After the coup on May 19, 1934, the regime of personal power of Tsar Boris was established. In 1930 he married the daughter of Victor Emmanuel III - Giovanna Savoy.

bulg.
Tsar of Bulgaria 3 october - August 28
Predecessor	Ferdinand I
Successor	Simeon II
Birth	January 30(1894-01-30 ) Sofia, Principality of Bulgaria
Death	August 28(1943-08-28 ) [...] (49 years old) Sofia, Bulgarian Kingdom
Burial place	Rila Monastery Vrana unknown
Genus	Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty
Father	Ferdinand I
Mother	Maria Louise of Bourbon-Parma
Spouse	Yoanna of Savoy
Children	Maria Louise, Simeon
Education	National Military University named after Vasil Levsky
Activity	politician
Religion	Catholicism, later - Orthodoxy
Autograph
Awards
Rank	general of infantry, lieutenant general, major general, lieutenant colonel, major, captain and lieutenant
Boris III at Wikimedia Commons

Before accession to the throne

Birth and baptism

Upbringing and education

Nevertheless, Boris took life in the palace with his father, a man of an authoritarian type, rather hard, and called it a "prison".

In January 1906 he entered the Military School with the rank of lieutenant. He graduated in 1912 with the 32nd release and received the rank of captain.

Political events before accession

In January 1912 Boris came of age. Before that, he considered himself an adherent of two branches of Christianity - Orthodox and Catholic - but after that he confessed only Orthodoxy. In the same month he was awarded the rank of captain. Nine months later, the First Balkan War began, in which Serbs, Greeks, Montenegrins and Bulgarians united against the Ottoman Empire to liberate Macedonia. Boris participated in the war as a liaison officer at the Army Headquarters, and was often on the front lines.

Despite the victory in the war, Bulgaria and its allies were unable to share the fruits of the victory. Then Bulgaria decided to attack its former allies and began in 1913 the Second Balkan War for the partition of Macedonia. Boris was again in the active army. The war ended in disaster for Bulgaria, since most of the army suffered from a cholera epidemic. Boris, who watched all this, became a staunch pacifist at the end of the war.

After such a military fiasco, Ferdinand's abdication from the throne seemed inevitable. Boris was offered to leave the palace, go to the troops, so as not to be associated with his father's policy and prepare for his accession to the throne. He refused, answering: "I do not hold on to power, if the monarch leaves, I will leave with him." Ferdinand did not renounce, and Boris was sent to a higher military school, where he was kept in the same conditions as other cadets. In 1915, Boris graduated from the Military Academy.

The beginning of the reign

Accession to the throne

Bulgaria under Ferdinand suffered several major military defeats:

• In the Second Balkan War, as a result of which Bulgaria was forced to transfer significant territories to its neighbors, and was also forced to pay reparations to them;
• In the First World War, as a result of which, under the Neuijsk Peace Treaty, she lost further territories, including access to the Aegean Sea, and had to pay significant reparations to the winners.

The population was dissatisfied, and the countries that won the war demanded the abdication of Ferdinand from the throne. He fulfilled this requirement, renounced in favor of his son, and with the other three children went into exile in his hometown Coburg. On October 3, 1918, under these circumstances, Prince Boris ascended the Bulgarian throne under the name of Boris III.

The beginning of the reign was unsuccessful. Boris did not have enough experience and was cut off from his family (he did not see his two sisters until the end of 1921 and his brother Kirill until 1926). Two crop failures in 1918, the rationing system and foreign occupation caused an increased activity of the ultra-left parties: the Agricultural Union and the Communists. Of all the countries that lost the First World War, only Bulgaria retained the monarchy.

Early years

On October 6, 1919, elections brought the Bulgarian Agricultural People's Union (BZNS) to power and the tsar was forced to appoint its leader, Alexander Stamboliyskiy, as prime minister. Bulgaria was a predominantly agricultural country and the prime minister was extremely popular with the peasants. He quickly expressed his hostility to both the middle class and the army, and the very idea of ​​monarchy.

In Berlin, Boris III met with Hitler, and therefore the legend was widespread that the Fuhrer poisoned the Bulgarian king. It truly reflects the true essence of the relationship between Boris III and Hitler, which was never friendly. Meanwhile, the opinion was firmly established in the domestic consciousness that during World War II Bulgaria attacked the USSR in 1941, although not a single Bulgarian soldier had ever crossed the Soviet border, and diplomatic relations were maintained between the two states until 1944.

Boris III was the godson of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and always kept a prayerful memory of him. The tsar understood that Russia and the Bolshevik regime are completely different things. Until 1934, when Boris established autocratic rule in the country, the communists and leftist forces constantly sought to overthrow the monarchy. Since 1934, the pressure of Nazi Germany began on Bulgaria. Since the fall of 1940, both Berlin and Moscow badly needed Bulgaria as an important bridgehead in the Balkans. On October 16, 1940, Hitler, in an ultimatum, demanded that Boris III join the Nazi pact. However, the tsar refused the Fuehrer several times. It was a kind of sensation: no one expected such resistance from the small Balkan country.

Meanwhile, the pressure on Boris III was also increased by Moscow, which persistently imposed an agreement on "mutual assistance" on Sofia. However, Tsar Boris, using the example of the Baltic states, was well aware that the signing of such an agreement would lead to constant interference of the USSR not only in external, but also domestic policy Bulgaria. Therefore, the tsar rejected the Soviet proposal.

Boris III resisted Hitler as best he could, realizing that an alliance with Nazi Germany did not meet the interests of Bulgaria and the dynasty. But he could not avoid this union. Meanwhile, at that time, being in the Axis Pact was not at all considered so criminal. Recall that during the meeting of Molotov with Hitler in Berlin, Nazi Germany, wanting to lull the vigilance Soviet Union, offered him entry into the pact. The USSR not only did not refuse, but began to prepare in the most active way for this entry.

On March 2, 1941, the Wehrmacht entered the territory of Bulgaria with the aim of providing assistance to his group in Greece. On the same day, Bulgaria announced its entry into the Triple Pact. However, Boris III soon succeeded in ensuring that german troops remained only along railroad leading to occupied Greece. In addition, the tsar saved the Bulgarian Jews from extermination (his memory is immortalized in Israel). Unfortunately, Boris III could not resist the joint occupation of Yugoslavia and Greece with the Germans and Italians. In December 1941, the tsar declared war on the United States and England, which led to heavy bombing of Sofia.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies declared war on the USSR. Bulgaria categorically refused to do this. When Hitler insisted, Boris III replied: "Do you want my entire army to immediately surrender?"

Tsar Boris III was buried in the Rila Monastery so beloved by him. Having come to power, the communists took away the body of the king and, most likely, destroyed it. In 1990, the heart of Tsar Boris III was found and returned to the Rila Monastery, where it rests to this day.

In the article we will talk about Boris the Tsar of Bulgaria, who is also called Boris III. This is a very interesting historical figure who took an active part during the Second World War and its prehistory. Let's get acquainted with this famous king from the earliest years of his life.

Birth

Boris (Tsar of Bulgaria) was born in 1894, January 30. The boy was born under the shots from the cannons. Thus, the royal family announced that their first son was born - the son of Tsar Ferdinand and his wife Maria of Bourbon-Parma.

The political situation in the country at that time was rather tense. The Grand Duchy was created only in 1878, it was still too young. A small Orthodox state that is a vassal Ottoman Empire and ruled by two Catholics. At that time, relations with Russia were strained, since the Russian nobility did not like the fact that a Catholic and a native of Austria-Hungary had chosen to rule Bulgaria. At the same time, one must take into account the fact that Ferdinand was chosen by the anti-Russian campaign. Despite the fact that Russia was also Orthodox, she did not want to recognize the power of the new ruler.

