошник-министер, всушност втор човек во Министерството за надворешни работи на Кралството Југославија, Иво Андриќ, во извештај од 24 октомври 1938 година, а врз основа на разузнавачки податоци, го третира и заминувањето на Ванчо Михајлов од Турција во Полска: „Уште пред една година турските власти официјално нé информираа дека Ванчо Михајлов не сака повеќе да остане во Турција, каде што од 1934 година престојува под надзор на власта, пишува Андриќ. - Истовремено - продолжува тој - веќе ни е ставено до знаење дека турската влада нема законска основа по која еден странски државјанин, против негова категорично изнесена желба, може да го држи и понатаму на своја територија. Сепак, турската влада го задржа Михајлов уште некое време, но бидејќи понатамошниот негов престој во Турција создава само тешкотии за тамошната Влада, одлучено е да му се дозволи заминување од земјата штом биде обезбедена влезна виза на некоја друга држава. Нас пак ни е ветено дека благовремено ќе бидеме известени кога и во која земја Михајлов патува. Инаку, по добиеното начелно одобрение, Михајлов во текот на неколку месеци се обидувал да добие влезна виза на некоја држава, но во тоа не успевал. Имено, САД, Англија, Швајцарија и Романија одбиле да го примат - пишува Андриќ - додавајќи дека најпосле се обратил до Полска, од каде што, по претходно дадена изјава дека ќе се воздржува од секаква политичка дејност, добил дозвола да се насели. По ветувањето што ни го даде Турција - пишува Андриќ - ние бевме известени дека на Иван Михајлов и на неговата жена Менча Карничева веќе им е издаден турски пасош со ознака „бугарски емигрант“, и дека тој пасош е визиран од страна на полскиот конзулат во Цариград. Снабден со пасош и уредна полска виза, Ванчо Михајлов заедно со сопругата на 20 август се качува во полскиот полутоварен параброд „Левант“ во Цариград и на 23 септември стигнува во пристаништето во Гдињ. Полските власти, кои се детално запознати со поранешната злосторничка дејност на Иван Михајлов, дадоа ветување дека тој ќе биде интерниран во централните предели на државата, далеку од сообраќајните врски и патишта, како и дека постојано ќе вршат најстрог надзор над него за да не може да дојде во допир со своите приврзаници и да преземе каква било политичка акција.

Известувајќи за ова, Министерството за надворешни работи има чест да замоли кралското претставништво во Полска да обрне големо внимание на работата и движењето на Ванчо Михајлов во своето подрачје. Особено е потребно Министерството итно да биде информирано ако се забележи дека некој од приврзаниците успеал да воспостави писмена врска или, пак, се обидува да дојде до личен контакт во Ванчо Михајлов - пишува Иво Андриќ во својство на помошник-министер за надворешни работи на Кралството Југославија во 1938 година.

ЈУГОСЛОВЕНСКИ АМБАСАДОР ВО ФАШИСТИЧКА ГЕРМАНИЈА!

Идниот нобеловец, писателот Иво Андриќ, станува амбасадор во Хитлерова, фашистичка Германија и во Берлин останува од 1939 до 1941 година. Должноста амбасадор во Берлин ја презема на 10 април 1939 година, а во мисијата, освен него, работеле уште 15 лица. Според Миладин Милошевиќ, кој детално го истражувал дипломатскиот ангажман на Иво Андриќ, мисијата во Третиот рајх била особено тешка и деликатна, а подоцна и самиот Андриќ многупати ќе изјави дека тие години биле најмачните години во неговиот живот. Откако дознал дека делегација од Југославија тајно се состанува со Хитлер и со негови доверливи луѓе, а тој како амбасадор не добива никакво известување за тоа, Андриќ упатува писмо до Цицар-Марковиќ во кое протестира што е заобиколен како амбасадор. Добива извинување, а две недели подоцна е повикан да присуствува на церемонијата на потпишување на документот за пристапување на Југославија кон Тројниот пакт. Андриќ со луѓето од амбасадата во Берлин го напушта градот на 7 април 1941 година.

Автор: Блаже Миневски (извор: Нова Македонија)

How Macedonia became Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian

By Risto Stefov

April 4, 2010

War and the suffering in Macedonia did not end after the failed 1903 Ilinden Macedonian National Uprising. Shortly after the Uprising was suppressed Macedonia became the apple of discord between Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria and to some extent Romania.

