Editing Ferdinand I of Bulgaria

{{Short description|Prince/Tsar of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ferdinand I<br/>{{nobold|Фердинанд I}}
| full name    = {{langx|de|Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria}}
| image        = Zar Ferdinand Bulgarien.jpg
| caption      = Ferdinand I in 1912
| reign        = 5 October 1908 – {{nowrap|3 October 1918}}
| coronation   = 
| succession   = [[Tsar of Bulgaria]]
| predecessor  = Himself (as Prince)
| successor    = [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]]
| reign2       = 7 July 1887 – 5 October 1908
| succession2  = [[Prince of Bulgaria]]
| predecessor2 = [[Alexander of Bulgaria|Alexander]]
| successor2   = Himself (as Tsar)
| spouses      = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma]]|1893|1899|reason=died}}|{{marriage|[[Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz]]|1908|1917|reason=died}}|{{marriage|[[Alžbeta Brezáková]]|1947}}}}
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Boris III of Bulgaria]]|[[Kiril, Prince of Preslav]]|[[Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria|Princess Eudoxia]]|[[Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria|Nadezhda, Duchess Albrecht Eugen of Württemberg]]}}
| house        = [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry]]
| father       = [[Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
| mother       = [[Princess Clémentine of Orléans]]
| birth_date   = 26 February 1861
| birth_place  = Vienna, Austrian Empire
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1948|9|10|1861|2|26|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Coburg]], Germany{{efn|Germany was under [[Allied-occupied Germany|Allied occupation]] at the time of Ferdinand's death.}}
| burial_place = {{ubl|[[St. Augustin, Coburg]] (1948–2024)|[[Vrana Palace]], Bulgaria (since 2024)}}
| religion     = [[Catholic Church in Bulgaria|Catholic]]
| signature    = Ferdinand I of Bulgaria signature.svg
}}
[[File:Tzar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria.jpg|thumb|Ferdinand in [[Bulgarian Army|Bulgarian]] [[Field Marshal]]'s uniform 1941]]
'''Ferdinand I''' (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was [[Prince of Bulgaria]] from 1887 to 1908 and [[Tsar of Bulgaria]] from 1908 until his abdication in 1918. Under his rule, [[Bulgaria during World War I|Bulgaria entered the First World War]] on the side of the [[Central Powers]] in 1915.<ref>Stephen Constant, ''Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria'' (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1979).</ref>

==Family background==
{{see also|Bulgarian royal family}}
Ferdinand was born on 26 February 1861 in [[Vienna]],<ref name="LoudaT149">[[#Louda1981|Louda, 1981, ''Lines of Succession'']], Table 149</ref> a German prince of the [[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry]].  He was the son of [[Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|Prince August of Saxe-Coburg]] and his wife [[Clémentine of Orléans]], daughter of King [[Louis Philippe I of the French]]. [[Princess Maria Antonia Koháry]] was a Hungarian Noble and heiress who married Ferdinand's grandfather, [[Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. Ferdinand was raised in his parents’ Catholic faith and baptised in [[St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna]] on 27 February, having as godparents [[Maximilian I of Mexico|Archduke Maximilian of Austria]] and his wife [[Princess Charlotte of Belgium]].<ref>Archiv der Domkirche St. Stephan, Wien, Taufbuch 1860-1865</ref> He grew up in the cosmopolitan environment of [[Austro-Hungarian]] high nobility and also in their ancestral lands in [[Hungary]] and in Germany. The [[House of Koháry]] descended from an immensely wealthy Upper Hungarian noble family, who held the princely lands of [[Čabraď Castle|Čabraď]] and Sitno in present-day [[Slovakia]], among others. The family's property was augmented by [[Clémentine of Orléans]]' remarkable dowry.<ref name="Constant, 1948">Constant, ''Foxy Ferdinand, 1861-1948, Tsar of Bulgaria'' (1979).</ref>

Ferdinand was a grandnephew of [[Ernst I of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Ernest I]], Duke of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] and of [[Leopold I of Belgium|Leopold I]], first king of the Belgians. His father August was a brother of King [[Ferdinand II of Portugal]], and also a first cousin to [[Queen Victoria]], her husband [[Albert, Prince Consort|Albert]], [[Charlotte of Belgium|Empress Carlota of Mexico]] and her brother [[Leopold II of Belgium]]. These last two, Leopold and Carlota, were also first cousins of Ferdinand I's through his mother, a princess of Orléans. This made the Belgian siblings his first cousins, as well as his first cousins once removed. Indeed, the House of [[Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] had contrived to occupy, either by marriage or by direct election, several European thrones in the course of the 19th century. Following the family trend, Ferdinand was himself to found the royal dynasty of Bulgaria.<ref name="Constant, 1948"/>

