Summary: The period from 1887–1912 not only encompassed the years of the peaceful reign of Prince/King Ferdinand I, but also marked aa time of dynamic and consistent modernization in all areas of state governance and social development. In fact, this quarter of a century around the turn of the century was, a period of most turbulent Europeanization for Bulgaria and, on the eve of the wars, placed it in the good environment of the European nations..
Around the middle of this period, alongside the ethnicist development, there was a need to conceptualize and present the 'national' origin, the nation, the native and the authentic. While immediately after his ascension to the throne the Bulgarian monarch fully embodied European fashion, style, manners and dress code, which also gave a powerful impetus to changes in public life (especially among the upper class), from the beginning of the 20th century the ruler’s logic timely captured the trends of the times and the expectations of the subjects, which we could briefly summarize as a desire for a “return to the roots”.
Keywords: King Ferdinand, Bulgaria, Bulgarian royal family, Europeanisation, image and appearance
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