Racho Petrov
Bulgarian general and politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Racho Petrov Stoyanov (Bulgarian: Рачо Петров Стоянов) (3 March 1861 – 22 January 1942) was a leading Bulgarian general and politician.
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| 12th Prime Minister of Bulgaria | |
| In office 25 January 1901 – 5 March 1901 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Todor Ivanchov |
| Succeeded by | Petko Karavelov |
| In office 19 May 1903 – 5 November 1906 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Stoyan Danev |
| Succeeded by | Dimitar Petkov |
| Chief of the General Staff | |
| In office 9 September 1885 – 29 April 1887 | |
| Monarch | Alexander |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Stefan Paprikov |
| In office 23 October 1887 – 15 April 1894 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Stefan Paprikov |
| Succeeded by | Nikola Ivanov |
| War Minister | |
| In office 10 July 1887 – 1 September 1887 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Danail Nikolaev |
| Succeeded by | Sava Mutkurov |
| In office 27 April 1894 – 29 November 1896 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Mihail Savov |
| Succeeded by | Nikola Ivanov |
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 10 December 1900 – 4 March 1901 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Vasil Radoslavov |
| Succeeded by | Mihail Sarafov |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 21 January 1901 – 4 March 1901 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Dimitar Tonchev |
| Succeeded by | Stoyan Danev |
| In office 18 May 1903 – 4 November 1906 | |
| Monarch | Ferdinand |
| Preceded by | Stoyan Danev |
| Succeeded by | Dimitar Petkov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 March 1861 Shumen, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 22 January 1942 (aged 80) Belovo, Bulgaria |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Bulgarian Army |
| Branch/service | Infantry |
Years of service | 1878–1917 |
| Rank | General of the Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
Petrov was born in Shumen. A talented soldier, he was appointed Chief of General Staff at the age of 24 and was Minister of Defence at 27.[1] His stature was increased by the leading role he took in suppressing an army mutiny in 1887.[2] He married Sultana Pantaleeva Minchovich in 1887, with whom he had 3 children. After an unhappy marriage, they divorced in 1919.[3]
Both Petrov and his wife were personally close to Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria[4] and in 1891 he was promoted by Ferdinand to the rank of colonel, the first officer to hold that rank in Bulgaria.[5] Petrov also attended Ferdinand's wedding to Princess Marie Louise of Bourbon-Parma in Italy in 1893.[6] Ferdinand's decision in 1894 to place Petrov in charge of the army completely, and thus outside the command of Prime Minister Stefan Stambolov, precipitated the resignation of the latter.[7]
As a politician, he twice served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, initially as the non-party head of an interim administration in 1901, the only task of which was to organize the next election.[8] He returned as prime minister for a longer period from 1903 to 1906, having been appointed for fear of war after a Bulgarian insurrection in Ottoman Macedonia.[9] His government was particularly concerned with military matters and oversaw an armament program and extensive modernization of the Bulgarian army.[10]
During the Second Balkan War Petrov, by then a Lieutenant General, took command of the 3rd Army, leading it at the Battle of Bregalnica, a Serbian victory.[11]
During the First World War he served as head of the newly established Macedonian Military Inspection Oblast from December 1915 until October 1916.[12]