==Prince of Bulgaria==
[[File:The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor for the funeral of King Edward VII.jpg|thumb|left|The Nine Sovereigns at [[Windsor Castle|Windsor]] for the funeral of [[Edward VII|King Edward VII]], photographed on 20 May 1910. Standing, from left to right: [[Haakon VII of Norway|King Haakon VII of Norway]], [[Ferdinand of Bulgaria|Tsar Ferdinand of the Bulgarians]], [[Manuel II of Portugal|King Manuel II of Portugal and the Algarve]], [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Prussia]], [[George I of Greece|King George I of the Hellenes]] and [[Albert I of Belgium|King Albert I of the Belgians]]. Seated, from left to right: [[Alfonso XIII of Spain|King Alfonso XIII of Spain]], [[George V|King George V of the United Kingdom]] and [[Frederick VIII of Denmark|King Frederick VIII of Denmark]].]]

The previous ruling prince of Bulgaria, [[Alexander of Battenberg]], had abdicated in 1886 after a [[Bulgarian coup d'état of 1886|pro-Russian coup]], only seven years after he had been elected.<ref name="Finestone227">[[#Finestone1981|Finestone, 1981, ''The Last Courts of Europe'']], p 227</ref> Ferdinand, who was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian army, was elected Prince of autonomous [[Bulgaria]] by its Grand National Assembly on 7 July 1887 in the [[Gregorian calendar]] (the "New Style" used hereinafter).<ref name="Finestone227"/>  The throne had been previously offered, before Ferdinand's acceptance, to princes from Denmark to the Caucasus and even to the King of Romania.<ref name="Louda297">[[#Louda1981|Louda, 1981, ''Lines of Succession'']], p 297</ref> The Russian tsar himself had nominated his aide, [[Niko I Dadiani|Nichols Dadian of Mingrelia]], but his candidacy was rejected by the Bulgarians. Ferdinand's accession was greeted with disbelief in many of the royal houses of Europe; [[Queen Victoria]], his father's first cousin, stated to her prime minister, "He is totally unfit&nbsp;... delicate, eccentric and effeminate&nbsp;... Should be stopped at once."<ref name="Aronson83">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 83</ref> To the amazement of his initial detractors, Ferdinand generally gave a good account of himself during the first two decades of his reign.<ref name="Aronson83"/>

Bulgaria's domestic political life was dominated during the early years of Ferdinand's reign by liberal party leader [[Stefan Stambolov]], whose foreign policy saw a marked cooling in relations with Russia, formerly seen as Bulgaria's protector.

Stambolov's fall (May 1894) and subsequent assassination (July 1895) - probably not engineered by Ferdinand<ref>Constant, pp. 159-167.</ref> - paved the way for a reconciliation of Bulgaria with Russia, effected in February 1896 with Ferdinand's decision to convert his infant son, Prince Boris, from [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] to [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]. However, this earned him the animosity of his Catholic Austrian relatives, and he was [[Excommunication in the Catholic Church|excommunicated]] by [[Pope Leo XIII]].

==Tsar of Bulgaria==
[[File:5 leva Ferdinand I - 1894.png|thumb|250px|[[Silver coin]]: 5 leva, Ferdinand I, 1894]]
On 5 October 1908 (celebrated on 22 September), Ferdinand proclaimed Bulgaria's ''de jure'' independence from the [[Ottoman Empire]] (though the country had been ''de facto'' independent since 1878). He also proclaimed Bulgaria a kingdom, and assumed the title of ''tsar''—a deliberate nod to the rulers of the earlier Bulgarian states.<ref name="Louda297"/> However, while the title ''tsar'' was translated as "emperor" in the First and Second Bulgarian empires, it was translated as "[[king]]" under Ferdinand and his successors.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/tsar Tsar] at [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]</ref> The [[Bulgarian Declaration of Independence]] was proclaimed by him at the [[Holy Forty Martyrs Church, Veliko Tarnovo|Holy Forty Martyrs Church]] in [[Veliko Tarnovo|Tarnovo]], and was recognized by the Ottoman Empire and the other European powers.<ref name="Louda297"/> The [[Tarnovo Constitution]] was retained, with the word "prince" replaced by the word "''tsar''."

On a visit to [[List of German monarchs|German Emperor]] [[William II, German Emperor|Wilhelm II]], his second cousin once removed, in 1909, Ferdinand was leaning out of a window of the [[New Palace (Potsdam)|New Palace in Potsdam]] when the Emperor came up behind him and slapped him on the bottom. Ferdinand was affronted by the gesture, but the Kaiser refused to apologize. Ferdinand however exacted his revenge by awarding a valuable arms contract he had intended to give to the [[Krupp]]'s factory in [[Essen]] to French arms manufacturer [[Schneider-Creusot]].<ref name="Aronson8-9">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], pp 8–9</ref> Another incident occurred on his journey to the funeral of his second cousin King [[Edward VII]] of the United Kingdom in 1910. A tussle broke out over where his private railway carriage would be positioned in relation to the [[heir presumptive]] to the Austro-Hungarian throne, [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand]]. The Archduke won out, having his carriage positioned directly behind the engine. Ferdinand's was placed directly behind his. Realising the dining car of the train was behind his own carriage, Ferdinand obtained his revenge on the Archduke by refusing him passage through his own carriage to the dining car.<ref name="Aronson7">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 7</ref> On 15 July the same year during a visit to Belgium, Ferdinand also became the first head of state to fly in an airplane. He awarded the pilot of the plane with a medal when they landed.<ref>{{cite web|title=King up in Aeroplane: Ferdinand of Bulgaria First Monarch to Do It – Sons Fly Also|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1910/07/16/102043617.pdf|work=New York Times website|access-date=2010-07-17|page=1|format=Adobe Acrobat|date=16 July 1910}}</ref>

== Balkan Wars (1912–1913) ==
{{Main|Balkan Wars}}
Like many other rulers before him, Ferdinand desired the creation of a "new [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantium]]", a desire that has to be interpreted as wanting to create a significant, essentially Christian, Balkan power, given that Bulgaria and Bulgarians had neither cultural, ethnic, historical nor linguistic affinity with the old [[Byzantine Empire]], which was quintessentially [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and, evolving through the centuries, [[Greece|Greek]].<ref name="Aronson86">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 86</ref> In 1912, Ferdinand joined the other Balkan states in an assault on the Ottoman Empire to free occupied territories. He saw this war as a new crusade declaring it, "a just, great and sacred struggle of the Cross against the Crescent."<ref name="Aronson87">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 87</ref> Bulgaria contributed the most and also lost the greatest number of soldiers. The [[Great Powers]] insisted on the creation of an [[independent Albania]].<ref name="Louda297"/> Though the [[Balkan League]] allies had fought together against the common enemy in the [[First Balkan War]], that was not enough to overcome their mutual rivalries. In the original documents for the Balkan League, Serbia  had been pressured by Bulgaria to hand over most of [[Vardar Macedonia]] after it had conquered it from the Ottoman Empire. However Serbia, in response to the new Albanian state receiving territory in the north that it had expected to gain for itself, said that it would keep possession of the areas that its forces had occupied. Soon after, Bulgaria began the [[Second Balkan War]] when it invaded its recent allies Serbia and Greece to seize disputed areas, before being attacked itself by Romania and the Ottoman Empire. Although Bulgaria was defeated, the 1913 [[Treaty of Bucharest (1913)|Treaty of Bucharest]] granted the Kingdom some territorial gains. The region of [[Western Thrace]], giving access to the [[Aegean Sea]] was secured.<ref name="Louda297"/>

== First World War and abdication (1915–1918) ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=October 2020}}{{Main|Bulgaria during World War I}}
[[File:WilhelmFerdinandSofia.jpg|right|thumb|Emperor [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Wilhelm]] and Tsar Ferdinand in Sofia, 1916]]
On 11 October 1915, the Bulgarian army [[Serbian Campaign (World War I)|attacked Serbia]] after signing a treaty with [[Austria-Hungary]] and Germany stating that Bulgaria would gain the territory it sought at the expense of Serbia. While he was not an admirer of German Emperor Wilhelm II or [[Emperor of Austria|Austrian Emperor]] [[Franz Josef I of Austria|Franz Josef I]]&mdash;whom he described as "that idiot, that old dotard of a Francis Joseph".<ref name="Aronson126">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 126</ref>&mdash;Ferdinand wanted additional territorial gains after the humiliation of the Balkan Wars. This also entailed forming an alliance with his former enemy, the [[Ottoman Empire]]. This ranging of his country with the Central Powers made him a de facto supporter of Germany's war aims and was not well received by the Allies. [[Edmund Gosse]] wrote:

“In this war, where the ranks of the enemy present to us so many formidable, sinister, and shocking figures, there is one, and perhaps but one, which is purely ridiculous. If we had the heart to relieve our strained feelings by laughter, it would be at the gross Coburg traitor, with his bodyguard of assassins and his hidden coat-of-mail, his shaking hands and his painted face. The world has never seen a meaner scoundrel, and we may almost bring ourselves to pity the Kaiser, whom circumstances have forced to accept on equal terms a potentate so verminous.”

