Boris Skossyreff

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Boris Skossyreff (12 June [Old Style – Julian Calendar, then in use in Russia] 1896: some records suggest 1898 – Vilnius, then part of Tsarist Russia–27 February 1989, Boppard, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany) was an apparently White Russian adventurer who attempted to seize power in the European nation of Andorra in 1934. Russian sources give his name in Cyrillic as Борис Скосырев, for which the modern English transliteration of his name would be Skosyrev. Also known as Borís Skossyreff Mawrusow: there are various other spellings and mis-spellings of his name, including Eskossiref and Deskossyieff.

The surviving evidence relating to his life-story is scattered across a large range of sources – partially because he moved between many countries. The information available is partially contradictory: he himself at different points gave several versions of events.

He claimed to be a member of a minor branch of Russian nobility, members of which had served in the Tsarist army, and left Russia, possibly in 1917 with the Russian Revolution.

Having been involved with the British Army as a liaison officer to Oliver Locker Lampson’s RNACD, at some point he became linked with the Japanese Military Mission to the UK as a translator (The Japanese, during the Russian Civil War period supported the White Russians – they had already had “an investigative presence” in various parts of Russia prior to this. They supported the Allies in World War I, and at the various post-War peace conferences were more interested in extending their presence in the Pacific/East Asian region than in European affairs.) This post ceased with the Armistice (index cards in the FO records at The National Archives refer to now weeded files on the Japanese Military Mission’s departure, and also to an incident with Boris Skossyreff involving a member of the Japanese mission) but Skossyreff remained in London. He acquired a passport from the Russian Embassy in August 1918, and opened an account at the Russo-Asiatic Bank the following month. (Oliver Locker Lampson, MP, commanded Royal Naval Air Service armoured cars in various theatres of war during WWI, including Russia.)


In January 1919 Skossyreff was arrested in London on charges of passing cheques fraudulently to hotels where he had been staying (having, on previous occasions paid his bills), and, as an alien, of failing to register a change of address (as was then required). At his trial he claimed that he had, after serving in the Tsarist army, in 1917, been imprisoned by the Bolsheviks in the Sts Peter-Paul prison, with his father and three uncles: the others had been killed, but he had managed to escape aided by a friend. He stated that there were moneys available, but they were presently unavailable, in Russia and elsewhere. He also stated that he had changed his name, for fear of the Bolsheviks: the magistrate stated that he could understand the reason for the deception in Russia, but Bolsheviks were not a problem in the UK. (There was, however, according to The Times of 20 January 1919 (p4), a secret – from the context “closed” – Bolshevik Congress in London at the time: and, given later events involving various White Russians, Boris’ fears were not wholly unjustified.) The money required for paying the debts was provided from sources that were not clearly explained. In 1934 he claimed that he had served with the British armoured car unit on the Russian Front during WWI: the FO file titles mentioned below suggest a slightly different version of events.

He was later expelled from Britain for further incidents of a similar nature, and returned at a later date, leaving via Newhaven (which was then the major port for ships to Europe).

His movements between 1919 and the 1930s are somewhat unclear: he was in Majorca by 1930/1, and was involved in a number of romantic relationships. He stated in an interview in 1934 that he had learnt his Spanish in Colombia (South America), where he seemingly had established an export-import agency. [According to an exchange archived in a different sequence of FO files, of 1938, it was common practice for Europeans going to South America, even long-term, to retain their original passports: this would be a reaction to the [perceived] political instability of the region.] At some point he converted from Russian Orthodoxy to Protestantism.

In 1925 Boris acquired a Nansen passport, and later a Netherlands passport, which he still had in the 1930s: there are claims that he did service for the Netherlandish government and royal family which resulted in him being given the title of Count of Orange. He may have been involved in spying and related matters with several secret services.

Boris’ activities and movements may have been influenced in part by what was happening elsewhere in the White Russian movement. In 1930 General Alexander Paul Koutiepoff, head of the Russian royalist groups, based in Paris, was kidnapped by the GPU (predecessors of the KGB) and executed: other Russians in exile, of various kinds, were to suffer the same fate – notably Leon Trotsky.

21 March 1931 Boris married Marie Luise (Maria Lluïsa) Parat – with a single s rather than ‘ss’ and the ‘ff’ becoming a ‘w.’ He stated he was the son of Michel d’Skosyrew and Elisabeth Mawrusow. Boris had a number of other relationships, including with a beautiful young Englishwoman, Polly Heard, At some point he became associated with a ‘North American millionairess’ Florence Marmon (sometimes mis-spelt Marzon: there is various information on her on the “Ancestry” website). She was the divorced spouce of Howard Marmon, co-owner of Howard Marmon.

In 1932 he was living in Palma, Majorca (Spanish Mallorca) with Florence Marmon. There he stated he was a professor of English and physical culture. A decree of expulsion was issued against him.

