Vasil Radoslavov (27 July 1854-21 October 1929) was Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 28 August 1886 to 10 July 1887 (succeeding Petko Karavelov and preceding Konstantin Stoilov) and from 17 July 1913 to 21 June 1918 (succeeding Stoyan Danev and preceding Aleksandar Malinov). He was the leader of the liberal "Radoslavists", and he led Bulgaria during World War I; he had a negative reputation as a corrupt politician and a German puppet.
Biography[]
Vasil Hristov Radoslavov was born in Lovech, Ottoman Empire on 27 July 1854, and he became a Germanophile while studying at Heidelberg. He became Minister of Justice in 1884 under Prime Minister Petko Karavelov, and, at the age of 32, he became the youngest Prime Minister in Bulgarian history upon succeeding Karavelov in 1886. His brief reign was marked by corruption, causing a split in the Liberal Party which resulted in the split of the right-wing liberal "Radoslavists" from the main party. He strongly supported friendly relations with Austria-Hungary, and his anti-Russian rhetoric led to an impressed Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria appointing Radoslavov as one of his advisors on foreign policy. In 1913, Radoslavov returned to the premiership at the head of a liberal coalition, and he delayed Bulgaria's entry into World War I until 1915, when he led Bulgaria in joining the Central Powers. Radoslavov's popularity declined as a result of Bulgaria's entry into the war, but Bulgaria conquered Dobrudja from Romania (to the jealousy of the German Empire). Bulgaria was ultimately forced to allow for Northern Dobruja to be placed under multinational administration, angering Tsar Ferdinand. In 1918, Radoslavov was replaced as Prime Minister by Aleksandar Malinov, a pro-peace moderate who sought an armistice with the Entente. Radoslavov went into exile in Germany following the armistice of October 1918, and Aleksandar Stamboliyski's government sentenced Radoslavov to death in absentia for his role in bringing Bulgaria into its "Second National Disaster". Radoslavov was amnestied in 1929, but he died in exile in Berlin that same year.