The Volunteers at Shipka
The Volunteers at Shipka is an ode by the classic Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov, a part of the cycle Epic of the Forgotten.
The ode is dedicated to the participation of the Bulgarian Volunteer Corps in the Battle of Shipka Pass during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878) that lead to the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. The subtitle of the work is "11 August 1877". This adds historicity and the documentary nature of the subject.
Historical figures and events mentioned in the poem are:
- Battle of Kleidion
- Batak massacre
- Battle of Thermopylae
- Suleiman Pasha
- Xerxes
- Nikolai Stoletov
- Fyodor Radetzky