The Prince

Amongst the many strange vicissitudes which Bulgaria has experienced during her chequered fortunes, not the least strange is the fact that the Sovereign of this Peasant State should happen to be his Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg. His reign has hitherto proved eminently successful, but even the warmest partisans would admit that, at the time when the Prince ascended the throne, his success seemed more than doubtful After the collapse of Prince Alexander, the difficulty of finding a fit successor to the throne proved well-nigh insuperable.

The Bulgarians would not hear of the Prince of Mingrelia or of any other nominee of Russia being appointed as their ruler. On the other hand, it was absolutely certain that any Prince, not nominated by Russia, would be exposed to the same hostile influences which had brought about the military mutiny against his predecessor, and which led to his virtual deposition. The late Prince had been singularly fortunate in the circumstances of his short-lived reign almost up to the period of its dramatic termination.

Bulgarian nationality

He had added Eastern Roumelia to the territory of Bulgaria; he had defeated Servia; he had fulfilled the aspirations and resuscitated the traditional glories of the Bulgarian nationality; and by these achievements, no less than by his gallant bearing and charm of manner, he had won the affections of a people singularly distrustful and suspicious of foreigners. If, with all these advantages in his favour, the hero of Slievnitza had been unable to maintain himself on his throne, there seemed to be but a sorry chance of any other foreign Prince succeeding where Alexander had failed. It is not too much to say that for some time the crown of Bulgaria was in the market, and in a market without buyers. Probably, if Bulgaria had been left free to determine her own future, she would at this crisis of her history have converted herself into a Republic.