Biography
Panteley was the third child born to Georgi Kiselov and his wife Tomitsa Kiselova. His three brothers were named Simeon, Iliya and Angel and his two sisters were named Elena and Eudikia. Georgi was a wealthy merchant who desired his children to succeed him in the family business and accordingly took special care for their education, enrolling them in the local school of Svishtov and even hiring a personal tutor to oversee their progress. Panteley was eager to study foreign languages, especially French, and a special relation with his tutor Georgi Borov who provided the young boy with the various books he was interested in.
On 28 June 1877, Russian units crossed the Danube, liberated Svishtov and established their base of operations in the town. The soldiers were met with euphoria by the local Bulgarian population, including the then fourteen-year-old Panteley Kiselov. The boy interacted with different Russian officers and soldiers and expressed a desire to serve in the military. After the war he learned that a military school was to be opened in the new Bulgarian capital of Sofia and decided to continue his education there. Georgi Kiselov support the decision of his son but soon after he lost a great part of his fortune in unsuccessful business deals, succumbed to illness and died.
In 1880, Panteley was also wounded accidentally by his younger brother Angel who was playing with a Russian revolver without realizing that the gun was loaded. Still he was able to recover from the wound and enter the Sofia Military school in 1880. During the years in the school, he learned Russian and once again proved to be an excellent student. On 30 July 1883, the students celebrated their graduation by parading in honor of Prince Alexander Batenberg, who was celebrating his name day and from whom the young soldiers received their first promotion to officer rank. Following the graduation Panteley Kiselov was assigned to the 15th Infantry Battalion, which at the time was stationed in his home town of Svishtov.
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