During the initial phase of World War I, the Tsardom of Bulgaria achieved several decisive victories over its enemies and laid claim to the disputed territories of Macedonia after Serbia's defeat. For the next two years, the Bulgarian army shifted its focus towards repelling Allied advances from nearby Greece. They were also partially involved in the 1916 conquest of neighboring Romania, now ruled by another [[Ferdinand I of Romania|Ferdinand I]], who was also Ferdinand's first cousin once removed.

To save the Bulgarian monarchy after multiple military setbacks in 1918, Tsar Ferdinand [[abdication|abdicated]] in favour of his eldest son, who became Tsar [[Boris III]] on 3 October 1918.<ref name="Palmer206">[[#Palmer1978|Palmer, 1978, ''The Kaiser'']], p 206</ref> Under new leadership, Bulgaria surrendered to the Entente and, as a consequence, lost not only the additional territory it had fought for in the major conflict, but also the territory it had won after the Balkan Wars giving access to the Aegean Sea.<ref name="Palmer206"/>

==Personal life==
[[File:KingFerdinand I Portrait.jpg|thumb|WWI-era portrait of Ferdinand I]]
Ferdinand married Princess [[Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma]], daughter of [[Robert I, Duke of Parma]] and [[Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1849–1882)|Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies]], on 20 April 1893 at the Villa Pianore in [[Lucca]]. Steven Constant describes this as a "marriage of convenience".<ref>Constant, 1986, ‘’Foxy Ferdinand’’, p 143</ref> The marriage produced four children:
* [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]] (1894–1943)
* [[Prince Kiril of Bulgaria|Kyril]] (1895–1945)
* [[Princess Eudoxia of Bulgaria|Eudoxia]] (1898–1985)
* [[Princess Nadezhda of Bulgaria|Nadezhda]] (1899–1958).

Marie Louise died on 31 January 1899 after giving birth to her youngest daughter. Ferdinand did not think about remarriage until his mother, Princess Clémentine, died in 1907. To satisfy dynastic obligations and to provide his children with a mother figure, Ferdinand married [[Princess Eleonore Reuss of Köstritz]], on 28 February 1908.<ref>Aronson, p 85.</ref>  Neither romantic love or physical attraction played any role, and Ferdinand treated her as no more than a member of the household, and showed scant regard.<ref name="ReferenceA">Stéphane Groueff, ‘’Crown of Thorns: The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria, 1918-1943’’, Madison Books, 1998.</ref>

In his private relations, Ferdinand was a somewhat hedonistic individual. He enjoyed affairs with a number of women of humble position, siring a number of illegitimate children whom he then supported financially.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In his later life, rumours abounded of Ferdinand's trysts with lieutenants and valets. His regular holidays on [[Capri]], then a popular holiday destination with wealthy [[epicenity|epicenes]], were common knowledge in royal courts throughout Europe.<ref name="Constant">Constant, Stephen ''Foxy Ferdinand, 1861–1948, Tsar of Bulgaria'', Sidgwick and Jackson, 1979, pp. 96, 266.</ref>

He was remembered in [[Lady Helena Gleichen|his cousin]]'s memoir: ''"Prince Ferdinand, who was a Coburg, was a cousin of [[Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg|my father]]’s, and I remember the latter saying, when we got back to the hotel, that being the youngest of his family he was naturally looked upon as a fool, “ But,” said my father, “ for the fool of the family he has not done so badly for himself and I should not be surprised if he did not prove them all to be wrong.” He was always mocked at by his relations for covering himself with orders and decorations created by himself, and he was rudely nicknamed “ the Christmas-tree,”"''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gleichen |first=Lady Helena |title=Contacts and Contrasts |publisher=Butler & Tanner Ltd. |year=1940 |pages=15}}</ref>

== Exile and death (1918–1948) ==
After his abdication, Ferdinand returned to live in [[Coburg]], Germany. He had managed to salvage much of his fortune and was able to live in some style.<ref name="Aronson201">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 201</ref> He saw his being in exile simply as one of the hazards of kingship.<ref name="Aronson201"/> He commented, "Kings in exile are more philosophic under reverses than ordinary individuals; but our philosophy is primarily the result of tradition and breeding, and do not forget that pride is an important item in the making of a monarch. We are disciplined from the day of our birth and taught the avoidance of all outward signs of emotion. The skeleton sits forever with us at the feast. It may mean murder, it may mean abdication, but it serves always to remind us of the unexpected. Therefore we are prepared and nothing comes in the nature of a catastrophe. The main thing in life is to support any condition of bodily or spiritual exile with dignity. If one sups with sorrow, one need not invite the world to see you eat."<ref name="Aronson175">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 175</ref> He was pleased that the throne could pass to his son. Ferdinand was not displeased with exile and spent much of his time devoted to artistic endeavors, gardening, travel and natural history. In 1922 the Bulgarian government gave former King Ferdinand I, who had been living in exile since 1918, permission to return to [[Sofia]]. The [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] immediately sent an ultimatum objecting to the move.<ref name="tribune jan 2">{{cite news |last=Fendrick |first=Raymond |date=January 2, 1924 |title=Ultimatum to Bulgars Sent by Jugo-Slavs | work=[[Chicago Daily Tribune]]|page=1 }}</ref>

