Pande Surchev

Pande Surchev

Date of Birth: 07.05.1873
Country: Operator

Content:
  1. Pandé Surchev: A Macedonian Revolutionary
  2. Liberation and Personal Life
  3. War and Imprisonment
  4. Later Life and Death

Pandé Surchev: A Macedonian Revolutionary

Early Life and Revolutionary Career

Pandé Surchev was born on May 7, 1873, in Novo Selo, Strumica, within the Ottoman Empire. As an active member of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO), he played a key role in the region's struggle for autonomy. His activism led to his capture and imprisonment in the infamous Edi Kule dungeon in Thessaloniki.

Liberation and Personal Life

Following the 1908 Young Turk Revolution, Surchev regained his freedom. In 1910, he moved to Strumica, where he married Paraskeva, the mother of the renowned clairvoyant Vanga. The outbreak of the Balkan Wars in 1912 resulted in Strumica's annexation by the Bulgarian Kingdom, leading to a period of prosperity for Surchev. However, tragedy struck in 1914 with the death of his first wife.

War and Imprisonment

In 1915, Bulgaria entered World War I, and Surchev joined the front lines. After the war, Strumica became part of the Kingdom of Serbia. Surchev remarried, but his former revolutionary activities caught the attention of Serbian authorities. All his property was confiscated, plunging his family into poverty that would plague him for years to come.

Later Life and Death

In 1923, to escape the dire conditions in Strumica, Surchev and his family moved to Novo Selo, where his brother resided. In 1928, he suffered the loss of his second wife, Tanka Surcheva. Pandé Surchev passed away in abject poverty on November 8, 1940, in Strumica.

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