Background
Tane Nikolov was born in Haskovo in the family of Nikola Zhekov and Rada Stoeva who both come from the village of Gorski izvor near Dimitrovgrad.
Tane Nikolov was born in Haskovo in the family of Nikola Zhekov and Rada Stoeva who both come from the village of Gorski izvor near Dimitrovgrad.
Tane finished first grade in Haskovo in the already liberated Bulgaria.
Nikolov was also participant in the wars for National unification of Bulgaria. In the end of June 1902 he quit the army and joined the revolutionary movement in Eastern Thrace. From 1903 Tane Nikolov lead his own division with which he took part in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising.
Afterwards, in July 1904, he headed the bombing of a Turkish train and the unsuccessful assault of a train station.
His division entered constant battles with the authorities during one of which in December 1904, Tane was wounded. Despite that just weeks later they entered another battle.
In 1906 Tane moved from Thrace to Florina in the region of Macedonia (what is now Greek Macedonia). A year later he became voivode of the regions of Prilep and Veles.
During the whole year he battled Turkish and Serbian forces.
In July 1907 Tane headed the united divisions of the organization in what turned to be the biggest battle against the authorities after the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising. Fifty-four revolutionaries lost their lives in the battle of "Nozhot" (the Knife) which was later sung in songs by the people and celebrated during Serbian rule. In March 1908 he attended the IMARO congress near the town of Kyustendil as a delegate from the region of Bitola.
As a consequent he is appointed inspector of all revolutionary divisions in Western Macedonia.
He was among the leading members of the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, Internal Western Outland Revolutionary Organisation and the leader of the Internal Thracian Revolutionary Organisation.