Prince Boris of Tarnovo was originally baptized as a Catholic, but his father thought about converting the boy to the Orthodox faith. This would help improve relations with their people and forge a more friendly relationship with Russia. However, this state of affairs could significantly worsen relations with Europe, where some rulers, in the event of such an outcome, threatened war or excommunication. However, political motives ultimately prevailed and little Boris, the Tsar of Bulgaria, was transferred to the Orthodox faith. Nicholas II became the godfather of the future ruler. Ferdinand was excommunicated for this catholic church, and his wife and second son Kirill had to disappear from the yard for a while.

Upbringing

The Bulgarian Tsar Boris was dealt with by his father's grandmother Clementine of Orleans. The fact is that the boy's mother died in January 1899, that is, almost immediately after the second daughter Nadia was born. The daughter of the King of France Louis-Philippe Clementine of Orleans also died, but much later. She left this world in 1907. Further, the education of the young ruler fell on the shoulders of his father. Ferdinand was personally involved in the selection of teachers for the Tsar of Bulgaria Boris 3. It was he who gave them instructions to be with the boy as strict as possible.

His son studied exactly the same subjects as all children in Bulgarian schools. Additionally, he also studied French and German... I must say that Boris mastered them perfectly. After that, he also learned English, Albanian and italian languages... Talented officers arrived at the palace in order to engage in the military education of the guy.

Ferdinand paid special attention to the scientific natural disciplines, and believed that they should be studied with special care. I must say that his son Boris carried his love for such sciences throughout his life. The son and father were very interested in technology and especially in locomotives. In the fall of 1910, the guy successfully passed the exam for a railway mechanic. Despite all this, Boris rather hard endured life in the palace, with all the many rituals, ceremonies and conventions, calling it a "prison". It was not so easy to get along with my father, a rather authoritarian man.

In the winter of 1906, a young man, having the rank of lieutenant, entered Military school... After 6 years, the guy graduated from college and received the title of captain.

Politics around

In September 1908, Ferdinand ascended the throne. Then he publicly announced that the country was completely independent. Since 1911, the future prince of Bulgaria Boris began to travel abroad and gradually emerge from the full tutelage of his father. At the same time, the boy became more and more popular and famous on the world stage. In 1911, the young man attended two important events. He witnessed the coronation in London and attended the funeral of Queen Mary Pia in Turin. At the same time, the young guy was not just an observer, he entered the circle of members of royal families, noble families and heads of state.

Balkan Wars

On September 1, the guy went to visit his godfather. At this time, the young man witnessed how Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin was killed at the Kiev opera. Finally, in the winter of 1912, the guy became an adult. Up to this point, the future tsar associated himself with both Catholics and Orthodox, but after coming of age he admitted that he was only faithful to Orthodoxy. As we already know, in the same year he received the official rank of captain. And literally 9 months later, the First Balkan War began, in which the unification of Serbs, Montenegrins, Greeks and Bulgarians opposed the ruler of the Ottoman Empire in order to reconquer Macedonia. Boris took a direct part in the war as a liaison officer, and repeatedly visited the front line.

Despite the fact that they still managed to win, the union of the winners simply could not share the fruits of their work. Then Bulgaria decided to take active steps and launch an attack on its former allies in order to divide Macedonia. This was the beginning of the Second Balkan War. In this case, the Tsar of Bulgaria Boris again took part in the course of the war. The war ended in defeat, as a large number of soldiers suffered from cholera. Young Boris, who was observing the situation, became a pacifist after this incident.

Renunciation

After such an outcome of events, it seemed that there was no other way out except for the abdication of Ferdinand from the throne. The advisers believed that Boris should immediately leave the palace and go to the ranks of the regular army. For a while, he had to separate from his father, so as not to be associated with his rule. However, the guy himself said that he would not hold on to power, and if the monarch leaves, then his son will also leave the palace. However, everything did not happen at all as expected around. Ferdinand did not abdicate, and Boris was sent to the Military Academy.

In 1915, Ferdinand decided to enter the First World War, but Boris did not support the decision. Great Britain and France learned about this and recognized him as king in 1918.

Throne

First of all, it should be noted that under the previous king, the country suffered several defeats. At first it was the Second Balkan War, due to which Bulgaria lost territory and even paid reparations. The second defeat was the First World War, as a result of which the country again lost its territories and access to the Aegean Sea, paid reparations. The population was dissatisfied, other rulers did not want to recognize the king. He abdicated in favor of his son and in the fall of 1918 Boris ascended the throne.

His reign did not start very well, as he lacked experience, he could not communicate with his family. In addition, crop failure, foreign occupation and the rationing system affected. All this led to an increase in the activity of the ultra-left parties. It should be added that from all countries participating in the First World War, only Bulgaria retained monarchical rule.

First time

In 1919, the Bulgarian Agricultural People's Union won the election. The tsar had to appoint Alexander of Stamboliyskiy as prime minister. Since Bulgaria remained an agrarian country, Alexander was loved by the people. The man showed negative attitude to the army and the middle class, to the monarchical system and tried to build an authoritarian rule. Boris the Tsar of Bulgaria has more than once expressed his dissatisfaction with him, but nothing has changed.

In the summer of 1923, a military coup took place, as a result of which Stamboliyskiy was shot, and the leader of the movement, Alexander Tsankov, was appointed prime minister of the new government. This event marked the beginning of a long period of instability. In the fall, the uprising was raised by the communists, and after that the "white terror" began. As a result of the actions of terrorist and anti-terrorist forces, more than 20 thousand people died. In 1925 Greece declared war on Bulgaria. Despite the fact that the League of Nations tried to improve the situation inside the country, the situation remained extremely precarious.

Assassination attempts

In 1925, while hunting near the town of Orhaniye, Boris was assassinated, but he managed to escape in a passing car. Three days after that, in the Cathedral of Holy Week there was a funeral of the general killed during the assassination attempt on the Tsar, which was attended by many representatives of the authorities. Communists and anarchists took this opportunity to plant a bomb. The explosion happened during the ceremony itself, more than a hundred people died. Boris was late for the general's funeral service, as he was at his friend's funeral. After that, there was a wave of repression by the government, many people were arrested on suspicion of mutiny and sentenced to death.

Last years

Only in 1934 did the man get married. His chosen one was Giovanne, the daughter of Victor Emmanuel III.

In the same year, a military coup took place, which led to the complete dictatorship of Boris. Some of the tsar's ministers expressed a desire to get closer to Hitler, and the tsar did not pose any special obstacles to this. In 1938, he participated in world politics to "pacify" Hitler. As a result of the division of lands, Bulgaria received South Dobrudja, some areas of Macedonia, access to the sea. Realizing that most of his people have pro-Russian sentiments, the tsar did not declare war on the USSR and decided not to send his soldiers to the Eastern Front. Who would have thought that on August 28, 1941, Tsar Boris of Bulgaria had only one year left to live.

At the same time, the ruler managed to save about 50 thousand Jews. German troops in Bulgaria were only along the railway that led to Greece. On August 28, 1942, Tsar Boris died in Bulgaria, presumably from a heart attack. This happened a few days after the meeting with Hitler. He was succeeded by his son Simeon, who at that time was 6 years old.

On August 28, Tsar Boris died in Bulgaria under rather vague circumstances, which will be investigated more than once.

In art

On the screen, the great king was portrayed by actor Naum Shopov. In 1965 the film "The Tsar and the General" was released, and in 1976 the film "Soldiers of Freedom" was released. In the famous television series "Vangelia" the king was played by D. Dimov. The cause of death of the Tsar of Bulgaria Boris in each tape is explained in its own way. At the same time, no one believes in the natural outcome of events.

