Danail Nikolaev
{{Short description|Bulgarian general}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name=Danail Nikolaev
| image=Danail-Nikolaev-portrait.jpg
|module={{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| rank=infantry general}}
| caption= Bulgarian Officer and Politician
| birth_date=30 December 1852
| birth_place=Bolgrad, Russian Empire
| death_date={{d-da|29 August 1942|30 December 1852}}
| death_place=Bankya, Bulgaria
}}
Danail Tsonev Nikolaev ({{langx|bg|Данаил Цонев Николаев}}; 30 December 1852 – 29 August 1942) was a Bulgarian officer and Minister of War on the eve of the Balkan wars. He was the first person to attain the highest rank in the Bulgarian military, General of the infantry. He was also known as "the patriarch of the Bulgarian military".
Biography
Danail Nikolaev was born in Bolgrad, Russian Empire (now Ukraine) to a Bessarabian Bulgarian family, who were refugees from Tarnovo.Пеев, П., Генералъ отъ пехотата Данаилъ Николаевъ, София, 1942, трето издание, с. 18 In 1871 he graduated from the Bolgrad Gymnasium and joined the Volunteer company of 54th Minsk regiment. On 19 September 1873 he joined the Infantry school in Odessa as a cadet, graduating in 1875. Nikolaev returned to his regiment in Chişinău as an acting cadet on 20 July. Realizing that Serbia was preparing for war with the Ottoman empire, he requested resignation from military service to join the war on 14 June 1876. His request was reviewed by division commander General Dragomirov, who furloughed him instead. As a volunteer he took part in Serbo-Turkish War in the battles of Babina glava, Mirovitsa and Gamzi grad. He was awarded Order of Prince Danilo I and other decorations.{{Cite book|last=Acović|first=Dragomir|title=Slava i čast: Odlikovanja među Srbima, Srbi među odlikovanjima|year=2012|location=Belgrade|publisher=Službeni Glasnik|pages=598}}
References
Sources
- {{cite book |last=Samuelson |first=James |title= Bulgaria: Past and Present, Historical, Political and Descriptive |place= London |publisher= Trübner and Co. |year= 1888 |url= https://archive.org/details/bulgariapastpres00samuuoft |pages= [https://archive.org/details/bulgariapastpres00samuuoft/page/79 79]-80, 94 |access-date= 6 September 2018 |via= Internet Archive }}
- Пеев, П., Генералъ отъ пехотата Данаилъ Николаевъ, София, 1942, трето издание
- Недев, С., Командването на българската войска през войните за национално обединение, София, 1993, Военноиздателски комплекс "Св. Георги Победоносец“, стр. 21–22
- Димитров, И., Съединението 1885 – енциклопедичен справочник, София, 1985, Държавно издателство "д-р Петър Берон“
- Ташев, Ташо (1999). "Министрите на България 1879–1999“. София: АИ "Проф. Марин Дринов“ / Изд. на МО. {{ISBN|978-954-430-603-8}} / {{ISBN|978-954-509-191-9}}.
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Category:People from the Russian Empire
Category:Bessarabian Bulgarians
Category:Bulgarian people of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
Category:People of the Serbo-Bulgarian War
Category:Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars
Category:Recipients of the Order of Bravery
Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class
Category:Recipients of the Medal for Bravery (Serbia)
Category:Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania