Accession

On July 12, 1887, a day worth remembering, Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria was crowned at Vrana Palace and became the Prince of Bulgaria.

Thanks to Ferdinand's painstaking efforts, the ceremony was far grander than it had been historically. At the very least, the guests in attendance carried considerably more weight.

The Crown Prince of the British Empire, Edward; the Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Rudolf; the King of Greece, and others had all come in person to attend the ceremony, signaling the Great Powers' support.

Ferdinand had achieved his goal. With help from abroad, he had temporarily cowed the various factions within Bulgaria, laying the groundwork for future reforms.

Bulgaria enjoyed favorable natural conditions, with varied terrain including mountains, hills, and plains, and a network of lakes and rivers. Its main rivers were the Danube and the Maritsa.

At the same time, its natural resources were scarce. Its main mineral deposits included coal, lead, zinc, copper, iron, uranium, manganese, chromium, rock salt, and a small amount of oil.

"All in all, it's suited to the beginner phase. It was ruled by the Ottomans for a long time, only just gained independence, and has no great nobles or major capitalists. It's off to a pretty good start, though its potential isn't great!" Though Ferdinand had made preparations long ago, he still couldn't help commenting.

"Stambolov, do you have any good suggestions regarding appointments?" Ferdinand asked calmly.

Stambolov was a Bulgarian politician and a powerful prime minister, serving from 1887 to 1894. He was regarded as the Bismarck of Bulgaria.

From 1870 to 1872, he studied at a seminary in Odessa. In his early years, he took part in the underground revolutionary movement in Bulgaria that opposed Turkish rule.

In 1875 and 1876, he led small-scale anti-Turkish uprisings. After Bulgaria gained autonomy in 1878, he was elected to the newly established parliament and became its speaker in 1884.

After Prince Alexander I abdicated in 1886, he crushed Russian interference and backed Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as Prince of Bulgaria.

After the new prince took the throne, Stambolov formed the cabinet. During his time in office, he continued to oppose Russia, fostered friendly relations with Turkey, and expanded Bulgaria's sphere of influence in Macedonia.

He used terror to deal with the recurrent conspiracies and mutinies against the government. When Prince Ferdinand I reclaimed his authority, Stambolov was forced to resign as prime minister on May 31, 1894.

Ferdinand had no intention of replacing him just yet. He had only just ascended the throne, and stabilizing the situation was the most important thing. Besides, there were no suitable candidates.

"Your Highness, after careful consideration, I've prepared a list of the cabinet members and other key government officials. Please review it." As he spoke, Stambolov handed over the document.

"Mm, all right, let's go with this. Have them take office as soon as possible. We'll hold a cabinet meeting next week, and you'll need to produce a policy platform. You may leave now. I need to rest." Ferdinand dismissed him impatiently.

So he already wants to be the power behind the throne? He's much too eager. He should at least make a show of it and offer a few more candidates. He's already picked everyone—does he think I'm just a rubber stamp?

"Bulgaria does have some advantages for development. First, it has no formidable industrial competitors, and its industrial base is weak, so a monopoly would be entirely possible. The government would cause almost no trouble. Second, I have plenty of money, and there's no such thing as a technology blockade yet, so I can get whatever technology I want!"

"The government should let them focus on developing agriculture. Why bother with industry? We're still waiting on loans to pay salaries! Oh, and we need to develop education, too. For now, we can simply use literacy classes, encourage patriotic young people to spread cultural knowledge with moral support, and give them a few rewards. That'll save us another chunk of money..." Ferdinand was busy making plans.

"Your Highness, the cabinet ministers have all arrived and are waiting in the main hall. Shall we begin the meeting?" his attendant reminded him.

"All right, I'll be there in a moment."

"Pardon me, Mr. Stambolov," Ferdinand interrupted.

"Of course, Your Highness. Go ahead," Stambolov said, somewhat displeased.

"Mr. Stambolov, how was this plan put together? How many people are there in Bulgaria now? How many work in agriculture, and how many in industry? What is the state of education? How are the country's resources distributed?" Ferdinand bluntly exposed the plan's flaws, giving Stam a sharp warning and rejecting the hollow proposal.

"Th-this... Your Highness, Bulgaria currently has a population of 3.1045 million, most of whom work in agriculture. We haven't gathered any statistics on education or the distribution of domestic resources. All right, I admit we put this plan together rather hastily," Stambolov said after a pause.

It seems there aren't many historical figures who are simpletons. He caught on quickly. But aloud, Ferdinand said, "Prime Minister, we have to be responsible to the Bulgarian people. We must understand the actual situation before drawing up a policy platform!"

"I approve the proposed salaries. Send everything else back and redo it. A grand industrial plan? Damn it, I haven't even heard of Bulgaria having any industry. Be specific. Do you understand?"

"Looking at the population structure, I recommend that you focus on developing agriculture first. We have to consider the interests of the majority! As for educational reform, we should prioritize the sciences, and we can start by setting up literacy classes. Before developing industry, we need to find out how our resources are distributed, then make plans suited to each region. I don't want to see another grand industrial plan that's completely detached from reality!"

"Please forgive us, Your Highness. We'll go back and redo it at once!" Stambolov said with his head lowered.

Stambolov was left reeling by Ferdinand's rebuke. His carefully prepared plan had been dismissed as worthless, and he had no way to refute him.

In Ferdinand's eyes, the current Bulgarian government was much like the Revolutionary Alliance in the years around the Xinhai Revolution: a bunch of idealists who could talk big, but were complete novices when it came to actual policy.

"Go on, gentlemen. You're working hard for Bulgaria's future!" Seeing the cabinet, led by Stambolov, bow their heads, Ferdinand knew when to quit while he was ahead.

"For Bulgaria!" A moment earlier, the men had been crestfallen, but now they immediately perked up.

"We'll fight for Bulgaria!"

Mm, not bad. Patriotic young men are so easy to fool! Ferdinand thought to himself as he looked at the cabinet members, whose average age was no more than thirty-five.

Stambolov's government was later judged to have been a police terror regime. It gained the support of some of the rising bourgeoisie, stood firmly on the side of the bourgeoisie, and vigorously promoted factories and trade.

Yet the vast majority, the peasants and workers, were excluded, leaving the government with an exceedingly weak base of support.

Most missionaries and some intellectuals, including a portion of the petty bourgeoisie, opposed the government's radical anti-Russian policy.