Dedicated to 111th birthday

Tsar of Bulgarians Boris III

The history of the last awarding of the highest order of Russia to the Sovereign of Bulgaria is connected with the Sacrament of Holy Baptism into Orthodoxy, performed over the August eldest son of the first Tsar of Bulgarians Ferdinand I of Saxe-Coburg-Got Boris, the former Monarch of Bulgaria in 1918-1943.
The successor to the heir to the Bulgarian throne was the Holy Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II the Long-suffering, who bestowed the highest Imperial Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called by the time Boris III reached Saxe-Coburg-Got in 1911.

Birth and hobbies of the Monarch

The last cavalier is a Bulgarian and the future Tsar from the House of Saxe-Coburg-Got, the August eldest son of Tsar Ferdinand I and Princess Mary Louise of Bourbon-Parma Boris Clement Robert Maria Pius Stanislav of Saxe-Coburg-Got was born on January 30 (February 12) 1894 in Sofia ...
The future Monarch and the last St. Andrew's Knight in the history of the highest Imperial Order of Russia studied at the National Military Academy and Sofia University.
No matter how different the characters of the Bulgarian crowned heads were, there was, of course, a lot in common between the August father and son. Both Sovereigns were the most educated people. Tsar Boris "showed, - notes in his memoirs the English envoy in Sofia Rendel, - an interest in the history of natural science and in botany. His garden on the slopes of the mountains at the country Palace in Vrana, six miles from Sofia, was one of the most beautiful in Europe, delightful and admirable, and he [the King] was always ready to help in identifying any rare plant. He loved long walks in the mountains in order to find new types of flowers and plants. "
Even in his youth, Tsarevich Boris was fond of railway technology and even passed the exam for a steam locomotive driver. The newspapers often featured photographs of the Tsar sitting in the locomotive booth. With the meticulousness of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Got, Tsar Boris III delved into many other issues. Once he amazed the British naval attaché with his knowledge of the development of the English fleet, the armament of ships and their commanders. Military science was well known to Tsar Boris III, for he graduated from the Sofia Military Academy, in the years The great war(1914-1918), while at the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Army.
The ability to conduct small talk on different topics, and, moreover, in a confidential manner, allowed Tsar Boris III to quickly win the favor of many politicians, diplomats, and representatives of the creative intelligentsia who met with him. This gift of the Tsar helped his entourage to create a halo of "wise ruler" around the Tsar's personality.
The English diplomat Buchanan, who met with him, noted that in childhood Boris, who bore the title of Prince of Tarnovsky, was “a very attractive, albeit somewhat shy, boy who was always afraid of his father, whose natural love for his son was overshadowed by an unpleasant feeling, not always hidden that the heir, may happen, someday, will replace it. "
Unlike his august father, Tsar Boris III led a relatively modest lifestyle, had a penchant for the most ordinary, everyday environment, was considered an exemplary family man; he liked to emphasize that he was a "republican Tsar", close to the needs and concerns of his subjects. The sovereign often attended mass festivities, the houses of peasants, and entered into conversations with people of "low origin".
During the years of the first and second Balkan wars, he was a major in the Bulgarian Army. During the Great War (1914-1918) - at the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief.

Kingdom wedding and reign

Tsar Boris III took the throne of Bulgaria when the situation in the world was radically changing.
Before his eyes, a powerful revolutionary wave swept away until recently the powerful dynasties of the Romanovs, Habsburgs, and Hohenzollerns. In the memory of Tsar Boris III, the heavy military defeat of the Bulgarian Army on the Thessaloniki front in September 1918, the spontaneous uprising of the soldiers and the subsequent rise of the revolutionary struggle of the Bulgarian people, was imprinted for a long time. All this, naturally, forced the Monarch to accept new historical conditions.
The sovereign could no longer afford much of what was characteristic of his August father, who ruled in an atmosphere of relative stability of political regimes in Europe. Unlike Tsar Ferdinand I, Tsar Boris III led a rather modest lifestyle, was considered an exemplary family man, did not openly express his aristocratic arrogance. He was born and raised in Bulgaria, he knew the life and customs of the people better than his August father
On October 4, 1918, after the Divine Liturgy in the Sofia Church of the Holy Resurrection, the head of the 24-year-old Major General Prince of Tarnovsky, Duke of Saxony Boris Clement Robert Maria Pius Stanislav of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was entrusted with the Bulgarian crown, and he became Boris III, Tsar of the Bulgarians.

By nature, the Tsar was the complete opposite of his August father: he did not like to appear in public, he always wore only two orders on his uniform, did not promote himself to new military ranks. For a long time he forbade minting his profile on coins. In everyday life, the Monarch was also distinguished by modesty and unpretentiousness. But that was not the main thing. Tsar Boris III was prepared from childhood for the fate of the ruler (especially since he was the only child of Tsar Ferdinand I from childhood was an Orthodox Christian), which favorably distinguished him from his predecessors. The best specialists in Bulgaria worked with him, however, higher education he could not get it - the wars of 1912-1918, in which he participated as a company commander, prevented. Everyone noted in him the talent of a statesman and intelligence, combined, however, with some indecision.

The king was carried away foreign languages and biology, was interested in cars and railway equipment, loved to drive a steam locomotive, hunted with passion, and was engaged in mountaineering.
It was not for nothing that Tsar Boris III was called the Tsar of the Bulgarians (it is appropriate to recall that Napoleon I called himself the Emperor of the French, and not the Emperor of France). Lacking a drop of Slavic blood in his veins, Tsar Boris became the first Bulgarian Tsar after liberation, whom the people really considered their ruler, and the Coronation, which took place without large-scale celebrations, was accompanied by spontaneous folk festivities.
Tsar Boris III liked to emphasize that he was a "republican Tsar", that is, close to the needs and concerns of commoners. To maintain such a reputation, the Bulgarian Monarch often attended mass festivals, the houses of peasants, entered into conversations with people of "low origin", could with demonstrative patience share the fate of soldiers marching in a parade under a thunderstorm downpour, a speck flew into the eye, or to people who had a car accident near the suburban Tsar's Palace.
During his 25-year reign, Boris III worried about the likelihood of his August father returning to Bulgaria.

Tsar Boris III stubbornly resisted the desire of the latter, at least to stay in Bulgaria. Only once, in 1933, was this accomplished. And yet Tsar Boris observed filial piety to his August father. He visited him in the family Palace in Coburg, carefully transferred the requested sums of money there and often accepted his father's political advice. Tsar Ferdinand I seemed to be invisibly present next to his August son Boris. According to the British envoy to Sofia in 1938-1941 J. Rendel, this was especially felt during a visit to the study of the Tsar, over whose writing table a large portrait of Ferdinand hung gloomily.
The new Monarch faced great difficulties. The six-year wars led to a complete collapse of the Bulgarian economy, and defeats in them led to a surge of nationalism, especially among the officers.
Tsar Boris III, in difficult conditions of rampant political radicalism of various kinds, had to preserve the foundations of the Bulgarian statehood.
Having lost the Great War, Bulgaria could well find itself after the Treaty of Versailles in the same position as Germany: a demilitarized, devastated, humiliated country…. The new, young and inexperienced Monarch had to solve a colossal task - to save Bulgaria.
Tsar Boris III, mindful of the fate of his August father, abandoned his "personal regime" and expanded the powers of the government, transferring part of his power to professionals. This ensured the stability and efficiency of the administrative system.

