# Pavlos Rakovitis

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Greek fighter in the Macedonian struggle

Pavlos Rakovitis Rakovitis wearing the Greek foustanella Native name Παύλος Ρακοβίτης Nickname Kapetan Rakovitis (Καπετάν Ρακοβίτης) Born Pavlos Nikolaidis (Παύλος Ηλία Νικολαΐδης) c. 1877 (1877) Rakovo, Monastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Kratero, Greece) Died 4 October 1910(1910-10-04) (aged 32–33) Rakovo, Monastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Kratero, Greece) Buried Kratero, Greece (hidden grave) Allegiance Kingdom of Greece Branch HMC Service years 1905–1910 Conflicts Macedonian Struggle

**Pavlos Nikolaidis** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Παύλος Νικολαΐδης), known by his *[nom de guerre](/source/Nom_de_guerre)* **Rakovitis** (Παύλος Ρακοβίτης, "Pavlos of Rakovo") was a member of the [Hellenic Macedonian Committee](/source/Hellenic_Macedonian_Committee), a revolutionary chieftain of a band of 40 guerrillas that fought in the [Macedonian Struggle](/source/Macedonian_Struggle) against the Bulgarians.

## Life

Born in Rakovo, near [Florina](/source/Florina), [Manastir Vilayet](/source/Manastir_Vilayet), [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) (modern-day [Kratero](/source/Kratero), [Florina, Greece](/source/Florina%2C_Greece)) around 1877. He was a Greek Macedonian.[1] In 1900, he moved to the United States on seasonal work. While away, his village was burnt down by the Ottomans in 1903,[2] upon which he began training in guerrilla tactics. He joined the [Hellenic Macedonian Committee](/source/Hellenic_Macedonian_Committee) which supported the [Patriarchate of Constantinople](/source/Patriarchate_of_Constantinople) and the Greek cause in 1905, and entered the detachment of [Efthymios Kaoudis](/source/Efthymios_Kaoudis). His village had in the meantime suffered threats and assassinations by the [IMRO](/source/IMRO) which targeted Patriarchist villages in order to force them to support the [Bulgarian Exarchate](/source/Bulgarian_Exarchate).[3]

Pavlos Rakovitis (second from right) and other Greek Macedonian chieftains from Monastir, Mariovo and Rakovo

Rakovitis led a band of 40 men, which was active in the territories of [Florina](/source/Florina) and the [Baba mountain](/source/Baba_(North_Macedonia)). It fought both Ottomans and Bulgarians. In 1907, Bulgarian bands entered his village and brutally destroyed it once again, killing his father in the process. Rakovitis was furious with the actions of the Bulgarians, especially since his own father was burnt to death in the family home.

## Death

On 4 October 1910, Rakovitis was killed while he slept hidden in a barn by a former ally and fellow fighter named Mihail, who was bribed by the [Young Turks](/source/Young_Turks) to assassinate him. The bribed murderer had fled to Monastir but was quickly found and executed before the news got out that Rakovitis was killed. Pavlos Rakovitis was buried at a hidden location near the village so there wouldn't be proof of his death and prevent enemies from boldly taking control of the area.

## Legacy

In 1960, a bust of Pavlos Rakovitis was erected in his birthplace of [Kratero](/source/Kratero).

In 1999, the "Pavlos Rakovitis" nature education and landscaping association was founded in Kratero.

Rakovitis is considered a folk hero, particularly by people from the region of [Florina](/source/Florina). The Society Of Kratero Melbourne, Australia and The Benevolent Association of Kratero in Toronto, Canada both use depictions of Rakovitis as their official logo.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Koliopoulos1999_1-0)** Giannēs Koliopoulos (1999). [*Λεηλασία Φρονημάτων: Το Μακεδονικό Ζήτημα Στα Χρόνια Της Κατοχής Και Του Εμφυλίου Πολέμου Στη Δυτική Μακεδονία, 1941-1949*](https://books.google.com/books?id=3hFahiZflJoC&pg=PA268). C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. 268–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-85065-381-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85065-381-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Dakin, D. 1993, p. 103

