World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseTsar Boris III, born Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver, was the son of Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria. He took the throne in 1918 when his father abdicated after military losses during the Second Balkan War and World War I. In 1930, he married Giovanna of Savoy, daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, and formed a friendly relationship with that country. After years of slowly building his strength within Bulgaria, he finally established a dictatorship with the backing of the military in May 1934 that outlawed political parties, thereby granting him absolute power. As the tension built up in Europe, Boris had been on good terms with Germany but had hesitated to ally Bulgaria with the militarily aggressive nation. In 1941, however, political forces within the country left him little choice but to join the Axis alliance. Bulgaria was immediately thrown into fighting with Yugoslavia and Greece. The alliance with Germany also brought requests for the deportation of the 50,000 Bulgarian Jews; despite public rejection of the requests, he was still responsible for the deportation of 13,000 Jews. In Aug 1943, Boris was brought to Berlin and was forced to declare war on Britain and the United States, but he refused to declare war on Russia. Immediately following his return from Berlin, Boris died of a heart failure. He was originally buried in the Rila Monastery, but the communist government that later assumed power in Bulgaria had his body exhumed, and records of the new burial place had since been lost.

Boris III Interactive Map

Photographs

Boris III Timeline