First prime minister

In 1919, A. Stamboliyskiy was appointed Prime Minister. The government turned out to be more technocratic than political.
On November 27, 1919, in the suburbs of Paris Ney, the prime minister signed a peace treaty with the victorious powers. According to it, the Strumitsa region and the lands that provided access to the Aegean Sea were torn away from Bulgaria. The size of the army was limited to twenty thousand people, not counting the border guards, it was forbidden to have Navy, except patrol ships... Huge reparations were imposed on the country. Now the government of Stamboliyskiy needed to restore the country's economy and get out of international isolation.
In order to regain its positions in foreign policy, Bulgaria began negotiations with neighboring states, primarily with the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1920, the Stamboliyskiy government achieved its goal: Bulgaria restored diplomatic relations with all its neighbors and with the great powers.
In 1923, Stamboliysky, by various means, managed to achieve a delay in the payment of most of the reparations. In order not to spoil relations with Belgrade.
Stamboliysky had a negative attitude towards his predecessors. It was he who insisted on returning the historical name to the memorial church of St. Alexander Nevsky. Subsequently, all ministers who were in power after 1912 were arrested.
To restore the economy, youth labor service was introduced, the social security system was improved, and state regulation of the economy was partially canceled. Foreign, mainly American, investments were actively attracted. IN agriculture mineral fertilizers and new equipment were introduced.
The government tried to reduce secondary budgetary expenditures: for example, it refused to mint too expensive gold coins, and the production of silver was postponed until better times. Thanks to all this, in 1922 the level of industrial production in Bulgaria was equal to the pre-war level. True, the incomes of the population grew much more slowly.
The government’s course has raised concerns among many Bulgarian politicians. On October 14, 1921, a prominent diplomat and public figure Alexander Grekov announced the creation of the People's Accord party. Her demands were the removal of the Orange Cabinet from power, the establishment of a one-party political system, a decisive struggle against communism and the strengthening of state regulation of the economy. The ideas of the People's Accord were close to the program of Italian fascism.
The party turned out to be small, but there were many scientists and managers among its members. The Military Union, which consisted of officers, also supported the People's Accord.
To protect the legitimate government, Stamboliyskiy created the Orange Guard, a volunteer armed group engaged in the fight against the opposition. On May 21, 1922, they killed Alexander Grekov. Then the People's Accord was headed by Professor Alexander Tsankov.
At this time, Stamboliysky did everything to consolidate his power. On April 23, 1923, elections to the National Assembly were held, at which the BZNS received 52.7%. But, shortly before that, the electoral legislation was changed: the proportional system was replaced by the majoritarian one. Since the BZNS enjoyed approximately equal support in all regions, it managed to get 85% of the seats in parliament (212 out of 249).

Military coup and new government

On the night of June 8-9, 1923, the cadets of the Sofia military school and the troops of the capital's garrison took control of the entire city without a single shot. The soldiers of the Orange Guard simply fled, realizing that they could not withstand the regular units.
Members of the government and parliament were arrested, and in the mansion of General Ivan Rusev, the leaders of the People's Accord and the Military Union were already working on the composition of the new Cabinet of Ministers.
The next day, Tsar Boris III, realizing that resistance was pointless, approved the list of members of the People's Accord government put on his table. Alexander Tsankov became Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the head of the Military Union, Colonel Vylkov, became Minister of War. Thus, an authoritarian regime was established in Bulgaria.
On August 10, under pressure from the country's new rulers, many parties united in the Democratic Agreement, completely controlled by the government. The unification took place easily, since the issues that the leaders of the Democrats once argued about have become irrelevant.
In November 1923, under the control of the authorities, elections were held, as a result of which the "democrats" won 171 out of 246 seats in the People's Assembly, and another 29 went to the same pocket Social Democratic Party.

In February 1924, opposition members of the government were dismissed: Minister of Justice Boyan Smilov and Minister of Railways Dimo ​​Kazasov. The withdrawal from the Democratic Agreement by most of the People's Liberals and Radical Democrats changed little. There were no more obstacles to the fulfillment of the requirements of the People's Accord.
The overthrow of the popular Stamboliyskiy government caused outrage among the people.
The first peasant uprisings against the authoritarianism of the government, raised not by communists at all, but by activists of the BZNS, began in June 1923 in the Plovdiv, Pleven, Shumen and Veliko Tarnovo districts. In response, arrests of members of the BZNS, employees of the Soviet Red Cross mission and even the USSR embassy began. Stamboliysky, who was in custody in Sofia, was taken out of the city and shot.

In July, the Soviet Union broke off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
At this time, the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP) remained neutral, believing that it should not interfere in the struggle of "bourgeois" politicians. However, the Jewish Comintern thought differently, and the "Bulgarian comrades" were forced to obey.
The uprising began in August 1923, mainly in northwestern Bulgaria, where the communists were most popular (apparently, because of the particular poverty of those places). The headquarters of the hostilities was located in the small town of Montana (under socialism it was called Mikhailovgrad).
In January 1924, the National Assembly approved the State Defense Law, which declared the BKP an illegal organization. An uprising soon, despite outside help Soviet Russia was suppressed. At the same time, the struggle against the VMRO, which also entered into contact with the Comintern, was intensified.
A new round of repression, which did not spare even the leader of the people's liberals Gennadiev, caused an attempt on the life of Tsar Boris III. On April 16, 1925, there was an explosion in the Church of the Holy Resurrection in Sofia! The sovereign was not injured, but received severe psychological trauma.
By the end of the 1920s, most of the enemies of the Monarchy were finally either destroyed or imprisoned, and the use of force began to subside.

In 1927, many convicted under the law "On the protection of the state" were even amnestied.
In economic policy and in relations with foreign states, the Tsankov government and its successors were forced to do almost the same as their predecessors. There were, however, attempts to retreat from this line, for example, to get closer to the VMRO, but all of them led to disastrous results.
The only major independent step taken by the putschists was the introduction of the state monopoly on the currency trade in May 1924. The orange program was tacitly recognized as the best in the conditions of post-war Bulgaria, and the leader of the People's Accord publicly declared about labor service that it was “ours, original and distinctive”. Moreover, a law "On vocational training" was adopted, according to which workers and employees aged 14 to 21, who did not receive secondary education, had to study free of charge in special schools and work time, and the employer was obliged to pay them a salary.
The overthrow of the Stamboliysk government on June 9, 1923 created favorable conditions for the expansion of the absolute power of the Monarch.

As you can see, the shock fist in this coup was Bulgarian Army- the most privileged, most conservative and relatively independent force in the state apparatus, formally standing outside politics, but actively intervening in the course of events when, in her opinion, "national unity was violated", "national ideals were trampled on" and "the foundations of the state were undermined."
Tsar Boris III, during the preparation and conduct of the coup, also did not intervene in the events, leaving the people and the Army to act independently. Two days before the overthrow of the Prime Minister, the Tsar went to the country villa of Stamboliyskiy, and stayed there for almost the whole day, in every possible way showing his "friendly" attitude towards the popular Bulgarian figure, whom the coup participants soon perpetrated reprisals against. Naturally, the enemies of the Monarchy tried to take advantage of the subsequent dramatic events to denigrate the Tsar.
The sovereign, indeed, preferred to influence the conspirators in the right direction through his confidants. However, finally convinced that the Stamboliysk regime had fallen, the Sovereign signed the Imperial Decree on the transfer of power to the new government headed by the nationally minded professor of Sofia University, Alexander Tsankov.
However, even after the coup on June 9, 1923, the position of Tsar Boris remained unstable.

Military coups

In September 1923, the Tsar had to endure several unpleasant days for himself, very reminiscent of the turbulent revolutionary time of 1918. This is an anti-government armed uprising, prepared and carried out under the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party.
"We are experiencing a crucial moment," the Tsar addressed the Army. "We are faced with a dilemma - to be or not to be." The army again rescued Tsar Boris III by suppressing the uprising organized by the Jewish International.
The natural strengthening of the role of the Army in the political life of the country after such events soon led to the fact that certain senior officers, who had a taste for politics, began to claim the establishment of a personal dictatorship, while also aiming at the power of the Sovereign himself. Much later, the Tsar admitted that his unsuccessful statements, which diminished the authority of the military, gave rise to an increase in their discontent. Any statesman, argued the Tsar, emphasizing that "he alone can save the situation," loses the support of the army. "The military does not forgive such things" (See Filov B. Diary. Edited by Academician Ilcho Dimitrov. Sofia, 1990. S. 489).
Tsar Boris III became convinced of this during the coup d'état, on May 19, 1934, organized by the top of the military league officers' union and closely cooperating with it by the Zveno political group, which also included representatives of the bourgeois intelligentsia. The sword of Damocles again hung over the Emperor. Events unfolded as follows.

