Ferdinand I of Bulgaria

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Ferdinand I - Фердинанд I; Vienna, February 26, 1861-Coburg, February 10 September 1948), was Prince and later Tsar of Bulgaria. During his long reign, Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire and engaged in various wars to expand its territory. He was forced to abdicate after the country's defeat in World War I in 1918 and lived in exile from then until his death in 1948.

Youth

Ferdinand was born in Vienna and was a prince of the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He was the son of Augustus of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1818-1881) and Clementine of Orleans (1817-1907), and therefore great-nephew of Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Duke of Saxe-Coburg, and of Leopold I, first King of the Belgians. Her father was also the brother of the Prince Consort of Portugal, and cousin of Victoria I of the United Kingdom and her husband Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He was also a maternal grandson of Louis Philippe I of France and first cousin of Empress Carlota of Mexico. The ducal family from which Ferdinand came had ascended to the throne in various European countries, and Ferdinand did the same in Bulgaria.

Ferdinand was proclaimed Prince Regent of Bulgaria on July 7, 1887, ten months after the abdication of his predecessor, Alexander I of Bulgaria.

The government of the country was controlled, however, by the liberal Stefan Stambolov, who promoted relations with Russia.

Family

Fernando I of Bulgaria in his youth.

Ferdinand I fulfilled his role as founder of a dynasty by marrying Princess María Luisa de Borbón-Parma, daughter of Roberto I of Parma, on April 20, 1893. With her he had four children:

• The Tsar Boris III (1894-1943)
• Prince Cyril (1895-1945), without succession. He was shot.
• Princess Eudoxia (1898-1985), without succession.
• Princess Nadezhda (1899-1958), married to Alberto, Duke of Württemberg.

Following the death of his wife on 31 January 1899 and that of his own mother (who had acted largely as Bulgaria's royal consort) in 1907, Ferdinand married Princess Eleanor Reuss-Köstritz, on 28 February 1908. There were no descendants from this last union.

Fernando's bisexuality was well known and was exploited in European diplomatic circles. His periodic vacations on Capri, which during the era was a well-known gathering place for upper-class homosexuals, were widely known at royal courts throughout Europe. Some dignitaries and visitors sometimes sought Fernando's favor by being accompanied by attractive young men whose intimate services they offered him. The anecdote is told that during the First World War the Minister of War went to King Fernando's headquarters to discuss an extremely urgent matter, and discovered that Fernando had gone to have a picnic in the countryside with a young man he had met.

Prince of Bulgaria

Ferdinand had great power in national politics thanks to the power to entrust the government to one party or another. Russophobic, the fate of his predecessor on the Bulgarian throne exacerbated this tendency. He supported the nationalist ideal of territorial expansion, even if this required supporting Russophile governments far removed from his personal preferences.

In 1897, the Austro-Russian agreement by which the two powers agreed to defend the situation in the Balkans against any attempt at change frustrated the maneuvers of Ferdinand, who needed the antagonism between Austria-Hungary and Russia to advance towards his objectives in foreign policy: the pact between them paralyzed Fernando. His greatest successes in foreign policy were due to taking advantage of the rivalry between the two nations, although his constant changes in alignment between the two earned him criticism of inconstancy in his alliances. The paralysis of territorial changes in the Balkans imposed by the pact exacerbated the discontent in the region, especially due to the situation in Macedonia, under Ottoman rule, an area with a great mixture of cultures and an objective of neighboring countries. This region concentrated the activity of Ferdinand and Bulgaria in the following years and led to disputes with neighboring nations. The arrival of tens of thousands of Macedonian refugees during the 1890s, the abundance of Macedonians in the Bulgarian capital (about half the population), the disagreement of the Bulgarian-Macedonians with the borders drawn at the Berlin Congress of 1878 and the formation of organizations to achieve the end of Ottoman sovereignty in the region influenced the Bulgarian politics of the time. The growth of discontent and the opposition of the powers to any change put Fernando in difficulties.

In 1899 he replaced the Russophile Stoilov with the Austrophile Dimitar Grekov, which earned him reconciliation with the Austro-Hungarian court and an honorable reception in Vienna. A few months later, however, Grekov gave way to a new ministry favorable to Russia when Ferdinand began planning his marriage to a Russian grand duchess. By then, control of Bulgarian politics allowed Ferdinand to control political parties and change the Councils of Ministers at will, according to what he considered the needs of the foreign policy of the country. His great diplomatic ability, his connections with the European nobility, his intelligence and ambition were recognized, on the other hand, by Bulgarian politicians, who considered them beneficial for their aspirations abroad. On the other hand, Ferdinand also displayed flaws as a ruler: he was a mediocre administrator who was bored with day-to-day management, bored with finances, had a tendency to waste money, and had zero military knowledge and inclination for war. Ferdinand preferred diplomacy by force.

