Vlado Chernozemski

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Vlado Chernozemski
Владо Черноземски
Chernozemski.jpg
Born (1897-10-19)19 October 1897
Kamenitsa, Principality of Bulgaria[a]
Died 9 October 1934(1934-10-09) (aged 36)
Marseille, France
Nationality Bulgarian
Occupation Assassin, revolutionary
Years active 1922 - 1934
Organization Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Known for

Assassination of:

Vlado Chernozemski (19 October 1897 – 9 October 1934), born Velichko Dimitrov Kerin (Bulgarian: Величко Димитров Керин), was a Bulgarian revolutionary, who was called the most dangerous terrorist in Europe.

Chernozemski began his revolutionary activities in 1922, when he joined the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO). Soon after, he became an assassin for the IMRO. He killed two notable Bulgarian politicians, communist Dimo Hadzhidimov, and IMRO member Naum Tomalevski. Both times he was sentenced to death, but he escaped from his first imprisonment and was released from the second. After his release in 1932, he became an instructor for the Ustaše. He trained a group of Ustaše to assassinate Alexander of Yugoslavia, but eventually killed Alexander himself on 9 October 1934 in Marseille. He was then beaten by French police and spectators, and died the same day.

Contents

Life [edit]

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Chernozemski was born in the village of Kamenitsa, now part of the town Velingrad. His father, Dimitar Kerin, and his mother, Risa Baltadzieva, were both from Kamenitsa. Chernozemski attended primary school there. As a youngster, he was prone to drinking alcohol, but later he reformed and became a vegetarian. He joined the military in Plovdiv. During World War I, Chernozemski served in the engineer troops. He married in 1919. After the war he worked as a driver and watchmaker. In 1923, his daughter Latinka was born. In 1925, he divorced and remarried. He lived in Sofia until 1932. There are no records of him beyond that year, but he was re-identified in 1934, after his death.

Revolutionary activity [edit]

Chetnik of the IMRO [edit]

A legend describing Chernozemski as Vlado the Driver (Bulgarian: Владо Шофьор) appeared in Macedonia, since he worked for a company in Dupnitsa as a driver for a short time. In the early 1920s, he moved to Bansko, when the IMRO was founded by Todor Alexandrov. Chernozemski joined the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) in 1922 in the unit Voivode Ivan Barlyo. From 1923 to 1924, he was a member of Trayan Lakavishki's cheta. As a rebel he lived in the towns of Štip, Kočani and Radoviš. Chernozemski also entered the region of Vardar Macedonia with IMRO bands and participated in more than 15 skirmishes with Yugoslav police.[1] He soon became one of the best marksmen in the organization,[1] known for his courage, sangfroid and discipline.

Assassin of the IMRO [edit]

Unit of Voivode Trajan Lakashki c. 1920; second from the left is Vlado Chernozemski

In 1925 Ivan Mihailov became the new leader of the IMRO. In this period the organiztion took actions against the former left-wing activists, assassinating several of them. Mihailov assigned Chernozemski to assassinate MP Dimo Hadzhidimov, a member of the Communist Party of Bulgaria and former IMRO member. Chernozemski was arrested and sentenced to death by hanging for Hadzhidimov's assassination, but his execution was never carried out. In 1925, Chernozemski escaped from a police escort.

In 1927, Chernozemski proposed to the IMRO Central Committee to enter the main conference building of the League of Nations in Paris and detonate grenades attached to his person, in order to attract the attention of the world and generate publicity over the question of the Bulgarians in Macedonia, but his proposal was rejected.[1] In 1929, the leadership of the IMRO called on Ante Pavelić and the Ustaše for cooperation.

In 1930, Chernozemski, following an order by Mihailov, assassinated another member of the IMRO, Naum Tomalevski, and his bodyguard. Tomalevski had been a prominent member of the IMRO. He was Mayor of Kruševo and one of the founders of the Macedonian Scientific Institute. For the second time, Chernozemski was sentenced to death, but he was pardoned in 1932.

Leading European terrorist [edit]

Newsreel showing the murder of King Alexander of Yugoslavia and French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou in Marseilles
Winnipeg Free Press front page on 15 October 1934, mentioning assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia

After his release from the prison, Chernozemski disappeared. He moved to Italy, where he became an instructor for the Ustaše in a camp in Borgotaro.[2]

He was then transferred to the Ustaše camp in Janka Puszta in Hungary. The main purpose of this camp was planning for the assassination of King Alexander. Chernozemski was the instructor of the group that was preparing to assassinate the king. He concluded that members of the group were unprepared psychologically and decided to carry out the assassination himself. On 9 October 1934 completed the task.[3] Chernozemski was able to get close to the king's car by concealing his gun in a bouquet of flowers while he chanted "vive le roi" (long live the king). After the assassination, he was beaten with batons and brought in for questioning. Since he was in bad condition, he was unable to say anything and died later that same day, 10 days before his 37th birthday. French police were unable to identify him; they could only register his tattoo, a skull with crossed bones and a sign reading "V.M.R.O." (standing for Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization). He was buried at an unknown place and only two detectives and the gravediggers were present at the funeral.

For murdering Alexander, Chernozemski was posthumously declared the most dangerous terrorist in Europe.[4][5]

He was thought to have shot and killed French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou.

Gallery [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vlado Chernozemski

  • Chernozemski in Ustaše uniform in 1934.

  • Memorial stone of Chernozemski in Kamenitsa, Bulgaria.

  • The central street in Kamenitsa - „Владо Черноземски“.

  • Automatic pistol used by Chernozemski to assassinate Alexander of Yugoslavia.

Footnotes [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Билярски, Цочо (2006). Иван Михайлов в обектива на полиция, дипломация, разузнаване и преса. Издателство Св. Климент Охридски. p. 198. ISBN 978-954-9384-07-9.  (Bulgarian)
  2. ^ Марков, Георги (1994). Камбаните бият сами: Насилие и политика в България 1919-1947. Георги Победоносец. p. 108.  (Bulgarian)
  3. ^ Rothschild, Joseph (1959). The Communist Party of Bulgaria; Origins and Development, 1883-1936. Columbia University Press. pp. 277–278. 
  4. ^ Гаджев, Иван (2003). История на българската емиграция в Северна Америка: поглед отвърте. Илия Т. Гаджев. p. 259.  (Bulgarian)
  5. ^ България 20-ти век. Илия Т. Гаджев. 2000. p. 1127.  (Bulgarian)

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Notes [edit]

a.   ^ Following the Liberation of Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, Bulgaria re-established self-rule. Subject to the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Bulgaria was denied outright independence but achieved suzerain status as the Principality of Bulgaria, a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria achieved full independence in 1908 before becoming a kingdom.
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