Autocratic rule

On October 25, 1930, the 36-year-old Tsar Boris III married Princess Giovanna of Savoy (born in 1907), the August daughter of the King of Italy and St. Andrew's Knight Victor Emmanuel III. After the celebration of the Holy Sacrament of the Wedding according to the Orthodox rite, she was named Queen John. The august intra-family relations did not always develop smoothly, often there were quarrels over the upbringing of crowned children, relations with the August sister Evdokia and the younger August brother Cyril. The tsar complained more than once to his adviser and confidant Lyubomir Lulchev that he was experiencing difficulties in his family life.
The Great Depression dealt a strong blow to the Bulgarian economy. Many investment projects have been canceled. The sovereign's authoritarian regime began to lose its credibility. Meanwhile, the leapfrog in the government continued: in 1931, the Democratic Agreement collapsed, and the People's Bloc was formed in its place. On June 28, 1931, the Tsar appointed one of its co-chairmen, a democrat Alexander Malinov, as prime minister. But this did not give any special results.
May 19, 1934 on his birthday godfather- Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II the Long-suffering, taking advantage of the cancellation of the Tarnovo constitution (1879), Tsar Boris III dismissed the government, banned the activities of political parties and appointed an independent politician Kimon Georgiev as prime minister. The Bulgarian Army began to play the main role in the political life of the country. The circumstances of this coup were dramatic.

In the pocket of one of the leaders of the military opposition who came to Tsar Boris III to approve the composition of the new government, there was a decree on his abdication in case the Monarch did not agree to their demands. But the relatively small group of conspirators was not supported by the pro-monarchist bulk of the officers. Tsar Boris III managed not only to secure the throne from an assassination attempt by the senior officers, but also to turn the Army into his faithful support. Using the reactionary fruits of the coup on May 19, 1934, the Tsar paved the way for the establishment of a one-man monarchical dictatorship.
At the same time, the Bulgarian Monarch emphasized that he was against the "absurd theories" and "totalitarian methods" of Germany, especially since both the methods of power and the very origin of the Fuhrer, who did not want to restore the Hohenzollern dynasty in Germany and who disdained the titled nobility in his country, Those who persecuted some of its representatives, including the August sister of Tsar Boris III - Nadezhda, Duchess of Württemberg (died in 1958), were ignorant and insolent. In form, the power of Germany aroused interest by its strength and nationalism, but Tsar Boris, nevertheless, in a fit of frankness, repeatedly expressed critical remarks to his confidants about the German Fuhrer and other leaders of the Third Reich.

Absolute power of the Monarch

And yet, much in Hitler attracted the Tsar, and he, without any shade of flattery, spoke about it. The growing political and military successes of the Nazis - this is what determined the attitude of the Tsar and his entourage towards them.
The sovereign, no matter how much he spoke about his rejection of totalitarianism, undoubtedly liked the principle of authoritarian power. The political reality of Bulgaria, especially in the late 1930s and early 1940s, testified to the fact that his thoughts were directed precisely at the implementation of this principle. "We have a Tsar," his entourage confirmed, "who delves into all political affairs and into their smallest details." "At the present time," the American envoy to Sofia, J. Earl, reported to the State Department in October 1941, "the Tsar has absolute power." (See S. Gruev Crown from three. Sofia, 1991, p. 371).
True, the Tsar established a personal dictatorship differently than Hitler and Mussolini did. The Bulgarian Monarch, for example, did not take the path of creating a mass party. Unlike the German and Italian fascist leaders, he did not need to seize power with the help of such a party. Tsar Boris III even saw its existence as a potential threat to his power. The tsar was more attracted to the "non-party" regime in the person of his devoted advisers and statesmen.

Close to the Tsar in the last years of his life was Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, whose name is associated with the tragic pages of the history of Bulgaria during the Second World War.
Having started his career in 1906 as a modest museum worker in Sofia, he then advanced in the scientific field, became a full member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, professor of archeology at Sofia University, received high academic titles in scientific institutions in Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. The Bulgarian Monarch could not but be impressed that Filov is a staunch defender of the concept of a "non-partisan" regime. This regime "must rely on the closest employees of the government - state and municipal employees, on some public organizations controlled by the authorities and cooperating with them." (See D. Kazasov, op. Cit. P. 638). Such views of Filov were quite suitable for Tsar Boris III. As a result, Filov became Minister of Education in November 1938, and in February 1940 - Prime Minister.

All activity of Tsar Boris III, according to Rendel, was permeated by fear of "a new dynamic force - Marxist communism." In the West, Tsar Boris III believed, "revolutionaries were meek theorists," "respectable and law-abiding people." Therefore, the revolutions there "would be significantly different" from the "red revolutions" in the Balkans, inhabited by "violent and rival" nations. "As soon as law and order are shaken, an unimaginable horror will ensue," Tsar Boris III said prophetically. (See Rendel G. Op. Cit. P. 155).
Unlike his August father and militant chauvinists, who often rattled their weapons, the Tsar preferred to achieve the "national ideals" of the Bulgarian bourgeoisie peacefully, with the help of diplomacy.

"What we need here (in the Balkans)," said the Emperor, "is a long era of undisturbed order and peace." Bulgaria, according to the 1919 Neiisk Treaty with the victorious countries, was militarily weakened in the Great War, financial difficulties also hampered the organization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in accordance with the level of that time. Tsar Boris was forced to reckon with this circumstance. In addition, the Bulgarian Monarch knew that the memories of the national catastrophe of 1918 are still alive in the country. And the Tsar himself never forgot about the events he experienced that year. All this left a strong imprint on the Tsar's foreign policy activity, which cannot be assessed objectively without taking these circumstances into account.

