Alekso Martulkov

Photo of Martulkov in a IMRO United reunion

### Affiliation

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary OrganizationInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United)

## Biographical information

### Place of death

Sofia, Bulgaria

**Alekso Martulkov** (*Macedonian: Алексо Мартулков*), born as **Aleksandar Ončev Martulkov** (23 October 1878 — 19 December 1962), was one of the first **Macedonian** socialist revolutionary and publicist. He was a member of the IMRO and subsequently the IMRO (United). He advocated for the independence of Macedonia. Martulkov was also a member of the Presidium of ASNOM and the parliament of SR Macedonia.

## Early Life

Martulkov was born in 1878 in Veles, then in the Ottoman Empire, into a poor Macedonian family. His father, Jovan Martulkov, worked as a baker in a local factory, while his mother worked as a gardener for a wealthy family. He had an older brother who eventually became a teacher in a local school in Bitola. He lost his parents at the age of eight due to their impoverished conditions. He studied in his hometown, where, according to contemporary sources, he was undisciplined and would often get into arguments with other students which would eventually lead him to be expelled. Afterwards he would finish his basic education in Bitola. After finishing his basic education he would study in the Pedagogical School in Skopje. He would develop a revolutionary and anti-monarchist ideology which was inspired by Petar Mandzhukov, as well as a socialist-focused ideology, for which he was inspired by one of his teachers in Skopje. Because of this, in 1898, he and a group of other socialist students formed a secret socialist group within the school.

Due to the fact that the group was discovered by the authorities inside the school he would be expelled from the Pedagogical School due to his involvement with the group. During this time he stayed at his grandparents house. Subsequently Martulkov left for Sofia, where he began to develop socialist ideas as a member of the Macedonian-Adrianople Social Democratic Group. Later he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he studied chemistry but due to the lack of money he returned to Sofia after one year.

Afterwards Martulkov returned to Ottoman Macedonia where he joined the IMRO. He worked in Veles and Kumanovo and helped wounded revolutionaries during the Ilinden uprising. Afterwards, he was a teacher in the school in his hometown. In the autumn of 1907 he along with other Macedonian revolutionaries held a meeting in Sofia where they would discuss about the Macedonian question.

## During The Balkan Wars and World War I

During the Balkan Wars, he and other former Macedonian revolutionaries, such as Petar Pop Arsov and Rizo Rizov, met with Dimitrija Čupovski, they would make an appel from the local residents from Veles to sign which would be sent to the London Conference, which would demand autonomy for Macedonia. According to Martulkov out of the 400 signers around 300 of them were either Turkish or from Turkish origins. On the eve of the Second Balkan War in 1913, he was sent by Todor Aleksandrov on a reconnaissance mission in the area of Macedonia controlled by Serbia.

In 1914, he fled to Sofia to avoid being drafted by the Serbian authorities. He participated in the IMROU committee of deserters, which was organized by other former Macedonian soldiers such as Nikola Vojnicalev, Jordan Shurkov, Nikola Panev, Nikola Janev, Georgi Bogdanov and many more. The recruitment was organized mostly in Veles and Skopje. Its been documented that he helped around 1.500 deserts. While mobilizing around 2.500 from the Veles regiment and the Kocani regiment with 2.400. as well as helping out a small force located in Bitola and Shtip. Around this time he also participated in the Veles Brotherhood in Sofia.

## After World War I

During the mid 1920s, he became one of the first members of the newly formed IMRO (United). In 1931, together with Hristo Traikov, he was threatened with physical violence by Ivan Mihailov's IMRO faction, because he spread communist ideas among the Macedonian emigration in Bulgaria. Hristo Traikov was killed by activists of Ivan Mihailov's wing who also worked with Aleksandar Protogerov such as Pavel Pop Andonov, but luckily Martulkov escaped with only injuries.

### Macedonian flag period (1932 - 1934)

In June 14 1932 in Sofia Martulkov and Naumov published the first article of the newspaper "*Macedonian Flag"* (Makedonsko Zname) which was an organ of the IMROU for immigrants from Macedonia in Bulgaria, he published an issue once a week and the newspaper lasted between 1932 to 1934 when it would be eventually banned by the Bulgarian goverment aswell as other progressive newspapers.

In his newspapers he actively critizied the current state of IMRO stating that the only reason it fought for autonomous Macedonia was to just unite it with Bulgaria. Vasil Ivanovski helped in contributing in the newspaper. The newspapers program was mostly focused on helping out and promoting socialist and pro-Macedonian ideals amongst the immigrants in Blagoevgrad province and some in Sofia.

The newspaper during late 1933 would divide into two factions, one advocated for pro-Bulgarian unification which was lead by Vasil Hadzhikimov, he advocated that IMROU was independent organization from other organizations and that the Macedonian slavs in Pirin Macedonia weren't surpressed, because according to him they didnt exist. In one of his articles he stated how the concept of a Macedonian nation didn't exist, and that Macedonian was a umbrella term for Bulgarians, Aromanians, Albanians and others.

