Boris Skossyreff
Encyclopedia
Boris Skossyreff was an adventurer who attempted to seize power in the European state of Andorra
during the early 1930s. Russian sources give his name in Cyrillic as Борис Скосырев, for which the modern English transliteration would be Skosyrev.
In January 1919, a Boris Skossyreff - aged 22 and a former translator
for the Japanese Military Mission - appeared in Westminster Police Court in London
charged with passing fraud
ulent cheque
s: the money was eventually paid, by the same person according to The Times
.
In December 1933, Skossyreff obtained Andorran citizenship and after some time he presented a plan for administrative reform involving the creation of several offices to which he asked to be appointed himself. He quickly got into trouble, however, and was expelled around May 1934.
On July 12 of the same year, he issued a proclamation in Urgell
, Spain
, declaring himself Boris I, King of Andorra and "regent for His Majesty the King of France" (though the family heads of the House of Bourbon
disavowed him), and declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell, Justí Guitart i Vilardebó
, (the co-prince of Andorra). On July 20, he was arrested by Spanish authorities and taken first to Barcelona
and then on July 23 to Madrid
where he was imprisoned until being expelled in November.
Spanish authorities who held him in custody noted he carried a Dutch
passport which indicated his date of birth as June 12, 1896. He declared himself to be a White Russian
émigré, born in Vilnius
(in 1896 part of Tsarist Russia but present day capital of Lithuania
).
This account was somewhat conflicted by the publication "Spain Week by Week", which reported on 25 July 1934 that he was a 38 year old Pole
who had been resident "for some years" in Catalonia
and Majorca. The account claimed that Skossyreff made his proclamation on July 11, not the day after, and had declared himself "Boris I, Prince of the Valleys of Andorra, Count of Orange and Baron of Skossyreff…sovereign of Andorra and defender of the faith". After pledging his allegiance to the King of France - a purely theoretical allegiance, since France had had no king since 1848 - it reports that he deposed the Consell General de Batlles d'Andorra (Catalan
for General Council of Mayors of Andorra), appointed a provisional government
, promulgated a constitution
and issued a Court Circular before being arrested by the Spaniards.
According to some sources, he died in 1944 while imprisoned in a camp near Perpignan
by the Vichy French
regime during World War II
. However, he survived, and became a ‘special officer’ (Sonderführer, a civilian technician working with the army) on the Eastern Front.
In some Russian-language publications and websites there are somewhat legendary stories reported as fact, notably claiming that Boris I ruled Andorra for a number of years until 1941 whereupon he was overthrown by Vichy France. This version is not supported by accounts in other languages.
A novel, entitled Boris I, rei d'Andorra (English translation: Boris I, king of Andorra) based on Skossyreff's story was written in 1984 by Catalan author Antoni Morell i Mora. The author dedicated the book to his grandmother, whom he claimed had personally met Skossyreff. The novel was later adapted for the stage by Beth Escuda.
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
during the early 1930s. Russian sources give his name in Cyrillic as Борис Скосырев, for which the modern English transliteration would be Skosyrev.
In January 1919, a Boris Skossyreff - aged 22 and a former translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
for the Japanese Military Mission - appeared in Westminster Police Court in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
charged with passing fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
ulent cheque
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
s: the money was eventually paid, by the same person according to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
In December 1933, Skossyreff obtained Andorran citizenship and after some time he presented a plan for administrative reform involving the creation of several offices to which he asked to be appointed himself. He quickly got into trouble, however, and was expelled around May 1934.
On July 12 of the same year, he issued a proclamation in Urgell
Urgell
The County of Urgell is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of Pallars and Cerdanya.The county was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse when the Alt Urgell area became part of the Carolingian Empire between 785 and 790.The original...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, declaring himself Boris I, King of Andorra and "regent for His Majesty the King of France" (though the family heads of the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
disavowed him), and declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell, Justí Guitart i Vilardebó
Justí Guitart i Vilardebó
Justí Guitart i Vilardebó reigned as the Bishop of Urgell and Episcopal Co-Prince of Andorra from 1920 to 1940....
, (the co-prince of Andorra). On July 20, he was arrested by Spanish authorities and taken first to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and then on July 23 to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
where he was imprisoned until being expelled in November.
Spanish authorities who held him in custody noted he carried a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
passport which indicated his date of birth as June 12, 1896. He declared himself to be a White Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
émigré, born in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
(in 1896 part of Tsarist Russia but present day capital of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
).
This account was somewhat conflicted by the publication "Spain Week by Week", which reported on 25 July 1934 that he was a 38 year old Pole
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who had been resident "for some years" in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Majorca. The account claimed that Skossyreff made his proclamation on July 11, not the day after, and had declared himself "Boris I, Prince of the Valleys of Andorra, Count of Orange and Baron of Skossyreff…sovereign of Andorra and defender of the faith". After pledging his allegiance to the King of France - a purely theoretical allegiance, since France had had no king since 1848 - it reports that he deposed the Consell General de Batlles d'Andorra (Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
for General Council of Mayors of Andorra), appointed a provisional government
Provisional government
A provisional government is an emergency or interim government set up when a political void has been created by the collapse of a very large government. The early provisional governments were created to prepare for the return of royal rule...
, promulgated a constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
and issued a Court Circular before being arrested by the Spaniards.
According to some sources, he died in 1944 while imprisoned in a camp near Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
by the Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
regime during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, he survived, and became a ‘special officer’ (Sonderführer, a civilian technician working with the army) on the Eastern Front.
In some Russian-language publications and websites there are somewhat legendary stories reported as fact, notably claiming that Boris I ruled Andorra for a number of years until 1941 whereupon he was overthrown by Vichy France. This version is not supported by accounts in other languages.
A novel, entitled Boris I, rei d'Andorra (English translation: Boris I, king of Andorra) based on Skossyreff's story was written in 1984 by Catalan author Antoni Morell i Mora. The author dedicated the book to his grandmother, whom he claimed had personally met Skossyreff. The novel was later adapted for the stage by Beth Escuda.
External links
- http://www.rg.ru/Anons/arc_2003/0104/6.shtm (in Russian)
- http://66.218.71.231/language/translation/translatedPage.php?tt=url&text=http%3a//www.andorrasite.com/boris.htm&lp=de_en&.intl=us&fr=yfp-t-501 (article on Boris, somewhat creatively translated from the German)
- http://www.lamassanacomic.ad/ArticlesDiariAndorra/da07a344.PDF - a somewhat bizarre comic (in Catalan)
- http://www.wikinfo.org/index.php/Boris_Skossyreff - a summary of the information available on Boris Skossyreff.
- http://www.olhao.web.pt/Personalidades/TextosFFL/Boris_Skossyreff.htm - in Portuguese, with a photograph of his tombstone.
- http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Boris_Skossyreff - information on former files at The National Archives and other sources.
- Collection of articles in Catalan, Spanish, and English