Alexander Joseph (1857-1893) was the first ruler (prince) of semi-autonomous Bulgaria, serving from 1879 to 1886. He was born in Burgundy, Austria, a member of the Battenberg family, a branch of the Ascania dynasty. His mother, Princess Julia of Austria, was the sister of the wife of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, which linked him to the Russian throne.

After the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire (1878), he was elected ruler by the Bulgarian Constituent Assembly and took office in 1879. During his reign, he worked to stabilize the country and supported the union of Eastern Rumelia with Bulgaria in 1885, despite Russian opposition. However, his political autonomy caused discontent at the Russian court, leading to a coup in 1886. Although temporarily reinstated, he resigned shortly afterwards.

After his resignation, he retired to Western Europe and lived the rest of his life in Vienna, where he died in 1893. Alexander Battenberg remains an important figure in the history of Bulgaria, as he laid the foundations for the country’s independence and unification.