Rapprochement with Germany

The main distinguishing feature of Bulgarian fascism was the absence of a bright or even authoritative leader who could push the Monarch into the background, as Prime Minister Benito Mussolini did in Italy, and General Ion Antonescu in Romania. Therefore, after the coup of 1934, Tsar Boris III retained all the power that the last Orthodox Tsar in Europe, the head of state allied with Nazi Germany, could afford. The rapprochement between Bulgaria and Germany began immediately after Hitler came to power.
In Bulgaria, the most favored nation regime was introduced for German entrepreneurs, which made Bulgaria economically dependent on Germany. However, it was clear that Berlin would demand more.
Then Tsar Boris III decided to find peaceful ways to violate the treaty in Neuya. In addition, Great Britain and France had nothing against revising the Versailles-Washington system in the Balkans, since the powers believed that this would help stop the German-Italian expansion on the peninsula.
To implement his revisionist program, Tsar Boris sought to enlist the support of the great powers. This desire found the most favorable response in Hitlerite Germany, which set itself the goal of eliminating the Versailles system of treaties. “With the help of the Axis powers,” said P. Draganov, the Bulgarian envoy to Berlin, “we will be able to carry out a peaceful revision of the intolerable situation created by the Paris treaties” (See Rendel S. Or. Cit. P. 155). Therefore, the Emperor retrieved the old idea of ​​the Balkan Union from the archives.
On January 24, 1937, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed an agreement on "eternal friendship", and on July 31, 1939, the Bulgarian and Greek Prime Ministers G. Kyoseivanov and J. Metaxas in Thessaloniki agreed to abolish most of the restrictions imposed on the armed forces of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria needed foreign markets. She found them in Germany. Several trade and financial agreements followed between Bulgaria and Germany. Cautious and inclined to maneuver, Tsar Boris III did not pursue the pro-German course forcefully and straightforwardly. He was in no hurry to accept, in his words, "fixed political commitments", tried for the time being to maintain a certain independence, freedom of hands in foreign policy affairs, assuring the sometimes dissatisfied German and Italian diplomats that such a line "corresponds to the interests of the Axis powers." "correctly understood." (See Documents of German Foreign Policy, Series D.L., 1953. Vol. 5. P. 286).
The essence of the "wait and see policy" of the "master of strategy at the last minute" (both expressions were used in one of the reports of the German mission in Sofia) was that, becoming more and more involved in the foreign policy orbit of the Axis powers, he intended to minimize the this is the risk of deterioration and even rupture of relations with other leading states. The Bulgarian Monarch maneuvered, acting in accordance with the development of the international situation, which changed rapidly and unexpectedly in pre-war Europe.
To secure the throne at any turn of events - this is what the Bulgarian Monarch was primarily guided by. "I declare that I will protect my throne from everyone and by all means," he said.
Tsar Boris defended all his diplomatic maneuvers in the initial period of World War II by neutrality, believing that this method of action would have a positive effect on him inside the country as well. He half-jokingly remarked: "My generals are Germanophiles, diplomats are Anglophiles, the Tsarina is an Italianophile, the people are Russophilic. I am the only neutral person in Bulgaria." However, the Bulgarian envoy in Berlin explained: "We are pursuing a policy of neutrality, which is by no means neutral in relation to Germany." And the course of events itself clearly showed who took advantage of the neutrality of the Monarch.
Under the influence of the factors listed above, Tsar Boris delayed the accession of Bulgaria to the Triple Pact. But the fear of communism, the confidence in the ultimate victory of German weapons, which arose under the influence of the military successes of the Wehrmacht in Western Europe, the temptation to receive the territorial increments promised by Hitler in the event of Bulgaria joining the Triple Pact prevailed over the Tsar's hesitations. In addition, Boris understood that a delay in joining the Triple Pact could lead to sad consequences - German troops would enter the country without his consent, and he would find himself in the role of the Reigning Prisoner. “I will retain my position as head of state only if,” reasoned the Bulgarian Monarch, “if I meet them ( german troops) as a loyal ally of Germany. "This was the final decision of Tsar Boris.
On March 1, 1941, a protocol was signed on the accession of Bulgaria to the Triple Pact.

Last years

At the very beginning of his reign, Boris III, impressed by the terrible events of 1918 for Bulgaria, declared to the head of his personal chancellery P. Gruev: “As long as I am the Tsar, the Bulgarian soldier will never be involved in the war! I swear! I will never allow the Bulgarians were forced to fight again outside their country! " This oath, according to the testimony of many, he repeated repeatedly and subsequently.
Tsar Boris III understood that he was not capable of resisting Hitler even in alliance with Greece and Yugoslavia, not to mention the fact that the Tsar could be overthrown by his own fascists. Therefore, he tried to avoid war by entering into an alliance with Germany and allowing German troops to enter Bulgaria. After that, a strong Resistance movement developed in the country. BKP and BZNS formed a pro-Soviet Fatherland Front, partisan detachments (couples) were formed throughout the country. They caused the Germans a lot of trouble, to which they responded with repression.

In 1940, Bulgaria, with Hitler's tacit consent, regained Southern Dobrudja, which had belonged to Romania under the Treaty of San Stefano. Considerable help in this was provided by the Soviet government, which hoped to make Bulgaria its ally (let me remind you that the USSR and Germany at that time tried to act in concert - with all the difference of interests).
Tsar Boris III, who never sympathized with Hitler's ideology, could not allow the introduction of Nazi laws in his country. Largely due to his personal efforts, the Law on Defense of the Nation, passed in January 1941 and repeating German anti-Semitic laws, was not really applied.
Indeed, Tsar Boris III strove for this, but the circumstances turned out to be stronger than his desire. The sovereign, unlike all other Hitler's allies, managed not to send Bulgarian troops to the Soviet-German front, to limit their participation in the war by the occupation of Yugoslav and Greek territories "in order to maintain order" in the rear of the Nazi armies. But Hitler himself considered it expedient to keep the main part of the Bulgarian army on the Turkish border to prevent Turkey from entering the war on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition. And yet, under pressure from Germany, Tsar Boris III gradually had to increase his military obligations during the war.
Thus, the Germans were provided with naval bases and other military facilities on Bulgarian territory for military operations against the USSR. However, thanks to the Tsar's efforts, the Bulgarian Army did not participate in the hostilities against the Soviet Union. The Soviet embassy in Sofia all the years of the war peacefully coexisted with the German one. However, the Tsar had to send his troops in 1941 to seize Yugoslavia and Greece. The Bulgarian occupation zone in Yugoslavia and Greece was repeatedly expanded, additional Bulgarian troops were sent there to intensify repression against the Yugoslav and Greek partisans, as well as to free German divisions for more "hot" areas of hostilities, primarily in the East.
Tsar Boris III took another fatal step, declaring in December 1941, under pressure from Germany, referring to Bulgaria's obligations under the Triple Pact, war between the United States and England. The monarch hoped that it would only be a "symbolic war". Two years later, such a move led to the fact that the Anglo-American aviation began to subject Sofia and other Bulgarian cities to devastating bombing.
Hitler thanked Tsar Boris III by giving him Macedonia (which was probably better for the Macedonians than the power of the Belgrade puppet pro-German government).
Death of the Monarch

On August 28, 1943, on the Day of the Assumption of the Mother of God, after returning from a state visit to Germany, where Tsar Boris III met with Adolf Hitler (August 13-15), the Sovereign, born on the Day of the Three Ecumenical Saints and teachers of the Church of Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Zlatoust died suddenly under mysterious circumstances.
The official explanation for his death was a heart attack, but it is possible that the Tsar was killed as a ruler unwanted by Germany (as happened with the King of Yugoslavia Alexander I Karageorgievich, who was killed in October 1934).
The official medical report, published on August 30, 1943, read: "Death occurred from blockage of the left heart artery (thrombosis), bilateral pneumonia, and hemorrhage in the lungs and brain."
In recent years, researchers are inclined to believe that the official report correctly reflects the cause of death. Apparently, the Bulgarian Monarch died a natural death. However, there is still no consensus.