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Vacalopoulos, A.E., Modern History of Macedonia 1830-1912 pp. 189–194

v t e Hellenic Macedonian Committee Macedonian Committee Ion Dragoumis Stefanos Dragoumis Dimitrios Kalapothakis Germanos Karavangelis Pavlos Melas Georgios Pentzikis Makedonomachoi (with nom de guerre) Theodoros Adam Sarantis-Tellos Agapinos (Agras) Michail Anagnostakos (Matapas) Charalambos Boufidis (Fourtounas) Theodoros Boulasikis Ioannis Boubaras Antigonos Choleris Petros Christou Konstantinos Christou (Kottas) Nikolaos Dailakis Panagiotis Danglis (Parmenion) Stergios Daoutis (Perifanos) Nikolaos Davelis Ioannis Demertzis Ioannis Demestichas (Nikiforos) Christos Dogiamas (Itsos) Dimitrios Dogiamas (Bikas) Lazos Dogiamas (Barovitsalis) Konstantinos Dogras Georgios Doitsinis Nikolaos Doumpiotis (Amyntas) Periklis Drakos Ioannis Evaggelopoulos Doukas Gaitatzis (Zervas) Konstantinos Garefis Dimitrios Golnas Nikolaos Gousios Stergios Goutas Pavlos Gyparis Petros Hatzitasis Simos Ioannidis (Armenskiotis) Georgios Kakoulidis (Dragas) Nikostratos Kalomenopoulos (Nidas) Pantelis Kandilas Efthymios Kaoudis (Old Kaoudis) Filippos Kapetanopoulos Georgios Karaiskakis Ioannis Karavitis Georgios Katechakis (Rouvas) Dimitrios Kechagias (Dalipis) Nikolaos Kollias Georgios Kondylis Alexandros Kontoulis (Skourtis) Stavros Kotsopoulos (Banitsiotis) Evangelos Koukoudeas Theodoros Koukoulakis Georgios Koutles Pavlos Kyrou Dimitrios Lalas Georgios Lepidatos (Arkoudas) Traianos Liantzakis (Traikos) Nikolaos Manos Konstantinos Manos (Michailidis) Petros Manos (Vergos) Ioannis Martzios Apostolis Matopoulos Konstantinos Mazarakis-Ainian (Akritas) Pavlos Melas (Mikis Zezas) Alexandros Merentitis (Doukas) Georgios Modis Evangelos Natsis (Srebreniotis) Pavlos Nikolaidis (Rakovitis) Alexandros Othonaios (Palamidis) Markos Palamidis Pantelis Papaioannou (Nikotsaras) Konstantinos Papastavrou (Mavromatis) Iraklis Patikas Filolaos Pichion (Filotas) Nikolaos Pyrzas (Lakis) Stavros Rigas (Kavodoros) Nikolaos Rokas (Kolios) Michail Sapkas Dimitrios Sarros Georgios Savvas Georgios Seridis (Spanos) Ioannis Simanikas Michael Sionidis Konstantinos Sorros (Kallas) Georgios Soulios Spyros Spyromilios (Bouas) Dimitrios Stagas (Mizas) Athanasios Stavroudis Christos Stogiannidis (Lilis or Iason) Markos Theodoridis Georgios Thomopoulos (Gogos) Georgios Tombras (Roupakias) Ioannis Tsangaridis Lazaros Tsamis Dimitrios Tsapanos Nikolaos Tsipouras Dimitrios Tsitsimis Christos Tsolakopoulos (Rembelos) Georgios Tsontos (Vardas) Lazaros Varzis (Zarkadas) Zisis Verros Ioannis Villioglou (Ramnalis) Stergios Vlachveis Argyrios Vouzas Zisis Vrakas Georgios Yiotas (Gonos) Antonios Zois Consular officials & undercover agents Ion Dragoumis Athanasios Exadaktylos (Antoniou) Lambros Koromilas Spyridon Levidis Alexandros Mazarakis-Ainian (Ioannidis) Anastasios Pichion Ptolemaios Sarigiannis (Kalamidis) Museums Museum for the Macedonian Struggle (Thessaloniki) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Kastoria) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Chromio) Museum of the Macedonian Struggle (Skopje) Folklore Museum of Giannitsa Pavlos Melas Museum Captain Kottas Museum

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pavlos Rakovitis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlos_Rakovitis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlos_Rakovitis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.