However, he would live to see the collapse of everything he had held to be precious in life.<ref name="Aronson175"/> His eldest son and successor, [[Boris III]], died under mysterious circumstances after returning from a visit to [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] in Germany in 1943. Boris' son, [[Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Simeon II]], succeeded him only to be deposed in 1946, ending the Bulgarian monarchy. The Kingdom of Bulgaria was succeeded by the [[History of Communist Bulgaria|People's Republic of Bulgaria]], under which Ferdinand's other son, [[Prince Kiril of Bulgaria|Kyril]], was executed. On hearing of Kyril's death he said, "Everything is collapsing around me."<ref name="Aronson202">[[#Aronson1986|Aronson, 1986, ''Crowns In Conflict'']], p 202</ref>

In 1947, Ferdinand (then 86 years old) secretly married his 26-year-old assistant [[Alžbeta Brezáková]] in [[Bamberg]], Germany,<ref name=efaid>{{cite web|url=http://matica.sk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/V%C3%A1ro%C5%A1_s67-76.pdf|title=Dve Slovenky: Vdova Po Cisarovi a Kralovi|date=March 2015|author=Milan Vároš
|website=matica.sk|access-date=31 May 2023}}</ref> much to the displeasure of the members of his family. After his death, she returned to her homeland [[Czechoslovakia]], where she remarried and had a daughter. Being afraid of what the communist regime might do to her, she only told her daughter about her marriage to Ferdinand two years before her death. She survived her husband by 67 years and died in [[Bratislava]], Slovakia in 2015.

Ferdinand died in Bürglass-Schlösschen on 10 September 1948 in [[Coburg (district)|Coburg]], Germany, cradle of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. He was the last surviving grandchild of Louis-Philippe of France. His final wish was to be buried in Bulgaria. However, the Communist authorities in Bulgaria would not allow it, so he was buried in the family crypt in [[St. Augustin, Coburg]].

On 29 May 2024, the remains of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria were transported from Coburg to Sofia by a military plane, which landed at Sofia Airport. They were transported from Germany to Bulgaria by a military aircraft in accordance with the decision adopted by the Council of Ministers. The coffin was taken down and carried by national guards and solemnly placed in a hearse which left for the royal [[Vrana Palace]] on the outskirts of Sofia, where Ferdinand I was buried.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mortal Remains of Bulgarian King Ferdinand I Brought to Bulgaria from Germany |url=https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/679464-mortal-remains-of-bulgarian-king-ferdinand-i-brought-to-bulgaria-from-germany |website=Bulgarian News Agency |access-date=31 May 2024}}</ref>

==Honours==
{{infobox royal styles|royal name=King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria|image=[[Image:Royal Monogram of King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, Variant 3.svg|centre|95px]]
|dipstyle=[[Majesty|His Majesty]]|offstyle=Your Majesty}}

=== Bulgarian ===
* [[Order of Saint Alexander (Bulgaria)|Grand Cross of St. Alexander]], in Diamonds, ''27 May 1883''<ref name = "BulgarianOrders">[http://www.kingsimeon.bg/en/simvoli-i-ordeni/velikiyat-magistar-na-balgarskite-ord/ The Grand Master of the Bulgarian Orders] - official website of H.M. Simeon II</ref>
* Founder and Grand Master of the [[Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria)|Civil Merit Order]], ''1891''<ref name = "BulgarianOrders"/>
* Founder and Grand Master of the [[Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)|Military Merit Order]], ''19 May 1900''<ref name = "BulgarianOrders"/>
* Founder and Grand Master of the [[Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius]], ''18 May 1909''<ref>''State Gazette'', No. 104, 21 May 1909</ref>