The mystery of the death of the Emperor

Betting on Germany, Tsar Boris III, like his August father in 1915, made a fatal mistake. After the Stalingrad and Kursk battles, the landing of allied troops in North Africa in November 1942 and in Sicily in June 1943, the withdrawal of Italy from the war, it became clear that Hitlerite Germany was facing an imminent military collapse. Together with her, Bulgaria was on the brink of a third national catastrophe. At this critical moment for the country, Tsar Boris suddenly died at the end of August 1943. The circumstances of his death remained mysterious for a long time, giving rise to many contradictory versions.
On August 15, 1943, the Bulgarian Monarch, after a two-day visit to Germany, returned to Sofia extremely dejected. A day later, the overworked Emperor went to his country residence in the Rila Mountains, where he stayed until 23 August. Returning to the capital, the Tsar immediately complained of poor health and a few hours later in his office, looking business papers, lost consciousness.
The first diagnosis of the doctors was as follows: the Tsar had a serious liver disease. His health condition did not improve the next day, and then the attending physicians changed their minds, ascertaining an acute heart attack.
On August 28, in the evening, the ringing of the bells of the Sofia churches announced the death of the last Bulgarian Autocrat. On that day, one of the Monarch's confidants recalled his words that "he will die at 50, like Tsar Simeon" (ruled Bulgaria in 893-927). Indeed, Tsar Boris III died at the age of 50.
As mentioned above, the official medical report, published on August 30, read: "Death occurred from blockage of the left heart artery (thrombosis), bilateral pneumonia and hemorrhage in the lungs and brain." However, few people believed this document in Bulgaria and abroad.
Rumors of the violent death of Tsar Boris III immediately began to spread. Moreover, the majority of Bulgarians and Russians who found their refuge in the Kingdom of Behavior considered the Nazis to be the culprits of his premature death. After all, the Bulgarian Monarch died after a trip to Germany. And, therefore, post hoc, ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore, because of this). This logic turned out to be stronger than the official communique and explanations of Filov at a special press conference held on August 31.
The spontaneously emerging version of the involvement of the Nazis in the death of Tsar Boris was widely spread also because it corresponded to the growing anti-Hitler sentiment among the Bulgarian people, not to mention the public of the countries that fought against the fascist invaders.
This version has proven to be durable. Over time, it has acquired various details.
In January 1945, reports on the sessions of the People's Court over Bulgarian war criminals, published in some Western newspapers, indicated that the Tsar's August brother, Prince of Preslav Kirill (1895-1945), considered the reason for the death of Tsar Boris III to be too high concentration of oxygen in the oxygen mask upon his return. on a plane flown by Hitler's personal pilot.
The supporters of the version about the violent death of Tsar Boris, without going into conjectures about its culprits, were also joined by his August wife, the Monarch, Tsarina John, who published her memoirs in 1961 in the Milanese magazine "Oggi", which were then published as a separate book, translated into Bulgarian language in 1991. The main argument of the Empress - Tsar Boris for 13 years of married life had never been seriously ill with anything and suddenly died so quickly. However, in the memoirs of Queen John, researchers found contradictions, factual inaccuracies. In addition, it is known that she always stood aloof from her husband's state affairs, devoting all her attention to secular entertainment and the August children.
Stubbornly, but unsubstantiated, his August sister Evdokia (1898-1985) spoke about the involvement of the Nazis in the death of Tsar Boris III, always prejudicing any contacts between Tsar Boris and the Nazi leaders.
Other Western memoirists, journalists and historians also wrote that the Nazis were involved in the death of the Bulgarian Monarch. Their reasoning, however, was not supported by documentary evidence.
The first to study them was the West German historian H. Heiber, who came to the conclusion that the Nazis were not interested in the death of the Tsar. At the same time, he did not exclude the possibility of the forcible removal of Tsar Boris III and at the end of the study emphasized: "The riddle posed by the Tsar's death is not yet amenable to resolution" (See Heiber H. Der Tod des Zaren Boris // Vierteljahrschefte fur Zeitgeschichle. 1981 . No. 4. S.415).
This opinion persists to this day. It is adhered to, for example, by S. Gruev, a Bulgarian émigré, the son of the aforementioned P. Gruev, who was executed by the verdict of the People's Court in 1945. In a solid book published by him in 1987 in English and translated into Bulgarian in 1991 about the 25-year reign of Boris III, he claims that the questions and suspicions related to the death of the Tsar have not been completely removed.
In particular, S. Gruev cites the testimony of the air attaché of the German embassy in Sofia von Schönbeck, who enjoyed the confidence of Tsar Boris III and who took an active part in the urgent delivery of two German doctors by plane to Sofia for the treatment of the Tsar in the first days of his illness. As is clear from diary entries von Schönbeck on August 27 and 28, 1943, these doctors told him that the dark spots on the body that appeared before the death of the Tsar gave rise to the suspicion of poisoning him with some long-acting Indian poison planted on the Tsar several months before his death. At the same time, Schönbek recalled a prophetic message from Turkey received at the end of May 1943 that Tsar Boris would not live to see September of this year (See S. Gruev, op. Cit. P. 453).
Nevertheless, the Bulgarian historian I. Dimitrov, who deeply studied on the basis of a wide range of literature and sources, primarily Bulgarian, the circumstances of the death of Tsar Boris, tried to dispel the myth of its "mystery" (See Dimitrov I. Smrtta on Tsar Boris III // Historically pregled. 1968. N 2).
The Nazis were not involved in the death of Tsar Boris III. The news of this was received in Berlin with great chagrin. Goebbels said: "Tsar Boris died. We have lost an important support in the Balkans" (See Semmler R. Goebbels - the Man Next to Hitler. L., 1947. P. 100). But Hitler put forward a version that the death of Tsar Boris III was "the work of the Italians." He considered that the sovereign was poisoned by the sister of Queen John, Princess Mafalda, who came to Sofia.
However, Mafalda did not visit Sofia on the eve of the death of Tsar Boris III. She arrived there already for burial. The Italian ruling circles, preparing to withdraw from the war, at that time, of course, had no time for the Bulgarian Tsar. They, including the Royal Family, thought primarily about their own destiny. Obviously, Hitler's version of the involvement of Italians in the death of Tsar Boris arose on the basis of his growing enmity against the Italian Royal House and the government of Badoglio under the influence of Italy's surrender in 1943.
The assumption of the poisoning of Tsar Boris was not confirmed by an autopsy of his body carried out by Bulgarian doctors. This is what a Bulgarian physician told I. Dimitrov, who, together with other doctors, observed the development of the Tsar's illness. "The death of Boris III is a typical case of a heart attack. How many people fall prey to this sudden, unexpected illness, which always arises as a result of overwork, anxiety, strong emotions ... Our clinical diagnosis was fully confirmed during an autopsy. I do not know of a poison that can be administered in this way that it will go straight to the heart and leave no trace in other organs. "
The findings of I. Dimitrov in a completely different light also present the testimony of Prince Kirill in the People's Court in 1945. The Bulgarian historian, having familiarized himself directly with the protocols of the trial, found that Prince Kirill gave insincere, contradictory answers to questions related to clarifying the circumstances of the death of his August brother. At first, he categorically denied the violent death of the Bulgarian Monarch and named as its main reason the nervous exhaustion that the latter had accumulated over the 25 years of his reign. The Prince's opinion changed when it seemed to him that another explanation was expected from him.
The version that has recently become widespread about the involvement of Soviet authorities and Bulgarian communists in the death of Tsar Boris is also untenable. If you ask the classic question "who benefits?" But this event was equally consistent with the political goals of all who entered the anti-Hitler coalition and strove to defeat the Axis powers and their satellites. The main thing is that, as S. Gruev, who cannot be suspected of sympathizing with the communists, notes, "no concrete facts and evidence in favor of this version were found either in hot pursuit or in the subsequent time."
The difficult international situation in the summer of 1943, in which this happened, the suddenness and premature of the Tsar's death contributed to the spread of the version about the forcible elimination of the Bulgarian crown bearer. The real reason that hastened the death of Tsar Boris III was his alarming, oppressed state, caused by the consciousness that the policy he was pursuing was reaching a dead end, and the dynasty was threatened with a new, even more serious catastrophe than in 1918.
"Our performance is over," he said in despair a few days before his death to his brother Kirill. Russian politics, microfilm fund, neg. 656, pos. 10, f. 299, l. 13-14 (Diary of General N. Mikhov). The impression was that Tsar Boris in those days himself was looking for a quick death. It is no coincidence that he said to Filov on August 15 upon his return from Hitler's headquarters: "on the way back he even wanted to meet an enemy plane and die" (See B. Filov, op. Cit. P. 601).
According to the observations of people who were in close contact with him then, writes S. Gruev, he "behaved like a man striving for death", doing everything, despite the onset of pain in his heart, "at the limit of his physical capabilities", which led to disastrous exodus (See S. Gruev Decree op. p. 450). S. Gruev assesses this behavior of Tsar Boris as "passive suicide." However, the Orthodox Monarch could hardly be capable of such an unnatural action.
The body of Tsar Boris III was buried in the Rila Monastery, which he often visited during his lifetime, picturesquely located in the mountains a few tens of kilometers from Sofia. The intensified pilgrimage to the tsar's burial place prompted the authorities of the communist Fatherland Front in 1946 to reburial the coffin in the park of the suburban Tsar's Palace "Bran", inaccessible to visitors.
After the departure of the Royal Family from Bulgaria, the Vrana Palace was turned into a state residence, the tomb of the Tsar and a small chapel soon disappeared, but there is still no reliable information about what happened to the coffin and remains of the Tsar. In 1990, excavations of the burial site began. It was only possible to find a hermetically sealed glass vessel with the embalmed heart of Tsar Boris and a written confirmation of this attached to it by the doctors who performed the autopsy of his body. The medical examination agreed with the conclusion of the Bulgarian doctors in 1943 - Tsar Boris died of a heart attack (See A. Leverson, Tsar Boris III. Shrikhi k'm portrait. Sofia, 1995. S. 529).

