Ferdinand I of Bulgaria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ferdinand
Ferdinand in 1912
Tsar of Bulgaria
Reign	5 October 1908 – 3 October 1918
Predecessor	Himself as Prince
Successor	Boris III
Prince of Bulgaria
Reign	7 July 1887 – 5 October 1908
Predecessor	Alexander
Successor	Himself as Tsar
Born	26 February 1861 Vienna, Austrian Empire
Died	10 September 1948(1948-09-10) (aged 87) Coburg, Allied-occupied Germany
Burial	St. Augustin, Coburg
Spouse	Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma ​ ​ (m. 1893; died 1899)​ Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz ​ ​ (m. 1908; died 1917)​ Alžbeta Brezáková ​ (m. 1947)​
Issue	Boris III of Bulgaria Kiril, Prince of Preslav Princess Eudoxia Nadezhda, Duchess Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg
Full name German: Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry
Father	Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Mother	Princess Clémentine of Orléans
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature

Ferdinand in Bulgaria uniform 1941

Ferdinand I (born Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was an important ruler of Bulgaria. He first became the ruling prince (knyaz) in 1887. Later, in 1908, he became the king (tsar) of Bulgaria.

Ferdinand led Bulgaria during a time of big changes in Europe. He was the second monarch of the Third Bulgarian State. Under his rule, Bulgaria joined the Central Powers in World War I in 1915. He gave up his throne in 1918.

Ferdinand's Family and Early Life

Ferdinand was born on 26 February 1861 in Vienna, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. He was a German prince from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. His father was Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His mother was Clémentine of Orléans, who was the daughter of King Louis Philippe I of the French.

Ferdinand grew up in a rich and important family. Many of his relatives were kings and queens in Europe. For example, he was a grandnephew of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Leopold I of Belgium. This meant he had family connections to many royal houses across Europe.

Becoming Prince of Bulgaria

Nine European rulers at Windsor Castle in 1910. Ferdinand is standing second from the left.

Before Ferdinand, the ruler of Bulgaria was Alexander of Battenberg. He had to step down in 1886 after a political event. Bulgaria needed a new leader. Many princes were offered the job, but they all said no.

Ferdinand, who was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army, was chosen as the Prince of Bulgaria on 7 July 1887. Some European royals were surprised by this choice. Queen Victoria even thought he was "totally unfit." But Ferdinand proved them wrong and did a good job for the first 20 years of his rule.

In his early years as prince, a powerful politician named Stefan Stambolov had a lot of influence. Stambolov's foreign policy made relations with Russia cooler. Russia had previously been seen as Bulgaria's protector.

After Stambolov's influence ended in 1894, Bulgaria's relationship with Russia improved. In 1896, Ferdinand decided to change his young son, Prince Boris, from Roman Catholic to Eastern Orthodox Christian. This decision made his Catholic relatives in Austria unhappy. He was even removed from the Catholic Church by Pope Leo XIII.

Becoming Tsar of Bulgaria

A 5 leva silver coin from 1894, featuring Ferdinand I.

On 5 October 1908, Ferdinand declared Bulgaria completely independent from the Ottoman Empire. Before this, Bulgaria had been mostly independent since 1878, but this made it official. He also announced that Bulgaria was now a kingdom.

Ferdinand took the title of tsar. This title was used by rulers of earlier Bulgarian kingdoms. While tsar meant "emperor" in the past, under Ferdinand and his successors, it was translated as "king." This important declaration happened at the Holy Forty Martyrs Church in Veliko Tarnovo. Other European countries and the Ottoman Empire recognized Bulgaria's new status.

Ferdinand was known for his interesting personality. Once, during a visit to German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1909, the Emperor playfully slapped Ferdinand. Ferdinand was offended and got his revenge. He decided to give a big weapons contract to a French company instead of a German one.

Another time, on his way to a funeral in 1910, there was an argument about where his train car would be. The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, got his car placed right behind the engine. Ferdinand's car was next. Since the dining car was behind Ferdinand's, he refused to let the Archduke walk through his car to get to dinner. Ferdinand also made history on 15 July 1910, when he became the first head of state to fly in an airplane. He even gave the pilot a medal!

Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

Ferdinand dreamed of making Bulgaria a powerful Christian nation in the Balkan Peninsula. In 1912, Bulgaria joined other Balkan countries to fight against the Ottoman Empire. They wanted to free lands that were still under Ottoman rule. Ferdinand called this war "a just, great and sacred struggle."