=== Foreign ===
[[File:Coat of Arms of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (Order of the Golden Fleece).svg|thumb|right|Arms of Ferdinand I as knight of the Austrian branch of the [[Order of the Golden Fleece]]]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Albania}} [[House of Zogu|Albanian royal family]]:{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
** Knight of the [http://www.albanianroyalcourt.al/pages/royal%20decorations Order of Albania], with Collar
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of Fidelity]], Special Class
* {{flagicon|Austrian Empire}} {{flagicon|Kingdom of Hungary|1896}} [[House of Habsburg|Austro-Hungarian imperial and royal family]]:
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], with Collar, ''1899''; in Diamonds, ''1917''<ref name="osthandbuch">{{citation|chapter-url=http://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=shb&datum=1918&size=45|chapter=Ritter-Orden|title=Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie|date=1918|access-date=2 November 2019|pages=51–52, 55}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Golden Fleece|Knight of the Golden Fleece]], with Collar, ''1911''<ref name="osthandbuch"/>
** [[Military Merit Cross (Austria-Hungary)|Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class]] with War Decoration, ''1915''
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Maria Theresa]], with Collar, ''1917''<ref name="osthandbuch"/>
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Bavaria}} [[House of Wittelsbach|Bavarian royal family]]:
** [[Order of St. Hubert|Knight of St. Hubert]], ''1896''<ref>''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_nTedipoxoGcC/page/n39  Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Königreichs Bayern]'' (1906), "Königliche-Orden" p. 8</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Max Joseph]]
* {{flag|Belgium}}: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
* {{flagicon|Empire of Brazil}} [[Brazilian imperial family]]: [[Order of the Rose|Grand Cross of the Rose]], with Collar{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
* {{flag|Denmark}}: [[Order of the Elephant|Knight of the Elephant]], with Collar, ''20 May 1910''<ref>{{cite book|author=Jørgen Pedersen|title=Riddere af Elefantordenen, 1559–2009|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glw-AQAAIAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Syddansk Universitetsforlag|language=da|isbn=978-87-7674-434-2|page=469}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Altenburg}} {{flagicon|Saxe-Meiningen}} [[Ernestine duchies|Ernestine ducal families]]: 
** Grand Cross of the [[Saxe-Ernestine House Order]], ''1879''<ref>''[https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00243753/Sachsen_Coburg_Gotha_166999342_1890_0054.tif?logicalDiv=jportal_jparticle_00484309 Staatshandbücher für das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha]'' (1890), "Herzogliche Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden" p. 43</ref>
** Knight of the [[Order of Saint Joachim]], ''1888''
* {{flagcountry|French Third Republic}}: Grand Officer of the [[Legion of Honour]], ''1905''{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
** {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[House of Orléans|French royal family]]:
*** [[Order of Saint Michael|Knight of St. Michael]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
*** [[Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)|Grand Cross of St. Lazarus]], with Collar
* {{flagicon|Grand Duchy of Hesse}} [[House of Hesse|Hessian grand ducal family]]: Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], ''28 November 1893''<ref name="ordensliste">{{citation|title=Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste|chapter=Ludewigs-orden|page=8|language=German|location=Darmstadt|year=1907|publisher=Staatsverlag}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Italy}} [[House of Savoy|Italian royal family]]:
** [[Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation|Knight of the Annunciation]], with Collar, ''10 July 1897''<ref name="dell'interno1898">{{cite book|author=Italia : Ministero dell'interno|title=Calendario generale del Regno d'Italia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0dnhcmSJ6FcC&pg=PP5|year=1898|publisher=Unione tipografico-editrice|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0dnhcmSJ6FcC&pg=PA54 54]}}</ref>
** [[Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus|Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
** [[Order of the Crown of Italy|Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy]]
** {{Flagicon|Duchy of Parma}} [[House of Bourbon-Parma|Parmese ducal family]]: [[Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George|Senator Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order of St. George]], ''1893''
** {{Flagicon|Two Sicilies}} [[House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies|Two Sicilian royal family]]: [[Order of St. Januarius|Knight of St. Januarius]]
* {{Flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}: [[Medals, awards and orders of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Bailiff Grand Cross of Justice, 1st Class]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsimeon.bg/wp-content/gallery/gallery-106/gallery-106_034.jpg|website=kingsimeon.bg|title=Image|access-date=10 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsimeon.bg/en/2013/02/tehni-velichestva-prisastvaha-v-rim-na/|title=The Majesties attended the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the Sovereign Order of Malta|work=The Majesties attended the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the Sovereign Order of Malta - H.R.H. King Simeon II}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kingsimeon.bg/en/2011/06/tsarskoto-semejstvo-be-gost-na-priema-v/|title=The Royal family attended the reception on the occasion of the Day of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Order of Malta|work=The Royal family attended the reception on the occasion of the Day of St. John the Baptist, patron of the Order of Malta - H.R.H. King Simeon II}}</ref>
