Battle flags of the Kostur revolutionary district from the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising

Battle flags of the Kostur revolutionary district from the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising

In the Bulgarian national consciousness during the Revival period, flags were symbols of cherished freedom. From a purely military viewpoint, flags also have a great significance, which was well appreciated by the leaders of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization. 

The Kostur Revolutionary District made part of the south-westernmost part of the Bitola Revolutionary Region and was established in 1898. During the preparation of the IlindenPreobrazhenie Uprising of 1903, the entire district was divided into eight centres with their own detachments – Smărdeš, Kosinec, Dămbeni, Konomladi, Bălgarska Blaca, Zagoričani, Mokreni and Dobrolišta. 

Detachments, for their part, also received revolutionary flags, which the insurgents waved during the hostilities. The present article attempts to systematize all known information about them and to determine the location of at least one of these flags, and to digitally restore others from old descriptions. 

 Keywords: Ilinden Uprising, Kostur area, flags, Macedonian patriotic organization.