Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria

January 1894

An Heir Is Born

Prince Boris was born in the early hours of the day on January 30, 1894, in Sofia - the first-born son of TRH Prince Ferdinand and Princess Marie Louise. 101 gun salutes announced the birth of an heir apparent to the Bulgarian Throne - an event that last occurred back in Medieval times.

The news was met with immense joy and excitement. Only hours after the Prince's birth, the gardens of the royal palace began to fill up with cheering crowds. Men were waving their hats as a sign of respect, while ladies were chanting blessings for the wellbeing of the newborn.

Despite the icy winter weather on the day, HRH Prince Ferdinand I briefly held the newlyborn heir in His hands, while standing on the balcony of the royal palace. This was the first of many occasions when the Knyaz (and future Tsar) Boris would greet His subjects on this balcony...

1894 - 1912

The First 18 Years

Not long after the birth of the Heir to the Bulgarian Throne, due to lasting international isolation and increasing diplomatic pressure by Imperial Russia, Knyaz Ferdinand I made the difficult decision for the Heir to be re-baptised as an Orthodox Christian - the religion of the land and the religion of the ruling Monarch, as set in the Constitution.

Knyaz of Tarnovo (or Knyaz Tarnovski), as His official title as Heir dictated, was home-schooled at the Palace School by the most revered professors in the country. Once He reached adolescence, he enlisted in the Cadets' course of the Military (of His Royal Highness) school and eventually graduated the full course of the school in 1912.

In 1912 the Bulgarian Heir to the Throne celebrated His 18th birthday. A grand reception was organised, which hosted a large number of foreign royals.

1912 - 1918

The War Years

The [First] Balkan War broke out in October 1912. The allied Balkan states attacked the Ottoman Empire in a bid to redraw the borders on the Balkans.

Having only recently reached adulthood, Knyaz Boris, similarly to thousands of other officers, was mobilised in the army. Despite being the Heir apparent, Knyaz Boris was nevertheless sent to the front lines where he was a liaison officer, distributing orders between the various regiments and detachments.

With only a brief peace time interval and while still recovering after the Balkan wars, Bulgaria entered the Great War in the early autumn of 1915. Knyaz Boris was once again in the trenches. Through His courage and personal example, he earned the respect of both the regular soldier and the high-ranking officers, fighting alongside Him.

1919-1929

The Young Tsar

With the tragic end of the Great War, Tsar Ferdinand I had to resign in favour of His eldest son. On October 3rd, 1918, Boris ascended the Bulgarian Throne as Tsar Boris III.

Barely 24 years old, Tsar Boris III had a very challenging task - overseeing the healing of the fractured Bulgarian society, as well as improving its strained economy. The political tensions of the period were in the extremes. Leftist circles were organising armed mutinies, terrorist attacks and at least two attempted assassinations of Tsar Boris III were carried out in 1925 alone. Fearing a scenario, similar to that which happened in Russia, the Bulgarian government conducted an equally harsh policy of political repression towards the left-wing forces.

The first decade of the reign of the new Monarch was very complicated. Nevertheless, Tsar Boris III managed to steer the Throne away from danger and by the end of the decade was proving Himself as a capable and wise Monarch.

1930

Marriage

The political tensions in Bulgaria, coupled with its international isolation after the Great War have also had their impact on the marital prospects of the young Tsar. In the second part of the 1920s however, speculations of possible matches started to float around in the press.

Tsar Boris III married the daguhter of the Italian King - Princess Giovanna of Savoy. The ceremony was held in the small town of Assisi on October 25th, 1930, followed by an Orthodox blessing, once the newlyweds arrived in the Bulgarian capital soon after.

The royal wedding was one of the most celebrated events in Bulgaria during the interwar period. Bulgaria's royal dynasty was regaining strength and would soon increase in number with the birth of HRH Princess Marie Louise (b.1933) and the Heir apparent - HRH Knyaz Simeon (b.1937).

1931 - 1938

At The Helm Amid a Storm

Following a series of internal political clashes and several coups, by 1935 Tsar Boris III was practically in control over the government. This period is often described as a time of prosperity and economic growth for Bulgaria.

In 1937, during a grand military parade, Bulgaria demonstrated the results of years of consistent improvement and growth of its army, thus symbolically denouncing the harsh clauses of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Sen. This act was a logical consequence of the improving international position of the country, keeping in mind the political reality of Europe at that time.

In that very same year the Bulgarian dynasty was additionally strengthened when a male Heir was born. Similarly to the events in 1894, the country was celebrating its new Price, who was named after one of the greatest Tsars in Bulgarian history - Simeon.

1939 - 1943

A World at War

In September 1939, the world was once again engulfed in war. However, Bulgarians considered the initial conflicts to be far enough for them not to consider this as a danger to the Golden era which the country enjoyed at the time.

Global events have soon altered this false impression, as Bulgaria was soon part of the Tripartite pact, administering territories in Greece and Yugoslavia, which were initially occupied by the Germans. This military administration on behalf of the Bulgarian army was considered a phase on the path of possible future annexation of those territories, once the war was over.

With significant efforts, Tsar Boris III was able to prevent the military participation of Bulgaria in the Nazi war in the east, while secretly searching for any possible peaceful exit from the war for Bulgaria. Unfortunately, the Tsar's unexpected death prevented the fruition of any of these plans.

August 1943

A Nation In Mourning

On 28th August 1943, the church bells across Bulgaria were tolling to signify the sudden and unexpected death of Tsar Boris III. The nation felt orphaned and broken amid the uncertain times of a world war.

Rumours about the real cause of death of Tsar Boris III quickly began to gain supporters. The theory of the intentional poisoning remains a highly disputed topic, with the culprit often being of the faction of one's ideological adversary.

With the death of the Tsar, the tightly knit governmental system started to quickly unravel and fall victim to foreign political pressure, as well as internal infighting. A Regency council was established in order to exercise political power on behalf of the new head of stage, the six-year-old Tsar Simeon II.

1943 - ∞

Legacy

Due to ideological prejudice and ignorance, we do not know where Tsar Boris III's grave is today. It has been demolished and erased during the times of the People's Republic of Bulgaria.

The Tsar's legacy also remains alive today, despite the reputational damage, inflicted by the Communist era and its agenda. The memory of the Popular Tsar lives on in the numerous stories that some of our grandparents used to tell - of that one time they had a random encounter with a humble, well-dressed man while hunting in a remote forest; or when the victims of natural disasters received a large sum of money, helping them to rebuild their home.

The legacy was also preserved outside the boundaries of Bulgaria, as in the case of the descendants of the 48,000 Bulgarian Jews, saved from perishing in the Nazi extermination camps. These people still recognise the key role of the Bulgarian Royal house during Europe's darkest years.