ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893), first
prince of Bulgaria, was the second son of Prince Alexander
of Hesse and the Rhine by his morganatic marriage with
Julia, countess von Hauke. The title of princess of
Battenberg, derived from an old residence of the grand-dukes
of Hesse, was conferred, with the prefix Durchlaucht or
"Serene Highness," on the countess and her descendants in
1858. Prince Alexander, who was born on the 5th of April
1857, was nephew of the tsar Alexander II., who had married
a sister of Prince Alexander of Hesse; his mother, a daughter
of Count Moritz von Hauke, had been lady-in-waiting to the
tsaritsa. In his boyhood and early youth he was frequently
at St Petersburg, and he accompanied his uncle, who was
much attached to him, during the Bulgarian campaign of
1877. When Bulgaria under the
Berlin Treaty was constituted
an autonomous principality under the suzerainty of Turkey, the
tsar recommended his nephew to the Bulgarians as a candidate
for the newly created throne, and Prince Alexander was elected
prince of Bulgaria by unanimous vote of the Grand Sobranye
(April 29, 1879). He was at that time serving as a lieutenant
in the Prussian life-guards at Potsdam. Before proceeding
to Bulgaria, Prince Alexander paid visits to the tsar at
Livadia, to the courts of the great powers and to the sultan;
he was then conveyed on a Russian warship to Varna, and after
taking the oath to the new constitution at Tirnova (July
8, 1879) he repaired to Sofia, being everywhere greeted with
immense enthusiasm by the people. (For the political history
of Prince Alexander's reign, see BULGARIA.) Without any
previous training in the art of government, the young prince
from the outset found himself confronted with difficulties
which would have tried the sagacity of an experienced ruler.
On the one hand he was exposed to numberless humiliations on
the part of the representatives of official Russia, who made
it clear to him that he was expected to play the part of a
roi faineant; on the other he was compelled to make terms
with the Bulgarian politicians, who, intoxicated with newly won
liberty, prosecuted their quarrels with a crude violence which
threatened to subvert his authority and to plunge the nation in
anarchy. After attempting to govern under these conditions
for nearly two years, the prince, with the consent of the tsar
Alexander III., assumed absolute power (May 9, 1881), and a
suspension of the ultra-democratic constitution for a period
of seven years was voted by a specially convened assembly
(July 13). The experiment, however, proved unsuccessful; the
Bulgarian Liberal and Radical politicians were infuriated, and
the real power fell into the hands of two Russian generals,
Sobolev and Kaulbars, who had been specially despatched from St
Petersburg. The prince, after vainly endeavouring to obtain
the recall of the generals, restored the constitution with the
concurrence of all the Bulgarian political parties (September
18, 1883). A serious breach with
Russia followed, which was
widened by the part which the prince subsequently played in
encouraging the national aspirations of the Bulgarians. The
revolution of Philippopolis (September 18, 1885), which brought
about the union of Eastern Rumelia with Bulgaria, was carried
out with his consent, and he at once assumed the government of
the revolted province. In the anxious year which followed, the
prince gave evidence of considerable military and diplomatic
ability. He rallied the Bulgarian army, now deprived of
its Russian officers, to resist the Servian invasion, and
after a brilliant victory at Slivnitza (November 19) pursued
King Milan into Servian territory as far as Pirot, which he
captured (November 27). Although Servia was protected from the
consequences of defeat by the intervention of Austria, Prince
Alexander's success sealed the union with Eastern Rumelia,
and after long negotiations he was nominated governor-general
of that province for five years by the sultan (April 5,
1886). This arrangement, however, cost him much of his
popularity in Bulgaria, while discontent prevailed among a
certain number of his officers, who considered themselves
slighted in the distribution of rewards at the close of the
campaign. A military conspiracy was formed, and on the night
of the 20th of August the prince was seized in the palace at
Sofia, and compelled to sign his abdication; he was then
hurried to the Danube at Rakhovo, transported on his yacht to
Reni, and handed over to Russian authorities, by whom he was
allowed to proceed to Lemberg. He soon, however, returned to
Bulgaria, owing to the success of the counter- revolution led
by Stamboloff, which overthrew the provisional government set
up by the Russian party at Sofia. But his position had become
untenable, partly owing to an ill-considered telegram which
he addressed to the tsar on his return; partly in consequence
of the attitude of Prince Bismarck, who, in conjunction
with the Russian and Austrian governments, forbade him to
punish the leaders of the military conspiracy. He therefore
issued a manifesto resigning the throne, and left Bulgaria
on the 8th of September 1886. He now retired into private
life. A few years later he married Fraulein Loisinger, an
actress, and assumed the style of Count Hartenau (February 6,
1889). The last years of his life were spent principally at
Gratz, where he held a local command in the Austrian army.
Here, after a short illness, he died on the 23rd of October
1893. His remains were brought to Sofia, where they received
a public funeral, and were eventually deposited in a mausoleum
erected in his memory. Prince Alexander possessed much
charm and amiability of manner; he was tall, dignified and
strikingly handsome. His capabilities as a soldier have been
generally recognized by competent authorities. As a ruler
he committed some errors, but his youth and inexperience and
the extreme difficulty of his position must be taken into
consideration. He was not without aptitude for diplomacy,
and his intuitive insight and perception of character
sometimes enabled him to outwit the crafty politicians by
whom he was surrounded. His principal fault was a want
of tenacity and resolution; his tendency to unguarded
language undoubtedly increased the number of his enemies.
See Drandar, Le Prince Alexandre de Battenberg en Bulgarie
(Paris, 1884); Koch, Furst Alexander von Bulgarien
(Darmstadt, 1887); Matveyev, Bulgarien nach dem Berliner
Congress (Petersburg, 1887); Bourchier, "Prince Alexander of
Battenberg," in Fortnightly Review, January 1894. (J. D. B.)
Initial text from 1911 encyclopedia -- Please update as needed