* {{flag|Monaco}}: [[Order of Saint-Charles|Grand Cross of St. Charles]], ''11 May 1892''<ref>{{cite web|language=fr|title=Journal de Monaco|date=31 May 1892|url=https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/var/jdm/storage/original/application/f8c27457cde022d0eb3a65e2e04c728d.pdf}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Portugal}} [[House of Braganza|Portuguese royal family]]:<ref name="Agraciamentos">{{cite journal|last1=Bragança |first1=Jose Vicente de|date=2014 |title=Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Príncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota |url=https://www.academia.edu/10576008 |language=pt|trans-title=Portuguese Honours awarded to Princes of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha|journal=Pro Phalaris |volume=9-10 |page=9 |access-date=28 November 2019 }}</ref>
** Grand Cross of the [[Sash of the Two Orders]], ''17 July 1886''
** [[Order of the Tower and Sword|Grand Cross of the Tower and Sword]], ''17 July 1886''
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia}} [[House of Hohenzollern|Prussian royal family]]:
** [[Order of the Red Eagle|Grand Cross of the Red Eagle]], with Collar, ''2 May 1896''<ref>{{citation|title=Königlich Preussische Ordensliste|chapter-url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=5&skin=2021|page=[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015025921423&view=1up&seq=11&skin=2021 7]|language=German|chapter=Rother Adler-orden|location=Berlin|year=1895}}</ref>
** [[Order of the Black Eagle|Knight of the Black Eagle]], with Collar{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
** [[Iron Cross]] (1914), 2nd and 1st Classes{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
** [[Pour le Mérite]] (military), with Oak Leaves, ''8 September 1916''<ref>{{cite web|title=Foreign Pour le Mérite Awards: Foreign Awards During World War I|url=https://pourlemerite.org/|website=pourlemerite.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031062935/https://pourlemerite.org/|access-date=12 August 2020|archive-date=2019-10-31}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Kingdom of Romania}} [[Romanian royal family]]: Collar of the [[Order of Carol I]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://familiaregala.ro/ordine-si-decoratii/ordinul-carol-i |title=Ordinul Carol I |website=[[Romanian royal family|Familia Regală a României]] |location=Bucharest |language=ro |trans-title=Order of Carol I |access-date=17 October 2019}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Russian Empire}} [[House of Romanov|Russian imperial family]]:
** [[Order of St. Andrew|Knight of St. Andrew]], with Collar, ''1907''<ref>{{cite book|author=Sergey Semenovich Levin|title=Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called (1699-1917). Order of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine (1714-1917)|year=2003|chapter=Lists of Knights and Ladies|location=Moscow}}</ref>
** [[Order of St. Alexander Nevsky|Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky]], ''10 February 1910''<ref>{{cite web|author=Alexei Popovkin|url=https://ruskline.ru/analitika/2012/08/27/neoslavistskoe_dvizhenie/|title=Visits of the Slavic Monarchs to Russia|year=2012|language=ru|access-date=7 April 2020}}</ref>
** [[Order of the White Eagle (Russian Empire)|Knight of the White Eagle]]
** [[Order of St. Anna|Knight of St. Anna]], 1st Class
** [[Order of St. Vladimir|Knight of St. Vladimir]], 1st Class
* {{flagicon|Restoration (Spain)}} [[House of Bourbon|Spanish royal family]]: Grand Commander of the [[Order of Calatrava]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
* {{flag|Sweden}}: [[Order of the Seraphim|Knight of the Seraphim]], with Collar, ''28 June 1937''<ref>{{citation|title=Sveriges statskalender|year=1940|pages=903–904|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1940bih/0008.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=sv}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Ottoman Empire}} [[Ottoman dynasty|Turkish imperial family]]:
** [[Order of Distinction (Ottoman Empire)|Order of Distinction]] in Diamonds, ''26 March 1896''<ref>{{cite book | last = Kumanov | first = Milen | title = Bulgarian-Turkish relations during the First World War (1914 – 1918) – A collection of documents |language= bg | publisher = Gutenberg | location = Sofia | year = 2015 | edition = 2 | url = http://archives.bg/wars/books/f/Balgaro_turski_otnosheniya.pdf | isbn = 978-619-176-034-3 | page = 516}}</ref>
** Exalted Order of Honour, ''1915''
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}:
** [[Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal]], ''1897''
** Honorary Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]], ''6 September 1904''<ref name=p430>Shaw, Wm. A. (1906) ''The Knights of England'', '''I''', London, [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924092537418#page/n521/mode/2up p. 430]</ref>
** [[Order of the Bath|Honorary Grand Cross of the Bath]] (civil), ''7 March 1905''<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27774|page=2012|date=14 March 1905}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|Württemberg}} [[House of Württemberg|Württemberg royal family]]: Grand Cross of the [[Military Merit Order (Württemberg)|Military Merit Order]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
}}