Descendants of the Sovereign

Boris's six-year-old son became the new Monarch III Tsar Simeon II (since 2001 - head of the government of Bulgaria). The Regency Council was formed consisting of Professor Bogdan Filov, General Nikola Mikhov and the brother of the late Monarch, Prince Cyril.
The Red Army was already approaching the borders of Bulgaria, and the regents tried to declare the neutrality of Bulgaria. Anti-Semitic laws were canceled, German units were ordered to leave Bulgaria. German factories began to close throughout the country. But TASS said that "the Soviet ruling circles consider the declaration by the Bulgarian government of the country's neutrality completely inadequate."
September 9, 1944 Soviet troops entered the territory already abandoned by the Germans. Both countries declared war on each other, but not a single shot was fired: the Red Army was greeted with flowers and red flags.
Taking advantage of the situation, members of the Fatherland Front raised an uprising and brought the new Regency Council to power, shooting the previous regents. The Cabinet of Ministers was headed by the leader of the Zveno party, Kimon Georgiev, although the real head of state was Georgy Dimitrov.
Soon Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Its troops played a significant role in the liberation of the Balkan Peninsula.
On October 27, 1946, the Grand National Assembly abolished the Monarchy. The "interim ruler" was the communist Vasil Kolarov, the prime minister - Georgy Dimitrov. On September 4, 1947, the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bulgaria entered into force. Soon Dimitrov became the head of the Bulgarian state. A new, theomachic stage of the country's history began.

Tsar Simeon II and his family

September 16, 1946 Tsar Simeon II together with the August mother and others
relatives were forced to leave the country.
At first, the Royal Family settled in Alexandria (Egypt), where then the August father and mother of Joanna, King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Helena, who left Italy, lived. Tsar Simeon studied at an English college.
In the summer of 1951, the Tsar, with the consent of the Spanish government, moved to Madrid, where he lived until returning to Bulgaria. There he graduated from the French Lyceum, and then military academy in the USA (holds the rank of lieutenant in the US reserve).

In January 1962, the Tsar married the daughter of the Spanish hereditary aristocrat Manuel Gomez y Modet, who was executed together with his wife Mercedes Sejuela y Fernandez at the beginning civil war in Spain, by Margarita Gomez-Asebo and Sejuela. After his marriage, Queen John bought a villa in a small town on the ocean coast of Portugal and lives there with her secretary and often comes to Madrid.

From this marriage, Tsar Simeon II has four August sons and a daughter. The sovereign sons of the Monarch bear high-profile titles: Kardam - Prince of Tarnovsky, Cyril - Prince of Preslavsky, Kubrat - Prince of Panagyursky, Konstantin Asen - Prince of Vidinsky.
Prince Kardam, born in 1962, studied in the United States and works in Washington for one of the firms.
Prince Kirill, born in 1964, who married Rosaria Nadal in 1990, graduated from Princeton University (USA) with a degree in theoretical physics, worked in New York, and then moved to London.
Prince Kubrat, born in 1965, graduated from the University of Pamplona (Spain) and works in London.
Prince Constantine, born in 1967, and their August daughter Kalina, born in 1972, graduated from the French Lyceum in Madrid.
Princess Maria Louise married Prince Karl Vladimir of Leiningen in 1957 and has from him the crowned sons Karl Boris (born 1960) and Hermann (born 1963). The marriage, unfortunately, was dissolved in 1968.
In 1969, Maria Luiza married Bronislaw Chrobok, a Pole by birth, the owner of a small company. They have two children: daughter Alexandra (born 1970) and son Pavel (born 1972). The spouses live in the United States.

List of used literature:

Guzelev V., Sazdov D., Spasov L., Pavlov P., Tyutyundzhiev I., Lazarov I., Palangursky M. History on Bulgaria. Sofia, 2000.
Lalkov M. Story on Bulgaria in the belly and is done on the rulers and d'rzhavnitsi. Sofia, 2000.
Donchev D., Karakashev H. Physical and social-economic geography in Bulgaria. Veliko Tarnovo, 1999.
Monev D. Catalog on balgarskite coins. 1881-1998. Sofia, 1998.
Nizovsky A.Yu., Bulgaria and its seven wonders. Moscow, 2001.

Press Service of the United Fatherland

Boris III became Tsar of Bulgaria on October 3, 1918 as a result of renouncing his crown. He abdicated in favor of a 24-year-old son and left Bulgaria with three other children. Boris was left alone in difficult situation, there was the first world war. However, he managed and, as many Bulgarian historians believe, in the best way possible in his position. Boris III is the most popular tsar in Bulgaria. Many interesting cases and even legends are associated with him. The full name of the second Bulgarian tsar is Boris Clement Robert Maria Pius Stanislav Sakskoburggotski. As a Catholic (God Pope Leo XIII), he was baptized into the Orthodox faith as a child, and the Russian Tsar Nicholas II became his godfather. It was a political decision of his father Ferdinand I, for which half of Europe was offended by him.

Boris had an affair with the young princess Maria of Romania, who later married the Serbian king Alexander I Karadjordjevic, because it was impossible to marry the Bulgarian king for political reasons.

In 1911, Boris, while visiting his godfather Tsar Nicholas II, witnessed the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin at the Kiev Opera.

Boris III had the rank of General of Infantry, despite the fact that after the First World War he became a pacifist until the end of his days. Boris died on 28 August 1943.

There is a legend that, although according to the official version, he died of a heart attack, it just happened quickly and under suspicious circumstances. The fact is that Boris III saved 50,000 Bulgarian Jews from death, kept neutrality in every possible way, did not go to war with the USSR and did not send his troops to the eastern front. It is believed that this behavior of an ally, Hitler strongly disliked.

In April 1925, during the funeral service for General Konstantin Georgiev, in the church of Holy Week, an attempt was organized on Tsar Boris - a bomb was planted and detonated, in which 193 people died, 500 were injured, including representatives of the authorities. Tsar Boris was not there - he was at his friend's funeral and was late for this funeral.

And three days before that, an attempt was made on the king in the mountains while hunting - he miraculously survived during the shelling at the Arabakonak pass.

In 1930 Boris married the Italian princess Giovanna of Savoy, who became the Bulgarian queen under the name Yoanna. They had two children: Maria Louise and Simeon - the future Tsar Simeon II, who inherited the throne six years after the death of his father.

The wedding was played in Italy. Contemporaries claim that it was a love marriage and the princess never loved anyone else in her life except Boris. All the bloom of the European aristocracy was present at their wedding, Benito Mussolini and Andrei Lyapchev (Minister and Chairman of Bulgaria) were witnesses. The bride had a veil 15 meters long.

Queen Yoanna was famous for her charitable activities - she built and donated to the city in 1935 the well-known and still operating ISUL hospital or "Queen Yoanna".

The royal family, 1937