Unable to free itself from the Ottoman yoke, Macedonia became ripe for the plucking and whoever was able to muster enough strength and resources to drive out the Ottomans would have it in their possession. At that time Macedonia’s neighbours knew they could not possess Macedonia without the cooperation of the Macedonian people, so first they tried their luck at “convincing” the Macedonians that they were not “really” Macedonians but “Greeks”, on account of them being Orthodox Christians. Or they were “Serbians” on account of them supposedly speaking an “Old Serbian” language. Or “Bulgarians” because they supposedly spoke a dialect of the “Bulgarian” language and of course “Romanians” because many were Vlachs and spoke a dialect of “Romanian”.

Failing to convince the Macedonian people “that they were not Macedonians” by propaganda alone, the four then resorted to using violence through the application of illegal armed bands. However, in addition to serving their masters by doing their bidding and murdering those who refused their will, these bands, consisting mostly of thugs, also served themselves by robbing, raping, beating and murdering innocent civilians.

Now in addition to the dastardly deeds performed by the Ottoman army and the Bashibazuks (armed Muslim civilians), there were Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian armed bands roaming the Macedonian countryside preying on the Macedonian people.

The Ottoman authorities knew about them and so did the international peace keeping forces stationed in Macedonia but they did nothing to help the Macedonian population.

Unable to turn the general Macedonian population into Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, or Romanians to their satisfaction, by severe methods the four began to open more Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian churches and schools in Macedonia, offering Macedonian children “free education” but not in the Macedonian language. Education was offered in the Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, or Romanian language respectively. Unfortunately, along with the so-called “free education” came a heavy dose of foreign propaganda. Along with their “free education” children and young adults were also offered a glamorous lifestyle, something their families in the village could not give them. Being “educated” and convinced that they would be more cultured and better off as Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, or Romanians these children were then sent back home to “convince” others and also turn them into Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians or Romanians.

Many of these “educated children”, as young adults, became the new teachers and priests in the Macedonian village churches and schools. In addition to preaching and teaching they also unwittingly helped Macedonia’s enemies get a foothold in Macedonia. Those young adults who found their way back to who they really were or switched loyalties usually ended up dead because their benefactors could not tolerate traitors; a tradition Greeks practice to this day.

Almost the entire Macedonian population during these times, particularly in the villages, was uneducated and could not read or write. So, many people relied on the village teacher or village priest to help them with administrative matters and filling out travel forms etc. And while they were doing a public service for their illiterate, fellow villagers these teachers and priests were doing their benefactors a favour by registering the Macedonians as Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, or Romanians with a Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, or Romanian sounding name depending on who was their benefactor. That is why Macedonians who traveled abroad during the late 19th century and early 20th century, before Macedonia was partitioned, had Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, or Romanian sounding names. These names which exist to this day can be found in the United States, Canada and other places outside of Macedonia where Macedonians immigrated during Ottoman times.

Macedonians were never Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, Romanians, or Albanians. They were simply made to look like that for “political” reasons which became obvious after Macedonia was illegally invaded, occupied, partitioned and annexed by Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria in 1912 and 1913.

Looking at this another way, there are many Greeks, Serbians, Bulgarians, Romanians and Albanians today who not too long ago had Macedonian ancestors!

In all this there was one organization which cared for the Macedonian population and fought to correct the injustices perpetrated and that was the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO). Unfortunately because the MRO was a great threat to Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian ambitions in Macedonia its members were hunted down and killed. In addition to killing off its members, the various factions, particularly the Bulgarians, made attempts to infiltrate the MRO and pose as patriotic Macedonians. This caused much internal strife and mistrust, which is felt to this day in modern Macedonian organizations. I must also add that even though the 19th and 20th centuries are now in the past, Macedonia’s enemies have not ceased their attempts to infiltrate Macedonian organizations. So who can blame the Macedonians for being overly suspicious?

Greek political aims in Macedonia

Greek propaganda in Macedonia began in June 1903 when Greek military officers, Pavlos Melas and Georgios Tzontas, began to hire illegal armed bands and dispatch them in Macedonia to create havoc and spread “Greater” Greek propaganda. Immediately after the August 1903 Ilinden Uprising, the secretary of the Greek consulate in Bitola, Ion Dragoumis, established a secret Greek committee to work towards the assimilation of the Macedonian people and the annexation of Macedonia to Greece. Around about the same time the Greek bishop of Kostur, Germanos Karavangelis, created an illegal armed band. In the beginning of March 1904 two Greek armed bands were created in Thessaly. Six new illegal armed Greek bands in total were created and dispatched to operate in Macedonia.

Then in the fall of 1904 the Hellenic - Macedonian committee was formed in Athens whose job was to finance the Macedonian campaign and spread Greek propaganda in Macedonia. Most of the manpower for these illegal armed bands was hired from newly annexed Crete and manned by Greek officers.