In August 1903, an anti-Turkish uprising in Macedonia failed and was harshly suppressed by the authorities, leading to the arrival of another 30,000 refugees in Bulgaria. The powers imposed a program of reforms on the region to try to calm the situation while Ferdinand was under increasing pressure to declare war on the Ottoman Empire. On the other hand, the Russian defeat in the war with Japan led to a new change of government in Sofia, this time favorable to Vienna.

In January 1908, he announced his engagement to German Princess Eleanor Reuss-Köstritz, a year older and known for her work with the Red Cross in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War. She was believed to have agreed to marry Ferdinand for the possibility of carrying out charitable works and improving the functioning of Bulgarian hospitals. The wedding was celebrated twice, once according to the Catholic rite and once according to the Orthodox rite. The marriage, from Ferdinand's point of view, was to serve to achieve a wife who would take care of his four children, accompany him in official acts, and take charge of the charitable works of the royal house, without requiring affection or attention.

Tsar of Bulgaria

Royal monogram of Fernando I of Bulgaria

He assumed the title of Tsar of Bulgaria after the declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire on October 5, 1908, during the Bosnian crisis. The declaration was proclaimed in the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Tírnovo. It was the title of Bulgarian rulers since Simeon I of Bulgaria's recognition as emperor by the pope in 926. Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia the next day and Russian displeasure at not obtaining the opening of the Black Sea straits to The change ended Austro-Russian cooperation in the region and ended the political balance that had been maintained since 1897. Again thanks to the rivalry between the two powers, he managed to get Russia to pay its compensation to the Empire for its declaration of independence (which the Empire demanded as compensation for the loss of the province) to try to regain his influence over Bulgaria, while the Government of Vienna granted him a large loan in December to counter the Russian manoeuvre. Ferdinand, however, continued without clearly allying himself with neither of them.

The Balkan Wars

After the recognition of his new title by Russia, the Ottoman Empire and gradually by the other powers, Ferdinand's main concern returned to being the situation in Macedonia. In 1911, faced with the ineffectiveness of the reforms, a new cabinet The Russophile led by Ivan Evstratiev Geshov took office and began negotiating with Serbia and Greece about possible actions against the Ottoman Empire. The government changed the constitution so that the monarch could sign secret pacts, without the approval of the Bulgarian courts, which guaranteed the secret of Fernandina diplomacy.

Swift Bulgarian victories in the first inter-Balkan conflict excited the less-martial Ferdinand, who saw himself as the liberator of Constantinople from the Turks. Disagreements with the Allies led Ferdinand and his government to request Russian mediation, much to the chagrin from public opinion, which preferred war to gain control of Macedonia. The Bulgarian commanders also advised the attack.

Finally, the Commander-in-Chief gave the order to attack the Greek and Serbian lines on June 28, with Ferdinand's consent, but without the Government's. The Second Balkan War (October 1912-July 1913) ended with the defeat of Bulgaria against Serbia, Greece and Romania, having to cede several territorial gains that it had achieved at the expense of the Ottoman Empire during the first Balkan War, as well as the territory of Dobruya, which passed to Romania. The military defeat significantly undermined Ferdinand's popularity. The defeat undermined Ferdinand's main political advantage in European politics: the flexibility that had drawn him closer now to Austria-Hungary, now to Russia. His desire to destroy Serbia and nullifying the consequences of the Treaty of Bucharest forced him to align himself with the Austro-Hungarians, as the Russians were Serbia's main champions. In the winter of 1913, while visiting Vienna, Ferdinand tried to achieve the Austro-Hungarian alliance to no avail. of the Austro-Hungarian heir in Sarajevo in the summer of 1914, the roles were reversed: it was from then on the Austro-Hungarians who, once they had obtained German support for their ultimatum to Serbia and determined to put an end to it, insistently sought an alliance with Bulgaria. During the summer crisis that led to the war, Ferdinand avoided compromising with the Austro-Hungarians and maintained his neutrality in the conflict for the first year with the aim that the war would serve Bulgaria to terminate the Treaty of Bucharest.

World War I

Fernando together with the other sovereigns of the Central Powers he joined during the First World War.

On October 11, 1915, the Bulgarian Army attacked Serbia after signing an alliance treaty with Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, causing the country's entry into World War I. At first Bulgaria defeated Serbia and seized the disputed territory of Macedonia. However, in the following two years, the Bulgarian army was forced to go on the defensive against the Allied Armies located in Greece. A part of the Bulgarian Army participated in the invasion and conquest of Romania in 1916, recovering the territory of Dobrudja.

In 1917 Ferdinand was opposed to the German plan to unleash a total submarine war and expressed his preference for an immediate peace through German concessions to France. By then Ferdinand wanted an end to the conflict and informal contacts with the Allies followed., probably with his consent. He was aware at the time of the threat of German invasion in the event of signing a separate peace with the Entente.

