Battle of Sliva (1903) in Macedonia

On 12 August 1903, during the Ilinden uprising, about forty Macedonian rebels defended the town of Krushevo from a three‑thousand‑strong Ottoman force near the village of Sliva. The fierce fighting halted the Ottoman advance and allowed the civilian population to retreat.

Among the fallen were Zlata Veleva Bogeska and Cvetko Stojchev Korunovski, whose bodies were discovered in an embrace. Their tragic death has been described as a Shakespeare‑like love story. Historian Zoran Bogeski of the Krushevo Historical Museum recounts the battle and the poignant tale, noting that Ottoman troops permitted locals to retrieve the bodies five days after the clash.

The episode remains one of the most dramatic episodes of the Ilinden uprising, symbolising both the sacrifice of the Krushevo Republic and a poignant personal romance.