Alekso Obetkovski
Alekso Obetkovski | |
|---|---|
 Obetkovski in 1880 | |
| Born | June 13, 1821 |
| Died | November 17, 1899 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | Syaran |
| Known for | Abolitionism |
Alekso Obetkovski was a Syaran politician, philosopher, and abolitionist best known for his campaigns to bring about the end of Serfdom in Syara.
Born in Sena in the Kingdom of Makedon on 13 June, 1821, Obetkovski was raised in a middle-class family before departing his home to attend university. While studying the history of agriculture in the Kingdom of Galania he bore witness to the plight of Galanian serfs, many of whom worked in appalling conditions and had been tied down to their land for generations. The onset of the Galanian-Ruvelkan War only further burdened the Galanian peasantry, and Obetkovski altered his studies to focus on the concept of slavery within historical Syara. After graduating he joined with like minded students and began affiliating with other prominent Syaran abolitionists. Although serfdom had significantly declined in Makedon since the dissolution of the Rioni Union, it still persisted in some areas and remained officially recognized. Obetkovski organized letter campaigns and authored more than a dozen newsletters and pamphlets calling for the abolishment of serfdom throughout all of Syara. He ran on a staunch anti-serfdom platform for the Makedonian Senate in 1852 and lost, but succeeded four years later.
Obetkovski delivered over a hundred speeches denouncing the practice of serfdom throughout Syara between 1860-1875 and is credited with increasing awareness of the abolitionist movement across Syara. Obetkovski was a major proponent of Syaran unification, but insisted that any pan-Syaran constitution contain explicit language outlawing the practice of slavery across the four Realms. Obetkovski's measures were largely successful and following the Ruvelkan-Makedonian War the upsurge in calls for Syaran unity were often accompanied by calls for the abolition of serfdom and the emancipation of all serfs. While the effort was resisted to a degree by Galania, the Conference of Parilla ultimately ended with the establishment of the Republic of Syara under a constitution that made the practice of slavery or serfdom illegal in Syara. Obetkovski retired from public office not long after the foundation of the Republic, and spent much of the remainder of his life arguing in favor of labor unions and protections for industrial workers and farmers. He died in 1899 at the age of 78.