Ivan Valkov
Ivan Valkov | |
---|---|
Иван Вълков | |
Minister of War | |
In office 10 June 1923 – 11 January 1929 | |
Monarch | Boris III of Bulgaria |
Preceded by | Aleksandar Tsankov |
Succeeded by | Nikola Bakardzhiev |
Bulgarian Ambassador to Italy | |
In office 1929–1934 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Ivan Valkov January 31, 1875 General of Infantry |
Commands | 44th Infantry Regiment |
Battles/wars | Balkan Wars World War I |
Ivan Valkov (
Early life
Ivan Valkov was born in
Military career
- 1896—1906: Staff officer in the 6th Artillery Regiment.
- 1911: Military school instructor.
- 1912—1913: During the Balkan Wars, served on the 2nd Army staff, and chief of staff of the eastern sector of the siege of Odrin.
- 1913—1915: Military school instructor.
- 1915—1916: With Bulgaria's entry into World War I, chief of the operations department of the 2nd Army staff.
- From 1916: Commander of the 44th Infantry Regiment.
- 1917—1918: Chief of staff of the 7th and later 10th Infantry Divisions.
- 1919—1923: Director of the Cartographic Institute.
- From 1919: Military academy professor, taught geography at Sofia University.
- 1922—1928: At the same time, editor of the "Yearbook of the Geographic Institute of the Ministry of War."
Bulgarian War Minister
In 1919 he was one of the founders, and in 1920—1928 was the chairman of the
In October 1925, at the time of the Greco-Bulgarian conflict in the Petrich district, General Valkov used diplomatic rather than military means to restore the status-quo. He gave the order to not open fire and appealed to the League of Nations for support. As a result, Greece was recognized as the aggressor and was forced to pay Bulgaria compensation for casualties and damage. The results of the conflict are regarded as a success of Bulgarian diplomacy.
In the second half of the 1920s, Valkov was accused of backing Ivan Mihailov and his faction of the internal conflict within the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization. His actions were criticized by former Prime Minister Aleksandar Tsankov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Atanas Burov, but Valkov received support from Boris III at the time. It was because of this that the general remained in the government.
In 1928 Valkov declared the dissolution of the Military Union due to it being divided as a result of internal bickering and political differences. At a time when negotiations were underway regarding Bulgaria's representation in international organizations, the government demanded the Valkov resign because of his reputation of being an opponent of democracy. Prime Minister Lyapchev agreed to this, and Valkov was removed from his post as war minister.
Later career
In 1929–1934, he was the plenipotentiary minister of Bulgaria in
After pro-
Rank history
Rank | Date |
---|---|
General of Infantry
|
15 May 1928 |
Lieutenant General | 26 March 1925 |
Major General | 12 August 1923 |
Colonel | 15 August 1917 |
Lieutenant Colonel | 18 May 1915 |
Major | 18 May 1911 |
Captain | 1 January 1905 |
Ensign
|
1 January 1900 |
Junior Ensign | 1 January 1896 |
Awards
Order of Bravery (2nd class)
Order of Military Merit (1st and 2nd class)
Iron Cross (1st and 2nd class)
Order of the Iron Crown (3rd class)
Cross for Military Merit (3rd class)
Order of the Iron Crescent