Both Serbia and Austria-Hungary face dramatic changes in their royal families as Russia continues its campaign to overthrow and replace Bulgaria's government despite repeated failures.

Major Characters in this Episode

Stefan Stambolov

Tsar Alexander III of Russia

Ferdinand Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

King Milan of Serbia

Queen Natalie of Serbia

Prince Alexander of Serbia

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria Dragan Tsankov

Major Kosta Panitsa

Timeline for this Episode

• 1889, Jan 3rd - King Milan of Serbia accepts a new and more liberal constitution

• 1889 Jan 12th - Law for teachers’ pensions. National pensions are implemented for the first time.

• 1889 Jan 19th - First law for measures and weights.

• 1889 Jan 26th - The natural tenth is reinstituted for cases of it being monetised (until 1892).

• 1889 Jan 29th - The Austro-Hungarian crown prince (Ferdinand’s cousin) and his lover commit suicide together

• 1889, Mar 6th - King Milan of Serbia abdicates for unknown reasons in favor of his 12 year old son Alexander

• 1889 March-June - Metropolitan Teodosii is appointed in Skopje but he is called back under pressure from the Universal patriarchy, Greece, Serbia, and Russia.

• 1889 Oct 27th - General assembly of the evangelical churches from the Samokov and Plovdiv mission, held in Sofia. The Bulgarian evangelical church union is formed.

• 1889 Nov 14th - Signing of the first temporary trade contract with Great Britain, enforced from Jan 1st 1890 (5-8% duty tax).

• 1889 Nov - Founding of a German colony in Sofia. It’s a cultural and educational organization of the Germans in the capital.

• 1889 throughout the year - Signing of the first external loan with a Viennese bank for 30 million leva. Lion’s bridge is completed. Founding of the Sofia bicycle club.

• 1890, Major Kosta Panitsa is shot for conspiring against the government