The Man Who Stole A Country..

The Man Who Stole A Country... 

It might be good to be the king, but most of us will never have a chance to fin

After all, it’s not liked out.

anyone can just go out and declare themselves ruler of a whole country. 

Or can they? Well, as it turns out, trying to become a king isn’t as rare as you’d think. 

Boris Skossyreff... 

His Majesty King Boris I of Andorra was born Boris Skossyreff in Vilnius, Lithuania between 1896 and 1898 and fled the country after the old Russian Empire collapsed in 1917. 

At some point, he made his way to London, where he was arrested in 1919 for passing forged checks. He was later deported from Britain due to “incidents of a similar nature.” 

By the early 1930s, Boris was hanging around the wealthy American yacht club in Mallorca, Spain, where he billed himself as a fitness expert. He also claimed to be the Count of Orange, an ancient and noble Dutch title, but his American friends noticed that he never seemed to pick up the bill in restaurants. 

In truth, Boris was supported by a succession of wealthy women, including the American divorcee Florence Marmon. Eventually, the Spanish government expelled him from the country. 

In 1934, Boris and Florence turned up in Andorra. The tiny European country was jointly governed by the president of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell. However, many Andorrans were fed up with being ruled by foreigners, and the French had to send 60 policemen to put down a tiny revolution in 1933. 

Sensing an opportunity, the smooth-talking con man swung into action. Still claiming to be a Dutch count, the urbane Boris had little trouble impressing the rural Andorrans with tales of his exploits. 

Having drawn up a document outlining his plans for the little country, he declared himself king in June. Astonishingly, the Andorran General Council backed him, voting 23 to 1 .to accept the “Count of Orange” as their new monarch. 

Even more astonishingly, the French government accepted the council’s decision, writing Andorra off with a Gallic shrug. However, the one Andorran councilor who opposed the decision raced across the border to inform the bishop of Urgell. 

Unimpressed with Boris’s plan to open casinos in his new country, the bishop sent the Spanish police to arrest him. Boris responded by declaring war on the bishop. They arrested him anyway. 

The Spanish took Boris to Madrid, where his own lawyer told authorities that he was violating the laws against vagrancy and should be kicked out of Spain. 

They then deported him to Portugal, who immediately deported him to France, who also immediately deported him. Mrs. Marmon declined to pay for his fare to be upgraded to first class.