Dimitar Yanev Stanchov, sometimes transliterated as Dimitri Stancioff , was a Bulgarian diplomat and politician who briefly served as Prime Minister.
Early life
Stanchov came from a leading family of Bulgarian merchants who had lived for three generations in Svishtov, although they had originated in Berat. The third of four children, his family was rich but non-aristocratic and were closely associated with support for Bulgaria as an independent state rather than a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. Stanchov was educated at the Theresianum in Vienna and following his graduation entered the diplomatic service rather than the career in business that had initially been envisaged for him. Both as a result of what he learned in the education system of the Habsburg Empire and due to his enthusiasm for Bulgaria's new independence under her own monarch the young Stanchov became a staunch and lifelong royalist.
Diplomatic and political career
Stanchov first came to prominence in 1887 when Ferdinand I of Bulgaria as modern Bulgaria's second prince and the head of the Theresianum recommended Stanchov to him for the role of the prince's private secretary, Ferdinand requiring someone who was equally comfortable in his native German as well as Bulgarian. He served as ambassador to France from 1908 to 1915 although he interrupted his service during the First Balkan War to enrol in the Bulgarian Army. Although his duties mostly involved dealing with overseas journalists who were reporting on the war he was awarded a medal for bravery during a brief spell of frontline action near Salonika. Other ambassadorial roles he held included to the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. Stanchov was acting Prime Minister from 12–16 March 1907 following the assassination of Dimitar Petkov and before the accession of Petar Gudev. He also served as foreign minister in two cabinets. He actively opposed Bulgaria's entry in World War I, for which he was temporarily removed from duty. In 1919, after Bulgaria's defeat, he was the secretary of the Bulgarian delegation at the signing of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. He resigned from his diplomatic positions in 1924 due to disagreements with the right-wing policies of Aleksandar Tsankov's cabinet. From 1925 to 1929 Stanchov was president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.
