Russian history is replete with impostors of all kinds, but few of them managed to achieve such truly international recognition as that received by the native of the city of Vilnius (Vilnius), son of the zemstvo chief Boris Skosyrev.
Photo: wikimedia.org
Russian history is replete with impostors of all kinds, but few of them managed to achieve such truly international recognition as that received by the native of the city of Vilnius (Vilnius), son of the zemstvo chief Boris Skosyrev. In the end, he became king of a European country, if only for 12 days. What is even more surprising is that this happened not in time immemorial, but, by historical standards, very recently: 90 years ago.
“He is neither a liar nor an adventurer, but a man whom the turbulent events of the beginning of the last century helped him discover and apply his talents, his education, his innate charm and his attractiveness to fully assert himself as an individual,” the historian wrote. Alexander Kafka. about Skosyrev.
THE LOST PRINCIPALITY
At the end of 1933, Boris Skosyrev, already known in the aristocratic circles of Europe thanks to his successful marriage, his refined manners and his unique gift for defrauding gullible people, found himself for the first time in Andorra, a lost principality in the Pyrenees, but in reality an ordinary town. , which then had only 5 thousand inhabitants. Formally, Andorra did not have an independent government: since 1278, the principality was under the direct control of the head of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell. But there was a parliament, the General Council, which promulgated Andorran laws.
From the mouths of farmers, artisans and politicians, Skosyrev learned that just a couple of months before his arrival, the country was shaken by the first mass riots in its history: local residents were dissatisfied with restrictions on their right to vote. The Russian emigrant immediately understood that it would be a sin not to take advantage of these feelings.
FIRST THREE STEPS
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to become a European monarch from Boris Skosyrev.
Step one: you need to find at least some legal foundations. The native of Russia justified his claim to the throne by the fact that from time immemorial the legitimate princes of Andorra were French kings. And although the Gallic monarchy was abolished in 1870, the heirs of the ruling dynasty are alive! And one of them, John of Orleans, supposedly named Boris “regent of her Majesty.” Skosyrev even provided the corresponding document, although no one doubted its forgery.
After being on the throne for less than two weeks, Boris Skosyrev was arrested by the Catalan police and deported to Madrid.
Photo: wikimedia.org
Step two: put the press on your side. The adventurer began giving interviews left and right, and journalists, naturally, immediately found out about the scandalous story. Skosyrev quickly took on the role: in an interview he stated that he was “driven by the desire to protect the population of the principality from French exploitation.” And in general, the self-proclaimed king began to live large, organizing luxurious receptions, which also won over some residents of the area.
Step three: promise to carry out reforms. A few days after declaring himself king, Boris I proposed to the General Council a program for the modernization of Andorra. The plan included the creation of a liberal economic regime, the attraction of foreign investment, lower taxes for investors, freedom of opinion and religion, and the creation of a large gambling area, like in Monte Carlo. Skosyrev’s constitution was very short: it had only 17 paragraphs. But the day after its publication, the document was duplicated in 10,000 copies and sent by mail to the most important political figures in Spain and France.
FATAL ERROR
Unfortunately, Skosyrev failed to take the fourth, most important step: defeating his opponents in the struggle for power. However, he tried to do it. By royal decree he banned the very bishop of Urgell, who personified spiritual power in the country. But the inexperienced monarch was disappointed by his lack of basic security. The disgraced bishop sent five guards to arrest the Russian upstart and, surprisingly, no one could stop them. The peaceful Andorrans simply shook their heads sadly: they were beginning to like this Boris I.
After being on the throne for less than two weeks, Boris Skosyrev was arrested by the Catalan police and deported to Madrid. Two months later, a Spanish court sentenced him to a year in prison for illegally crossing the border, because he had not violated any other laws in the country.
BARON AND INVENTORY
Thus ended the Andorran epic of the first and until now only monarch of this country. As for the future life of Boris Skosyrev, he still wandered from country to country and earned his living by numerous adventures and love affairs. He lived to be 92 years old and at the end of his life, already in the 1980s, he said that during World War II he was a secret spy for Adolf Hitler, participated in the Tehran Conference and was imprisoned in Siberian camps. Which of this was true and which was not, now, perhaps, no one will say. Before his death, he made sure that “Baron Boris von Skosyreff” was engraved on his tombstone. Needless to say, he never legitimately held such a title either.