Vasil Ivanovski didn't support these claims and led the pro-Macedonian faction of the newspaper, in one of his issue in April 15 1934 Vasil stated that the Macedonians were a seperate identity and that the reason they spoke pre-codified Bulgarian was because of the assumulation done by the Bulgarian goverment. Around this time Vasil Ivanovski published his infamous issue titled "Why we Macedonians are a Separated nation" During this dispute Alekso Martulkov never stated his opinion publicly, although according to some sources he might have supported Vasil Ivanovski faction.

### After period (1935 - 1939)

In the summer of 1935, he was arrested in Sofia, while being a deputy in the Bulgarian parliament. and tried along with other members of the IMRO (United). At the trial, Martulkov, declared himself as "Macedonian" and denied his membership in the IMRO (united). He was sentenced to 5 years in prison and was ordered to pay a fine because of spreading hatred and promoting pro-Macedonian idealas amongst the ruling class.

## During and after World War II

After the Bulgarian coup d'état in September 1944, he signed the Appeal to the Macedonians in Bulgaria along with other prominent revolutionaries, such as Pavel Shatev, Tushe Deliivanov, Petar Shandanov, Mihail Gerdzhikov and others, which agitated for a Macedonian state within Yugoslavia and accepted the Comintern's position on the Macedonian nation. After the Second World War, he moved to the PR Macedonia, where he participated in ASNOM. He would be elected as a honorary member in The Association of Macedonian Journalists. He retired in Skopje.

Due to his contributions to Yugoslavia, he was awarded the Yugoslav Medal of Merit for the People. As an Ilinden Uprising veteran, he was awarded the Macedonian medal of Ilinden Memoirs in 1951. Later Martulkov, was removed from his high position. At the end of his life, disappointed with the policy of the new authorities in Yugoslavia, Martulkov returned to Sofia, where he died on 19 December 1962.

## Sources

1. ↑ Nikolov, Boris (1999). VMORO: pseudonyms and ciphers 1893-1934. Sofia. p. 16.
2. ↑ Pačemska Petreska, Darinka (1985). *VMRO ; vnatresnata makedonska revolucionerna organizacija*. p. 159.
3. ↑ Bunteski, Riste (1996). *Metodija S̆atorov--S̆arlo: politic̆ki stavovi*. Drus̆tvo za nauka i umetnost. p. 71. ISBN 9989767033.
4. ↑ *Vmro (Obedineta): dokumentacija i materijali* (2nd ed.). 1992. p. 356.
5. ↑ Nadoveza, Branko (1997). *Balkanski socliajalisti i balkanska federacija*. p. 154.
6. ↑ *Rabotnicheskata partii︠a︡ v Bŭlgarii︠a︡, 1927-1938 g*. Sofia. 1966. p. 580.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gerdzhikov, Mikhail (1984). *Memories, Documents, Materials, Science and Art*. Sofia. p. 407
8. ↑ *Prilozi: Contributions, Volumes 23-28*. Makedonska akademija na naukite i umetnostite. Oddelenie za opštestveni nauki. 1992. p. 69. The Macedonian national revolutionary and socialist Alekso Martulkov was a student and the son of a brat, the cause of quarrels and "Gjurultii" and undisciplined, which was the reason for the teacher's council, i.e. the teachers, to exclude him"
9. ↑ Gjorgievski, Naume (2012). *БИБЛИОТЕЧНАТА ДЕЈНОСТ ВО БИТОЛА И БИТОЛСКО. Книга 1 Од зачетоците до 1974 година* (in Macedonian). University „Св. Климент Охридски“. p. 62.
10. ↑ Balkanski, Gr. (1969). *Nat͡sionalno osvobozhdenie i sot͡sialna revoli͡ut͡sii͡a. v svetlinata na bŭlgarskii͡a nat͡sional-revoli͡ut͡sionnen opit v Makedonii͡a*. Izdanii͡a "Nash Pŭt". p. 22.
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29. ↑ Marco Dogo, Stefano Bianchini (1998). *The Balkans National Identities in a Historical Perspective*. Longo. p. 124. ISBN 9788880631767.
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35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Aleksandar (Alekso) Martulkov.
36. ↑ Коминтернът и България (март 1919 - септември 1944), том ІІ Документи, Главно управление на архивите при Министерския съвет, Архивите говорят №37, София, 2005, стр. 1197.
37. ↑ Луиза Ревякина, Коминтернът и България: (март 1919 - септември 1944 г.) Архивите говорят. Том 2: март 1919 - септември 1944 г, Главно управление на архивите при министерския съвет на Република България, 2005, стр. 1197.
38. ↑ Пелтеков, Александър Г. Революционни дейци от Македония и Одринско. Второ допълнено издание. София, Орбел, 2014. с. 283.