At the end of 1918, with the course of the war clearly in favor of the Allies, the Bulgarian Army was defeated on the Greek border. On September 25, it accepted the release of the agrarian leader Alexander Stamboliski, to whom it requested to use his influence to calm the troops, who were marching on the capital. Stamboliski's ambiguous mediation was unsuccessful but the revolution failed. On the same day he consented to the cabinet sending a delegation to negotiate an armistice with the Allies, which ended up being signed on the 29th of the month in Thessaloniki. After the defeat, King Ferdinand I abdicated on October 3, 1918 in his son Boris III and went into exile in Coburg the following night. In a characteristic gesture, before going abroad, he visited their greenhouses and gardens in Vrana, where he caught a rare butterfly.

Bulgaria surrendered to the Allies and had to cede the territories conquered during the war and its access to the Aegean Sea by the Treaty of Neuilly.

Exile and death

Fernando in the gardens of Coburg during his exile. After his abdication, he returned to his possessions in Germany and devoted himself to his natural science studies.

After his abdication, Ferdinand retired to his family estates in Coburg, Germany. He had managed to keep much of his personal assets to live comfortably. His train stopped in Austro-Hungarian territory, where he and his daughters were allowed to spend the night in Ebenthal after numerous objections. The next day, the royal train left for Coburg. The German government had consented to Ferdinand's return to his homes. family possessions and retain his honorary rank of German field marshal. Despite being offered to live at Ehrenburg Castle, he retired to a villa he had acquired before the war. Despite his "poor" image exiled", Ferdinand enjoyed his new situation and was in a good economic situation, especially compared to the other sovereigns who had lost their States due to the war. In 1920 he managed to recover certain titles deposited in the Bank of England and became millionaire in pounds

In the mid-1920s, he managed to win another lawsuit against the German government, which was forced to pay him substantial sums. He also recovered his former possessions in Hungarian territory, then already part of Czechoslovakia.

In exile he was able to pursue his interest in nature without problems and built aviaries on his estates in Coburg, as well as attending ornithology congresses. He traveled frequently, to South America, East Africa and, especially, to Egypt, which fascinated him. He also attended the Wagnerian festivals in nearby Bayreuth.

In 1930, he briefly left his retirement to attend the wedding of his son Boris to the Italian princess Juana de Saboya, the third daughter of the Italian monarch Victor Emmanuel, in Assisi. Two years later he again attended a wedding of the Coburg family in which he appeared dressed as a Bulgarian field marshal, a uniform he confessed to having designed for himself.

He considered his exile one of the setbacks of governing. On one occasion he commented: & # 34;The exiled kings are more philosophical in difficulties than ordinary individuals; but our philosophy is mainly the result of tradition and lineage, and it must not be forgotten that pride is an important element for a monarch. We are disciplined from the day of our birth and taught to avoid any outward sign of emotion. The model is always with us. We may end up assassinated, we may end up abdicating, but it serves to remind us to expect the unexpected. Therefore we are prepared for everything and nothing constitutes a catastrophe. The main objective of life is to bear any bodily or spiritual exile with dignity. Falling into despair is an invitation for the world to devour you".

Unlike Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Ferdinand I was able to sacrifice himself so that the Bulgarian monarchy would survive. He agreed to pass the throne on to his son. He was unaffected by the exile and spent most of the rest of his life engaged in art, gardening, travel, and natural history. His eldest son and successor, Boris III, died under mysterious circumstances after returning from a visit to Adolf Hitler in 1943. His grandson Simeon II succeeded his father only to be deposed by the communists in the fall of 1946, who ended to the Bulgarian monarchy after a plebiscite that gave a majority to the republic. After the end of the monarchy, a communist republic was established that ordered the execution of his second son Kyrill (February 1, 1945). Upon receiving the news of the death of his son, Fernando I said: "Everything is collapsing around me".

He died depressed and sad in Burgassschloßen, in Coburg, Germany, on the night of September 10, 1948, accompanied by his two daughters. He was buried in the church of St. Augustine.

Honors

Bulgarians

• Great Cross of St. Alexander, in Diamonds, 27 May 1883
• Founder and Grand Master of the Order of Civil Merit, 1891
• Founder and Grand Master of the Military Merit Order, 19 May 1900
• Founder and Grand Master of the Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius, 18 May 1909

Foreign

Ancestors

Predecessor: Alejandro I	Prince of Bulgaria 7 July 1887 - 5 October 1908	Successor: Himself as Zar of Bulgaria
Predecessor: Himself as Prince of Bulgaria	Zar de Bulgaria 5 October 1908 - 3 October 1918	Successor: Boris III