Of all the illegal armed bands that operated in Macedonia, the Greek bands most closely cooperated with the Ottoman army and in many instances carried out missions for the Ottomans.

The goals and objectives of the Greek armed bands operating in Macedonia were regulated by a Rulebook entitled “General Instructions for the Macedonian Bands”, especially created for this purpose by the Hellenic-Macedonian Committee. The Rulebook contained three main points: 1. destroy the MRO insurgency and replace it with a Greek one; 2. eliminate all those who worked against the Greek cause; 3. convince the entire Macedonian population to join the Greek Patriarchate.

Macedonian intellectuals and leaders responded to the “Greater” Greek propaganda with appeals to the Greek population not to support the illegal armed bands in Macedonia and to oppose Hellenism, their mutual usurper.

Supported by the Sultan himself, the illegal armed Greek bands escalated their persecution of the Macedonian insurgency and of prominent intellectuals. In the eyes of the Macedonian population the entire MRO was labeled “Bulgarophile”, a false claim which is spread to this day.

According to Richard Oppenheimer, an Austrian civilian agent sent to Macedonia on April 18, 1908 who dispatched information to Aloys Aehrenthal of the Austrian-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Greek bands in Macedonia killed 531 and wounded 175 people in the period from March 14, 1906 to March 14, 1908. According to the same information, MRO insurgents fought 12 battles with the Greek bands in the period from October 26, 1904 to June 27, 1905 in Voden Region alone. From January to October 1905, MRO insurgents fought 22 battles with the illegal Greek armed bands that had infiltrated Macedonia and 3 battles with locally hired Greek bands. Most battles took place in the Kostur, Kajlari, Drama, Lerin, Bitola and other Regions of southern Macedonia.

Greek-Ottoman cooperation contributed immensely to the Greek campaign in Macedonia and as the Greek armed bands kept growing the number of Macedonian insurgents kept dwindling.

Serbian political aims in Macedonia

Serbian propaganda activities in Macedonia began before the 1903 Ilinden Uprising. In fact the foundations for Serbia’s Macedonian campaigns were laid in 1902 when a dedicated Committee for carrying out propaganda activities in Macedonia was established in Belgrade. Illegal Serbian armed bands began to infiltrate Macedonia while the Ilinden Uprising was still going on. In 1904 the number of Serbian armed bands operating in Macedonia increased significantly, especially in Ovche Pole, Azot and Poreche.

The Serbian sponsored armed bands in Macedonia also operated according to a Rulebook which listed the Serbian goals and objectives in Macedonia. According to the Rulebook Serbia’s main goal in its campaigns in Macedonia was to minimize MRO influence on the Macedonian population by eliminating its leaders and insurgents. While doing this the Serbian armed bands were to avoid contact and conflict with the Ottoman authorities, including the army and police. These goals and objectives were regulated by Articles 17, 18 and 32 of the Rulebook.

In order to achieve their goals the Serbian armed bands, like the Greek and Bulgarian ones, used terror tactics including robbing and torturing the Macedonian population. Almost every village had agents and collaborators who supported the illegal armed bands by offering them intelligence information, food and sanctuary.

Many Macedonian intellectuals tried to persuade the Macedonians, who were recruited by these bands in various functions, not to offer the foreigners assistance and to stop fighting amongst themselves, but without much success. There were many letters written to that effect which clearly demonstrated that Macedonia’s neighbours deliberately intensified fratricidal fighting and self-extermination in Macedonia. Their goal was to create conflict among the Macedonian people, invade and partition their country and destroy the essence of the Macedonian nation, as events proved true over time.

Bulgarian political aims in Macedonia

Immediately after the 1903 Ilinden Uprising was suppressed, Bulgaria officially refused to bear responsibility for the dire events created in Macedonia. But the Macedonian Question remained a part of Bulgarian foreign policy. Besides being supported by pro-Bulgarian factions within the Macedonian Liberation Movement, at the beginning of 1905, the Bulgarian government created a second political department within its own Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a single objective; to deal with the Macedonian Question. The long term goal of this department was to overcome all factors that hindered Bulgarian influence in Macedonia and work towards giving Macedonia autonomy as a Bulgarian protectorate. Other goals included waging war against all who got in the way including those promoting foreign propaganda in Macedonia. Bulgaria’s first priority was to infiltrate the MRO, kill off its leaders, insurgents and supporters and replace them with Bulgarian agents. This was to be accomplished through the assistance of the Bulgarian Exarchate churches and schools in Macedonia, which were financed and politically supported by the Bulgarian state and its various governments of that time.