Alexander of Battenberg (5 April 1857-17 November 1893) was Prince of Bulgaria from 29 April 1879 to 7 September 1886, preceding Ferdinand I. He was the first ruler of Bulgaria since Constantine II in 1417, taking power after the Russian Empire defeated the Ottoman Turks in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and liberated Bulgaria. Alexander proved to be a despotic ruler, however, and he was deposed in a Russian-backed coup in 1886.
Biography[]
Alexander Joseph von Battenberg was born in Verona, Lombardy, Austrian Empire on 5 April 1857, the second son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Julia von Hauke. His mother's brother-in-law Grand Duke Louis III of Hesse granted the commoner Von Hauke the title "Countess of Battenberg" after an old Hessian residence, making Alexander the first male Battenberg. His brother Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and became the mother of Queen Louise Mountbatten of Sweden, Earl Louis Mountbatten of Burma, and Princess Alice of Battenberg (the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh).
Alexander frequently visited his uncle, Czar Alexander II of Russia, in St. Petersburg during his boyhood, and his uncle became attached to him and allowed for Alexander to accompany him during his war against the Turks in 1877-1878. When Bulgaria became an autonomous principality in 1878, Czar Alexander recommended his nephew to the Bulgarians as a candidate for the newly created throne, and the Grand National Assembly unanimously agreed, making Alexander the first "Prince of Bulgaria."
Reign[]
Alexander's reign was troubled from the start, as he was unprepared to be a monarch, and he had to deal with the conflicting agendas of the Russian Empire (which sought for him to be a "do-nothing king") and the Bulgarian politicians (who sought his backing in their petty squabbles). On 9 May 1881, Alexander suspended the Constitution and assumed absolute power with the consent of the Russian czar, but the coup infuriated Bulgarian liberal and radical politicians and allowed for the Russian generals Leonid Sobolev and Aleksandr Kaulbars to exert their own power in the principality. In 1883, Alexander breached with the Russians when he restored the constitution in a bid to remove the Russian generals from power. In 1885, Alexander annexed Eastern Rumelia from the Ottomans, and he led the Bulgarian army during the ensuing Serbo-Bulgarian War, halting his invasion of Serbia only when Austria-Hungary interceded; the victory sealed Bulgaria's control over Rumelia, as Alexander was appointed Governor-General by Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1886.
This arrangement infuriated the Bulgarian generals, who felt slighted during the distribution of rewards for their service. On 20 August 1886, Russian-backed Bulgarian officers launched a coup against Alexander and compelled him to abdicate. While Alexander was initially exiled to Russia, he returned to power following the counter-revolution of Stefan Stambolov. He was unable to regain his former popularity, however, and he decided to resign from the throne in September. He claimed the title Prince of Tarnovo and used it until his death, and he served in the Austro-Hungarian Army at Graz before dying in 1893 at the age of 36.