Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Simeon II / Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha / Simeon Sakskoburggotski
former Tsar of Bulgaria, Chairman of the Coalition (Political)
File:Simeonofbulgaria.jpg Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as Prime Minister of Bulgaria
Reign	28 August, 1943 - 15 September, 1946
Predecessor	Boris III of Bulgaria
Successor	Kingdom abolished, Republic declared Vasil Kolarov (President)
Issue	Kardam, Prince of Turnovo Kyrill, Prince of Preslav Kubrat, Prince of Panagiurishte Konstantin-Assen, Prince of Vidin Princess Kalina of Bulgaria
House	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Father	Boris III
Mother	Giovanna di Savoia, Princess of Italy

Simeon of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Bulgarian: Симеон Сакскобургготски) or the Simeon II of Bulgaria (born June 16, 1937) was head of state as the Tsar of Bulgaria, Tsar Simeon II, from 1943 to 1946. He served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 until August 2005. He is known in the English speaking world as Simeon von Saxe-Coburg-und-Gotha, which is an English form of his family's original German name Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. Zeynep

Simeon is one of the few living heads of state from the pre-World War II-era and he is also the only monarch in history who became Prime Minister of his country through a land-slide victory in democratic nation-wide elections, after 55 years of exile imposed on his family by the communistic republic established in 1946. It was a first for Bulgaria, for Europe and for the world.

Simeon is a relative of the British Queen Elizabeth II and Belgian King Albert II. They belong to the House of Wettin. The Bulgarian Royal House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is also a link between them. Simeon is a Knight of the Golden Fleece.

Simeon is the only living person who still bears the Slavonic title "Tsar". He never signed any abdication papers although he was deposed by the communists in 1946 and the monarchy was abolished through a plebiscite held in the presence of the Soviet army.

Royal history

See also: Ancestry of royals of Bulgaria

Simeon is the son of Tsar Boris III and Tsaritsa Giovanna di Savoia. Following his birth, Boris freed 4,000 prisoners, raised the exam scores of students, and had an air force major go to the River Jordan to obtain water for Simeon's baptism. He became Tsar on August 28 1943 upon the death of his father, shortly after his return to Bulgaria from a meeting with Adolf Hitler. Since Tsar Simeon was only six years old upon assuming the throne, his uncle Prince Kyril of Bulgaria, Prime Minister Bogdan Filov and Army General Mihov were appointed regents.

On 5 September 1944 the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria and the Red Army invaded the country. On 9 September 1944, Prince Kyril and the other regents were deposed by a Soviet-backed coup and arrested. The three regents, all members of the last three governments, Parliament deputies, heads of the army and eminent journalists were executed by the Communists in February 1945.

Towards exile

The royal family (Queen Giovanna, Simeon II and his sister Maria-Louisa) remained at Vrana Palace near Sofia, while new communist regents were appointed. In her memoirs, Queen Giovanna recounts that Soviet soldiers at that time would entertain themselves by shooting at random in the direction where she was walking with the children. On 15 September 1946, a plebiscite was held in the presence of the Soviet army. It resulted in over 97% approval for a newly-established Soviet republic and abolished the monarchy. On 16 September 1946, the royal family was exiled from Bulgaria. However, Simeon II never signed any abdication papers, though Bulgaria had been recognised as a republic. The royal family first went to Alexandria, Egypt, where Queen Giovanna's father Victor Emanuel III, King of Italy, lived in exile. There, Simeon II finished Victoria College (along with Crown Prince Leka of Albania). In July 1951, the Spanish government of Francisco Franco granted asylum to the family.

Education and business career

In Madrid, Simeon graduated from the Lycée Français and studied law and political science. On 16 June 1955, upon turning 18, in accordance with the Tarnovo Constitution Simeon II read his proclamation to the Bulgarian people as the Tsar of Bulgaria, confirming his will to be king of all Bulgarians and follow the principles of Tarnovo Constitution and free Bulgaria. In 1958, he enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in the United States, where he was known as "Cadet Rylski No. 6883", and graduated as a second lieutenant. Once again in Spain, Simeon studied law and business administration.

He became a businessman. For thirteen years, he was chairman of the Spanish subsidiary of Thomson, a French defence and electronics group. He was also an adviser in the banking, hotel, electronics, and catering sectors.

Monarch in exile

Simeon issued several political declarations during his exile through his "chancellery" in Madrid directed at the Communist regime in Bulgaria and his exiled compatriots. His early attempts at forming an official government in exile did not come to fruition.

Marriage and family

In 1962 Simeon married a Spanish aristocrat, Doña Margarita Gomez-Acebo y Cejuela.The couple have five children — four sons (Kardam, Kyril, Kubrat and Konstantin) and a daughter, Kalina, all of whom subsequently married Spaniards. All of his sons received names of Bulgarian kings.

• Kardam (born 1962) married Miriam Ungria y López. They have two sons, Boris and Beltran.
• Kyrill (born 1964) married Rosario Nadal y Fuster-Puigdorfila. They have two daughters, Mafalda and Olimpia, and one son, Tassilo.
• Kubrat (born 1965) married Carla Maria Royo-Villanova y Urrestarazu. They have three sons: Mirko, Lukás and Tirso.
• Konstantin-Assen (born 1967) married María Garcia de la Rasilla y Gortazar. They have twins, Umberto and Sofia.
• Kalina (born 1972) married Antonio "Kitín" Muñoz Valcárcel. They have one son, Simeon.

