Vasil Chekalarov

Vasil Hristov Chekalarov (Bulgarian/Macedonian: Васил Христов Чекаларов) or Vasil Tcakalarov (1874 – 9 July 1913) was a Bulgarian^[1] revolutionary and one of the leaders of Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organisation in Macedonia. H. N. Brailsford described Chekalarov as the "cruel but competent general" of the Southern insurgents in Macedonia.^[2] He considered the adherents of Macedonist ideas to be Grecomans.^[3]

Vasil Chekalarov during the occupation of Kleisoura in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903.

Voivode Vasil Chekalarov
Vasil Chekalarov c. 1908
Native name	Васил Христов Чекаларов
Birth name	Vasil Hristov Chekalarov
Born	1874 Smrdesh, Monastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Krystallopigi, Greece)
Died	9 July 1913 Belkamen, Ottoman Empire, (now Drosopigi, Florina), Greece
Allegiance	IMRO Kingdom of Bulgaria
Branch	Bulgarian Army
Unit	Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps
Battles / wars	Ilinden Uprising Macedonian Struggle Balkan Wars First Balkan War Second Balkan War †
Spouse(s)	Olga Chekalarova
Signature

He was a leading komitaji in the bands of the Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees and took part in the battles against the Ottoman authorities as well before the Ilinden Uprising as after it. In 1901-1902 he created a channel for illegal purchase and transfer of firearms from Greece to Southern Macedonia.

In May 1903, Chekalarov participated in the Battle of Lokvata, fought on a mountain slope by villagers from Dambeni (modern Dendrochori), chetas (armed groups) and prominent Komitadjis who inflicted disproportionate casualties on a much larger Ottoman force.^[4] His brother Foti died in the battle.^[4] During the Ilinden Uprising in August 1903 he commanded the insurgents in the region of Kastoria.

In 1904 he migrated into Bulgaria and became one of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) organizers of the military campaign against the Greek Struggle for Macedonia.

As a commander of a Bulgarian guerrilla band, Chekalarov supported the Hellenic Army in the First Balkan War 1912-1913.^[5] Later he fought on the side of the Bulgarian Army on the front in Eastern Thrace in the composition of the Macedonian-Adrianopolitan Volunteer Corps.

He was killed by Greek troops during the Second Balkan War and his head was publicly displayed in Florina.

The severed head of Vasil Chekalarov c. 1913

In 1934 a Bulgarian village was renamed Chakalarovo in honour of Vasil Chekalarov.^[6]

External links

• Chekalarov, Vasil. Diary 1901-1903, Sofia 2001 (in Bulgarian)
• A folk song about Vasil Chakalarov at YouTube
• Лазар Поптрайков - "Въстанието в Костурско; от 20 юлий до 30 август вкл.", публикувано в "Бюлетин на в. Автономия; Задграничен лист на Вътрешната македоно-одринска организация", брой 44-47, София, 1903 година Report about the Ilinden uprising written by Lazar Poptrajkov, Vasil Chakalarov, Manol Rozov, Pando Klyashev and Mihail Nikolov