Bulgaria: The 1886 coup to remove Prince Alexander I

On August 8, 1886, a coup d'état began aimed at removing Prince Alexander I of Battenberg from power in Bulgaria. The movement, led by a group of Russophile officers including Major P. Gruev, Captain A. Bendelev, and R. Dimitriev, sought to influence the country's foreign policy.

Following the siege of the palace, the Prince was forced to sign a proclamation abdicating his throne. However, the coup was met with resistance from Stefan Stambolov, who led a counter-coup using elements of the Plovdiv garrison. Although the Prince briefly returned to the throne, the disapproval of Russian Emperor Alexander III and subsequent political instability led to his final abdication and departure from Bulgaria. This event initiated a decade-long political crisis in the country.