Political return

Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
47th Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria
In office 24 July 2001 – 17 August 2005
Preceded by	Ivan Kostov
Succeeded by	Sergey Stanishev
Personal details
Nationality	Bulgarian
Political party	NDSV
Signature	File:TsarSimeonIIOfBulgariaAutograph.jpg

In 1990, after the fall of communism, Simeon was issued a new Bulgarian passport. In 1996, fifty years after the abolition of monarchy, Simeon returned to Bulgaria and was met in many places crowds cheering: "We want our King!" He did not, at that point, make any political announcements or moves.

Various estates in Bulgaria that had been nationalized under the republic were returned to the Bulgarian royal family. In 2001 Simeon proclaimed his will to return to Bulgaria for the common good and announced the formation of a new political party, the National Movement Simeon II ("NMSII"), dedicated to "reforms and political integrity." Simeon promised that in 800 days the Bulgarian people would feel the positive effects of his government and would enjoy significantly higher standards of living.

NMSII won a large victory in the parliamentary elections held on June 17, 2001, capturing 120 out of the 240 seats in Parliament and defeating the two main political parties until then. Simeon gave an oath as Prime Minister of Bulgaria on July 24, forming a coalition with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). He gave ministerial positions in his government mainly to technocrats and Western-educated economic specialists. In 2002 his efforts were recognized by his receiving the 2002 Path to Peace Award from the Path to Peace Foundation. The development of Bulgaria's capital markets has moved forward, with the first Eurolev issue in 2004. During his time in power, Bulgaria joined NATO and progressed toward EU membership.

In 2005 elections, Simeon remained second political power and formed a new coalition government with the Bulgarian Socialist Party and Turkish ethnic party Movement for Rights & Freedom. Simeon II was given the unofficial ceremonial post of Chairman of the Coalition Council.

Views on restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy

Simeon II has never renounced his royal claim to the Bulgarian throne. He has used the title "Tsar of the Bulgarians" in his political statements during his exile. Since his return to Bulgaria, however, Simeon has consistently declined to reveal his views on the restoration of the Bulgarian monarchy.

Ancestors

Ancestors of Simeon II of Bulgaria

16. Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 4th Prince of Kohary 8. August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 5th Prince of Kohary 17. Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág 4. Ferdinand I of Bulgaria 18. Louis-Philippe of France 9. Princess Clémentine of Orléans 19. Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies 2. Boris III of Bulgaria 20. Charles III, Duke of Parma 10. Robert I, Duke of Parma 21. Louise Marie Thérèse of France 5. Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma 22. Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies 11. Princess Maria Pia of the Two Sicilies 23. Maria Theresa of Austria 1. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 24. Victor Emmanuel II of Italy 12. Umberto I of Italy 25. Maria Adelaide of Austria 6. Victor Emmanuel III of Italy 26. Ferdinand, 1st Duke of Genoa 13. Margherita of Savoy 27. Princess Elizabeth of Saxony 3. Giovanna of Savoy 28. Mirko Petrović Njegoš 14. Nicholas I of Montenegro 29. Anastasija Martinović 7. Elena of Montenegro 30. Petar Vukotić 15. Milena Vukotić 31. Jelena Voivodić

Bibliography

Books

• Curley, Walter J.P. (1975) Monarchs in Waiting, London: Hutchinson & Co. (pp.23-25: "Bulgaria: His Majesty King Simeon II")
• Fenyvesi, Charles (1981) Royalty in Exile, London: Robson Books. (pp.153-171: "Czar Simeon of the Bulgars") ISBN 0-86051-131-6
• Dimitroff, Pashanko (1986) Boris III of Bulgaria 1894-1943, London. ISBN 0-86332-140-2
• Groueff, Stephane (1987) Crown of Thorns, Lanham MD. and London. ISBN 0-8191-5778-3
• Lauder-Frost, Gregory (1989) The Betrayal of Bulgaria, Monarchist League Policy Paper, London.
• Aronson, T. (1986) Crowns In Conflict, London: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-7195-4279-0
• Hindley, G. (1979) The Royal Families of Europe, London: Lyric Books Ltd. ISBN0 0-07-093530-0

Articles

• The Daily Telegraph, Obituary for "HM Queen Ioanna of the Bulgarians", London, 28 February 2000.

See also

• List of monarchs who lost their thrones or abdicated in the 20th century
• House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

External links

• The first website about Simeon II of Bulgaria focuses on his pre-1995 history
• Financial Times July 2001 Biography
• Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's address, February 10 2005 concerning amending the constitution to bring it in line with EU requirements
• Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's statement, July 5 2002 concerning Bulgaria's candidacy for NATO membership: "The role of the international community should be gradually transformed from crisis response to integration. Palliative measures intended to mitigate yet another crisis cannot bring stability and prosperity. The best solution is the region's integration into the European and Euroatlantic institutions."
• [1] NMSII website
• [2] MRF website