Bulgaria fought hard and lost many soldiers in this war. The major European powers then decided that Albania should be an independent country. This caused problems among the Balkan allies. In the First Balkan War, Serbia had promised to give most of Vardar Macedonia to Bulgaria. But because Albania gained land, Serbia decided to keep the areas its forces had taken.

Soon after, Bulgaria started the Second Balkan War by attacking its former allies, Serbia and Greece. Then, Romania and the Ottoman Empire also attacked Bulgaria. Bulgaria was defeated, but the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913 still gave Bulgaria some new land. This included Western Thrace, which gave Bulgaria access to the Aegean Sea.

World War I and Abdication (1915-1918)

Emperor Wilhelm and Tsar Ferdinand in Sofia, 1916.

On 11 October 1915, Bulgaria joined World War I. Ferdinand signed a treaty with Austria-Hungary and Germany. Bulgaria attacked Serbia, hoping to gain more land. Even though Ferdinand wasn't a big fan of the German or Austrian emperors, he wanted to expand Bulgaria's territory after the Balkan Wars. This also meant forming an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, which had been Bulgaria's enemy.

In the early part of World War I, the Bulgarian army won some important battles. They took control of disputed areas in Macedonia after Serbia was defeated. For the next two years, the Bulgarian army focused on stopping attacks from the Allies coming from nearby Greece. They also helped in the 1916 conquest of Romania.

By 1918, Bulgaria faced many military problems. To save the Bulgarian monarchy, Tsar Ferdinand decided to step down. He gave up his throne to his oldest son, who became Tsar Boris III on 3 October 1918. After Ferdinand's abdication, Bulgaria surrendered to the Allies. As a result, Bulgaria lost the new lands it had gained in the war, and also the land that gave it access to the Aegean Sea.

Ferdinand's Later Life and Death

After giving up his throne, Ferdinand moved back to Coburg, Germany. He had saved a lot of his money and lived comfortably. He saw being in exile as a normal part of being a king. He believed that kings were taught to be strong and not show their feelings, even when things were tough. He was happy that his son could take over the throne.

Ferdinand enjoyed his exile. He spent his time on art, gardening, traveling, and studying nature. However, he lived to see many sad events. His oldest son, Tsar Boris III, died in 1943 after visiting Adolf Hitler in Germany. Boris's son, Simeon II, became king but was removed from power in 1946. This ended the Bulgarian monarchy.

Bulgaria then became a communist country. Ferdinand's other son, Kyril, passed away under difficult circumstances during this time. When Ferdinand heard about Kyril's death, he said, "Everything is collapsing around me."

In 1947, Ferdinand, who was 86 years old, married his 26-year-old assistant, Alžbeta Brezáková, in secret. His family was not happy about this marriage. After Ferdinand died, she returned to her home country, Czechoslovakia. She later remarried and had a daughter. She kept her marriage to Ferdinand a secret from her daughter until two years before her own death in 2015.

Ferdinand died on 10 September 1948 in Coburg, Germany. He was the last surviving grandchild of Louis Philippe I of the French. His last wish was to be buried in Bulgaria. However, the communist government in Bulgaria did not allow it. So, he was buried in his family's crypt in St. Augustin, Coburg.

Honours

Styles of King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria
Reference style	His Majesty
Spoken style	Your Majesty

Bulgarian Honours

• Grand Cross of St. Alexander, in Diamonds, 27 May 1883
• Founder and Grand Master of the Civil Merit Order, 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 Honours

Ferdinand I's coat of arms as a knight of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece.

Honorary Military Appointments

General of infantry shoulder straps, сhef of 54th Minsk Infantry Regiment, 1902-1912

•  Russian Empire: Colonel of the 54th Minsk Regiment, 1902

See also

In Spanish: Fernando I de Bulgaria para niños

• Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius

Books

• Aronson, Theo (1986). Crowns In Conflict: The Triumph And The Tragedy Of European Monarchy, 1910–1918. London: J.Murray. ISBN 0-7195-4279-0.
• Constant, Stephen (1986). Foxy Ferdinand, 1861–1948, Tsar of Bulgaria. London: Sidgwick and Jackson. ISBN 0-283-98515-1.
• Louda, Jiri; Michael Maclagan (1981). Lines of Succession. London: Orbis Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-460-04519-9.
• Massie, Robert K (1981). The Last Courts of Europe. London: J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd. ISBN 0-460-04519-9.
• Palmer, Alan (1978). The Kaiser: Warlord Of The Second Reich. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-77393-3.