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Boris Skossyreff
Boris Mikhailovich Skossyreff (12 June 1896 – 27 February 1989) was a Belarusian adventurer, international swindler and pretender who attempted to seize the monarchy of the Principality of Andorra during the early 1930s, styling himself King Boris I of Andorra.
Skossyreff was born in Lithuania to a family of lower nobility from Belarus. Following the outbreak of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Skossyreff was able to seek political asylum in England, where he enlisted in the British army for the end of World War I. This was followed by his work in the British Foreign Office. He moved to the Netherlands in the mid-1920s, where he was in a list of Prominent Foreign Revolutionaries in 1924, prepared by the General Intelligence and Security Service, in which he was noted as an international swindler. Despite this, Skossyreff falsely claimed to have been working in the royal household of the Netherlands.
Through his visits to Andorra, a co-Principality in the Pyrenees co-princed by the Bishop of Urgell and President of France, in the early 1930s, Skossyreff worked on gaining power. During extensive conversations with local politicians in May 1934, Skossyreff presented the Government of Andorra a document in which he justified his intentions of rule.
Through falsely portraying himself as a member of the European aristocracy, Skossyreff proposed freedoms, modernisation, foreign investments and the recognition of a tax haven to Andorra through his self-published constitution.
Skossyreff was born on 12 June 1896, in Vilnius, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He later acquired a Dutch passport which elaborated that his supposed title was Monsieur le Baron Boris de Skossyreff - a possible title, but likely to be false, due to the rarity of Barons in the Russian Empire. He was likely from a family of lower nobility, corresponding to his serving as an Officer in World War I.
Skossyreff's educational background is quite ambiguous. In press interviews, he spoke about a childhood friendship with Edward VIII. He also stated that he attended the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, followed by Magdalen College, Oxford. While these claims allowed Skossyreff to build up his persona, both the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and Magdalen College confirm that he was not a student.
Prior to his arrival in Andorra, little is known about Skossyreff. When the Russian Revolution of 1917 broke out, he was able to seek political asylum in England, where he enlisted for around two years in the British Army for the end of World War I. He told The Times that he had served in the Royal Naval Air Service's Armoured Car Service, under Oliver Locker-Lampson, which was sent to Russia to fight against the Germans.
Following World War I, Skossyreff was mentioned in multiple newspapers for cheque fraud and swindling of a gold watch.
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Boris Skossyreff
Boris Mikhailovich Skossyreff (12 June 1896 – 27 February 1989) was a Belarusian adventurer, international swindler and pretender who attempted to seize the monarchy of the Principality of Andorra during the early 1930s, styling himself King Boris I of Andorra.
Skossyreff was born in Lithuania to a family of lower nobility from Belarus. Following the outbreak of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Skossyreff was able to seek political asylum in England, where he enlisted in the British army for the end of World War I. This was followed by his work in the British Foreign Office. He moved to the Netherlands in the mid-1920s, where he was in a list of Prominent Foreign Revolutionaries in 1924, prepared by the General Intelligence and Security Service, in which he was noted as an international swindler. Despite this, Skossyreff falsely claimed to have been working in the royal household of the Netherlands.
Through his visits to Andorra, a co-Principality in the Pyrenees co-princed by the Bishop of Urgell and President of France, in the early 1930s, Skossyreff worked on gaining power. During extensive conversations with local politicians in May 1934, Skossyreff presented the Government of Andorra a document in which he justified his intentions of rule.
Through falsely portraying himself as a member of the European aristocracy, Skossyreff proposed freedoms, modernisation, foreign investments and the recognition of a tax haven to Andorra through his self-published constitution.
Skossyreff was born on 12 June 1896, in Vilnius, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He later acquired a Dutch passport which elaborated that his supposed title was Monsieur le Baron Boris de Skossyreff - a possible title, but likely to be false, due to the rarity of Barons in the Russian Empire. He was likely from a family of lower nobility, corresponding to his serving as an Officer in World War I.
Skossyreff's educational background is quite ambiguous. In press interviews, he spoke about a childhood friendship with Edward VIII. He also stated that he attended the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, followed by Magdalen College, Oxford. While these claims allowed Skossyreff to build up his persona, both the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and Magdalen College confirm that he was not a student.
Prior to his arrival in Andorra, little is known about Skossyreff. When the Russian Revolution of 1917 broke out, he was able to seek political asylum in England, where he enlisted for around two years in the British Army for the end of World War I. He told The Times that he had served in the Royal Naval Air Service's Armoured Car Service, under Oliver Locker-Lampson, which was sent to Russia to fight against the Germans.
Following World War I, Skossyreff was mentioned in multiple newspapers for cheque fraud and swindling of a gold watch.
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