=== Honorary military appointments ===
[[File:1902ir054f-p02r.png|200px|thumb|<small>General of infantry shoulder straps, сhef of 54th Minsk Infantry Regiment, 1902-1912</small>]]
* {{flag|Russian Empire}}: Colonel of the 54th Minsk Regiment, ''1902''<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Prince ferdinand at Kieff |date=27 June 1902 |page=7 |issue=36805}}</ref>

==Ancestors==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Ferdinand I of Bulgaria'''
|2= 2. [[Prince August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
|3= 3. [[Princess Clémentine of Orléans]]
|4= 4. [[Ferdinand, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry]]
|5= 5. [[Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya]]
|6= 6. [[Louis Philippe I|Louis Philippe I of France]]
|7= 7. [[Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily|Princess Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily]]
|8= 8. [[Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld]]
|9= 9. [[Countess Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf]]
|10= 10. [[Ferenc József, Prince Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya]]
|11= 11. [[Countess Maria Antonia von Waldstein]]
|12= 12. [[Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans]]
|13= 13. [[Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans|Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon]]
|14= 14. [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies]]
|15= 15. [[Maria Carolina of Austria|Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria]]
}}

== See also ==
* [[Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=33em}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Books==
* {{cite book
  | last = Aronson
  | first = Theo
  | author-link = Theo Aronson
  | title = Crowns In Conflict: The Triumph And The Tragedy Of European Monarchy, 1910–1918
  | publisher = [[J.Murray]]
  | year= 1986
  | location = London
  | isbn = 0-7195-4279-0
  | ref=Aronson1986}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Constant
  | first = Stephen
  | title = Foxy Ferdinand, 1861–1948, Tsar of Bulgaria
  | publisher = [[Sidgwick and Jackson]]
  | year= 1986
  | location = London
  | isbn = 0-283-98515-1
  | ref=Constant1986}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Louda
  | first = Jiri
  | author-link = Jiri Louda
  |author2=Michael Maclagan
  | title = Lines of Succession
  | publisher = [[Orbis Publishing Ltd]]
  | year= 1981
  | location = London
  | isbn = 0-460-04519-9
  | ref=Louda1981}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Massie
  | first = Robert K
  | author-link = Robert K. Massie
  | title = The Last Courts of Europe
  | publisher = [[J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd]]
  | year= 1981
  | location = London
  | isbn = 0-460-04519-9
  | ref=Finestone1981}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Palmer
  | first = Alan
  | author-link = Alan Palmer
  | title = The Kaiser: Warlord Of The Second Reich
  | publisher = [[Weidenfeld and Nicolson]]
  | year= 1978
  | location = London
  | isbn = 0-297-77393-3
  | ref=Palmer1978}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Ferdinand I of Bulgaria}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ferdinand I of Bulgaria}}
* [http://stara-sofia.com/dvorec.html Historical photographs of the royal palace in Sofia]
* {{PM20|FID=pe/005090}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]|26 February|1861|10 September|1948|[[House of Wettin]]}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria|Alexander]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prince of Bulgaria]]|years=7 July 1887 – 5 October 1908}}
{{s-non|reason=Proclaimed tsar|reason2=''De jure'' independence}}
|-
{{s-vac|reason=Ottoman rule|last=[[Constantine II of Bulgaria|Constantine II]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Tsar of Bulgaria]]|years=5 October 1908 – 3 October 1918}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Boris III]]}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alexander, Prince of Bulgaria|Alexander]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor-general of [[Eastern Rumelia]]|years=7 July 1887 – 5 October 1908}}
{{s-non|reason=Proclaimed tsar|reason2=Bulgarian independence}}
{{S-end}}

{{Bulgarian monarchs}}
{{Bulgarian princes}}
{{Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha}}
{{Bulgaria in World War I}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferdinand 01 Of Bulgaria}}
[[Category:1861 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century monarchs of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:19th-century Bulgarian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century Bulgarian LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century monarchs of Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Bisexual men]]
[[Category:Bisexual military personnel]]
[[Category:LGBTQ military personnel]]
[[Category:Bulgarian people of the Balkan Wars]]
[[Category:Bulgarian people of World War I]]
[[Category:Field marshals of Germany]]
[[Category:Governors-general of Eastern Rumelia]]
[[Category:House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Bulgaria)]]
[[Category:LGBTQ royalty]]
[[Category:LGBTQ Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Bulgarian bisexual people]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic monarchs]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]
[[Category:Nobility from Vienna]]
[[Category:Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]
[[Category:Grand Master of the Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Bravery]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Maria Theresa]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz|2]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal)|2]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Annulled Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles]]
[[Category:People from the Austrian Empire]]
[[Category:World War I political leaders]]