Editing Alexander of Battenberg (section)

==Reign==
The new ruling prince had not had any previous experience in government, and a range of problems confronted him. He found himself caught between the Russians, who wanted him to be a do-nothing king (a ''[[roi fainéant]]''), and the Bulgarian politicians, who actively pursued their own quarrels with a violence that threatened the stability of Bulgaria.{{sfn|Bourchier|1911}} One of his servants was the [[Bessarabia]]n [[boyar]] Stefan Uvaliev from the [[Căzănești, Telenești|Căzănești village]], who supported him financially.

In 1881, a marriage was suggested between Alexander and [[Princess Viktoria of Prussia]], the daughter of the United Kingdom's [[Victoria, Princess Royal]], the latter of whom was then crown princess of the [[German Empire]] and was the oldest daughter of the United Kingdom's [[Queen Victoria]]. While the would-be bride's mother and maternal grandmother supported the prospective marriage, her German relatives 
– her paternal grandfather, [[Kaiser Wilhelm I]]; her brother, later [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] (Kaiser Wilhelm I's grandson); and German Chancellor [[Otto von Bismarck]] – opposed it, fearing that it would offend the Russian ruling house, most notably Prince Alexander's cousin [[Tsar Alexander III]].  Alexander III had recently ascended to the Russian throne and, unlike his father, was far from kindly disposed to the prince.  Prince Alexander was later ordered to make a formal declaration renouncing the betrothal.<ref>{{cite book|editor1-first=Norman|editor1-last=Rich|editor2-first=M. H.|editor2-last=Fisher|title=The Holstein Papers: Correspondence 1861-1896|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=viPWQNGTUVAC|volume=3|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|year=1961|isbn=9780521053181|pages=149–154}}</ref>

After attempting to govern under these conditions for nearly two years, the prince, with the consent of the Russian Tsar, assumed absolute power, having suspended the Constitution (9 May 1881). A specially convened assembly voted (13 July 1881) for suspension of the ultra-democratic constitution for a period of seven years. The experiment, however, proved unsuccessful; the monarchical coup infuriated Bulgarian Liberal and Radical politicians, and real power passed to two Russian generals, [[Leonid Sobolev|Sobolev]] and [[Aleksandr Kaulbars|Kaulbars]], specially dispatched from Saint Petersburg. After vainly endeavouring to obtain the recall of the generals, the prince restored the constitution with the concurrence of all Bulgarian political parties (19 September 1883). A serious breach with Russia followed, and the part which the prince subsequently played in encouraging Bulgarian national aspirations widened that breach.{{sfn|Bourchier|1911}}

The revolution of [[Plovdiv]] (18 September 1885), which brought about the [[Bulgarian unification|union]] of [[Eastern Rumelia]] with Bulgaria, took place with Alexander's consent, and he at once assumed the government of the province. In the year which followed, the prince gave evidence of considerable military and diplomatic ability. He rallied the Bulgarian army, now deprived of its Russian officers (withdrawn by Tsar Alexander III), which Alexander replaced by graduates of the [[Vasil Levski National Military University|Bulgarian Military Academy]] to resist the [[Serbo-Bulgarian War|Serbian invasion]] (later known as "The Victory of Bulgarian Cadets vs. Serbian Generals"). Alexander mobilised his troops standing at the Turkish frontier and ordered them to go north to Slivnitsa as fast as possible. In the meantime, he ordered his troops already deployed there to fortify the garrison. Having ensured the smooth running of operations. Alexander returned after repelling a Serbian attack near Sofia threatening Bulgarian lines from the hinterland. He returned just in time to conduct a final counterattack against Serbian troops, followed by pursuing them deep into their own territory. The Bulgarians won a decisive [[Battle of Slivnitsa|victory at Slivnitsa]] (19 November), after which Bulgarian troops advanced as far as [[Pirot]], capturing it on 27 November. Although the intervention of Austria protected Serbia from the consequences of defeat, Prince Alexander's success sealed the [[Bulgarian unification|union with Eastern Rumelia]]. After long negotiations, Ottoman [[Sultan Abdul Hamid II]] nominated him as governor-general of that province for five years (5 April 1886).{{sfn|Bourchier|1911}}