[BORIS III

Boris became king on the abdication of his father 'Foxy' Ferdinand (1861-1948). At first the country was in the hands of the peasant party, and by 1934 Boris had suspended the constitution and ruled as an autocrat. Hitler forced him to sign the Vienna accord of 1941 to use Bulgaria as a base to attack Yugoslavia and Greece, and he is believed to have been poisoned in 1943 by the Nazis for refusing to declare war on Russia after an interview with Hitler. His favourite hobby was driving steam locomotives.