Dimitar Yanev Stanchov, sometimes transliterated as Dimitri Stancioff () (21 May 1863, in

Svishtov Svishtov ( ) List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous S ...

– 23 March 1940, in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

), was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n diplomat and politician who briefly served as

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Early life

Stanchov came from a leading family of Bulgarian wealthy merchants who had lived for three generations in

, although they had originated in

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...

. The third of four children, his family was rich but non-aristocratic and were closely associated with support for Bulgaria as an independent state rather than a vassal of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Stanchov was educated at the

Theresianum Theresianum (or Theresian Academy; ) is a private Boarding school, boarding and day school governed by the laws for public schools in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1746 by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. History Early history (1614–1 ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and following his graduation entered the diplomatic service rather than the career in business that had initially been envisaged for him. Both as a result of what he learned in the education system of the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

and due to his enthusiasm for Bulgaria's new independence under her own monarch the young Stanchov became a staunch and lifelong royalist.

Diplomatic and political career

Stanchov first came to prominence in 1887 when

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria 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 entered the First Worl ...

as modern Bulgaria's second prince and the head of the Theresianum recommended Stanchov to him for the role of the prince's private secretary, Ferdinand requiring someone who was equally comfortable in his native

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

as well as Bulgarian. On October 15th, 1896 he was appointed Diplomatic Agent to the Court of the Czar Nicholas II of Russia, thus becoming Bulgaria's first representative to that court. Stanchov remained at his post in Saint Petersburg until January 31 1907, when he was succeeded as Bulgarian Minister in Russia by General Stefan Paprikov. During his stint in St. Petersburg, Stanchov was chosen by the Bulgarian Government as his country's representative to the 1899 Hague Peace Conference which began on May 18th of that year where his primary contributions concerned the limitations of armaments inherently imposed by larger nations on smaller ones, as well as Article 27, the Convention on the Permanent Court. He served as ambassador to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

from 1908 to 1915 although he interrupted his service during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

to enrol in the

Bulgarian Army The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...

. Although his duties mostly involved dealing with overseas journalists who were reporting on the war he was awarded a medal for bravery during a brief spell of frontline action near

Salonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

. Other ambassadorial roles he held included to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(1908 and 1920–1921),

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

(1910–1915 and 1922–1924),

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(1915) and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

(1922–1924). Stanchov was acting Prime Minister from 12 to 16 March 1907 following the

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

Dimitar Petkov Dimitar Nikolov Petkov () (2 November 1858, Tulcea – 11 March 1907, Sofia) was a leading member of the Bulgarian People's Liberal Party and the country's Prime Minister from 5 November 1906 until he was assassinated in Sofia the following ye ...

and before the accession of

Petar Gudev Petar Todorov Gudev () (13 July 1863, Gradets – 8 May 1932, Sofia) was a leading Bulgarian liberal politician, who served as Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the min ...

. He also served as foreign minister in two cabinets. He actively opposed Bulgaria's entry in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, for which he was temporarily removed from duty. In 1919, after Bulgaria's defeat, he was the secretary of the Bulgarian delegation at the signing of the

Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (; ) was a treaty between the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand, and Bulgaria, one of the defeated Central Powers in World War I, on the other. The treaty required Bulgaria to cede various territor ...

. He resigned from his diplomatic positions in 1924 due to disagreements with the right-wing policies of

Aleksandar Tsankov Aleksandar Tsolov Tsankov (; 29 June 1879 – 27 July 1959) was a leading Bulgarian politician during the Interwar period, period between the two World Wars. Biography A professor of political economy at Sofia University from 1910 onwards,Phili ...

's cabinet. From 1925 to 1929 Stanchov was president of the

Bulgarian Olympic Committee The Bulgarian Olympic Committee (; abbreviated as БОК, BOC) is a non-profit organization serving as the National Olympic Committee of Bulgaria and a part of the International Olympic Committee. History The Bulgarian Olympic committee was forme ...

Personal life

Stanchov married the French noblewoman Anna de Grenaud (1861-1955),

Mistress of the Robes The mistress of the robes was the senior lady in the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, who would, by appointment, attend on the Queen (whether queen regnant or a queen consort). Queens dowager retained their own mistresses of the robes. In ...

at the Bulgarian Royal Court, in 1889 and they had five children: Alexander (1890-1891), Nadezhda (1894-1957), Feodora (1895-1969), Ivan (1897-1972) and Helene (1901-1996).Firkatian, ''Diplomats and Dreamers'', p. 13 One of the couple's daughters, , became Bulgaria's first woman on diplomatic service during the 1910s and 1920s with her brother Ivan also a leading diplomat. In 1957 Stanchova Muir published a hagiographical biography of her father ''Dmitri Stancioff, Patriot and Cosmopolitan''. Marion Mitchell (Stancioff) Stanchov, who was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

by birth, left Bulgaria in 1942 and eventually settled in

Urbana, Maryland Urbana ( ) is a suburban census-designated place located in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. It lies at the Interstate 270 (Maryland), I-270/Maryland Route 80, MD 80 interchange, approximately south-east of Frederick, Maryland, Frederi ...

with her husband Ivan Stanchov . Another relative, Poliksaniia (1867-1947), was the wife of

Stefan Stambolov Stefan Nikolov Stambolov (; 31 January 1854 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS – 19 July 1895 Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe, OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revoluti ...

.Duncan M. Perry, ''Stefan Stambolov and the Emergence of Modern Bulgaria: 1870-1895'', Duke University Press, 1993, p. 31 A grandson, Ivan Stanchov, served as ambassador of Bulgaria to the United Kingdom and to Ireland (1991–1994) and as minister of foreign affairs in

Reneta Indzhova Reneta Ivanova Indzhova (; born 6 July 1953) is a Bulgarian economist who served as the caretaker Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 1994 to 1995, appointed by President Zhelyu Zhelev. A political independent, she is the first woman to have served ...

caretaker government A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...

(October 1994–January 1995).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanchov, Dimitar 1863 births 1940 deaths Prime ministers of Bulgaria Ambassadors to the Russian Empire People from Svishtov Ambassadors of Bulgaria to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Bulgaria to France Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Belgium Ambassadors of Bulgaria to Italy Ambassadors of Bulgaria to the Netherlands People from the Principality of Bulgaria