Andorra in 1933 experienced a period of unrest. The co-Princes intervened against the Syndics due to their alleged insubordination, calling new elections: there was much resentment at this activity, not least because it occurred in the period when the Andorran parliament was traditionally not serving (the harvest season). A group of French gendarmes was sent to restore order – which caused further resentment – and their departure was eventually negotiated. A Spanish power company made arrangements to set up a power station – in return for which they would build roads: a number of the workmen belonged to Anarchist or Anarchist-Syndicalist unions and for a period went on strike. Taxes began to be imposed due to the costs of administration and the decline in supply of concessions by the government. Some websites conflate this event and Boris’ intervention – when he merely obtained Andorran citizenship in December. There were rising tensions in Spain, in the lead up to the Spanish Civil War (1936-9), and in France, where right wing groups, and monarchist/Legitimatist parties (there being a partial overlap) were causing disruption: and which resulted in riots in February 1934.

After some time Boris presented a plan for administrative reform in Andorra involving the creation of several offices to which he asked to be appointed himself.

1934 There were rumours and remarks by a French Press Agency that a wealthy resident of Barcelona offered the Council General a sum of money in order to be made King of Andorra: a later version had a resident of Barcelona being the person making the offer. (The Times 13 July 1934 p 14, also appearing in The Guardian, then The Manchester Guardian). An American also attempted to ‘buy’ the monarchy of Andorra but was rejected: there is some uncertainty as to the exact details and motivation. May Boris presented a document outlining reforms and was subsequently expelled from Andorra, having got into trouble. He then went into “exile” in Seo d’Urgel, taking up residence in the Hotel Mundial. He had various telephone interviews with representatives of the Daily Herald and The Times, and prepared a new offensive. He also made contact with the legitimists in the South of France, his plans promoting Jean Orleans, Duc de Guise, the heir to the French throne. 6 July he proclaimed himself King of Andorra, under the name of Boris I of Andorra. He declared himself “regent for His Majesty the King of France”, Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise (heir presumptive to the throne of France), who, he declared, was the true inheritor of the Counts of Foix and Berne, the sometime co-princes of Andorra. (Technically this may be legally correct – but it could also be argued that as both the Bishop of Urgel and the Conseil général des Vallées acquiesced in the assumption of the role by the French President for many years, this situation also had a certain legality.) According to one version on 8 July the Conseil général des Vallées ratified this, with a single dissenting voice (out of 24), the monarchy being proclaimed the next day, and a second vote passed 23-1 on 10 July. 12 July Boris issued a proclamation declaring war on the bishop of Urgel, Spain. He also issued an official bulletin, made numerous decrees. The constitution he promoted contained 17 articles, the longest under 30 words. He also posed for official photographs and wore a monocle and a black armband in commemoration, he stated, for the late King Albert.

Boris claimed that he made the attempt “as a joke”: the actual reasons, and financial and other backing are not clear from present records.

Boris described himself as a White Russian born in Vinius This account was somewhat conflicted by the publication "Spain Week by Week", which reported on 1934-07-25 that he was a 38 year old Pole who had been resident "for some years" in Catalonia and Majorca. (This may be in part a matter of terminology, given the many changes of nation and government in Central Europe between 1914 and the 1990s: ‘official’ nationality and self-identified nationality might be very different.) The account claimed that Skossyreff made his proclamation on July 11, not the day after, and had declared himself "Boris I, Prince of the Valleys of Andorra, Count of Orange and Baron of Skossyreff… sovereign of Andorra and defender of the faith". After pledging his allegiance to the King of France, it reports that he deposed the Conseil général des Vallées de Andorra, appointed a provisional government, promulgated a constitution and issued a Court Circular before being arrested by the Spaniards.

The program that he promoted included the creation of a liberal regime in the Chamber, the modernisation of the country, attracting foreign investment – including by declaring it a tax haven – and the establishment of casinos, as in Monaco. A new flag was devised. Skossyreff proclaimed liberty of politics, belief and opinion. He wished to protect those in need, and promote education and sport.

The French Government, as the co-prince of Andorra, accepted the decision of the Conseil général of Andorra, and the Andorran population were not opposed to the establishment of a monarchy, but a conseiller who opposed the situation went to inform the bishop of Urgel, being the other co-prince of the situation. (The bishop disapproved of casinos, considering them as links to hell.)

14 July Boris I was deposed by order of the bishop of Urgel and the French President, Albert Lebrun. 17 July Issued his first ‘Court Circular’ stating that he had taken the country in the name of the King of France, and that he had 500 volunteers in Spain and France, none of them being mercenaries. 20 July Boris was arrested by the Guarda civil (Spanish police) and taken to Barcelona. 23 July He was taken to Madrid. Spanish authorities who held him in custody noted he carried a Dutch passport which indicated his date of birth as June 12, 1896. He declared himself to be a White Russian emigré, born in Vilnius. November Boris Skossyreff was expelled from Spain to Portugal. His own lawyer proposed he be expelled under the law on vagrants, and the magistrates agreed. On reaching the Portuguese border he was arrested for having no passport – he claimed the Spanish had taken his money and documents. He was given a provisional passport on condition he would not return, going to France, from which he was expelled in turn.

His movements thereafter are unclear, but there is evidence that he travelled widely, including Lisbon, Tangier and Gibraltar.

In May 1936 he was again in Portugal, with no passport, arrested and went to Spain on his release.

1938 The French authorities allowed him to settle in Aix. 1939 He was in a French internment camp in Le Vernet, near Tolouse, with Spanish anti-Francoists, Italian anti-fascists and Central Europeans displaced by the Reich’s invasion of central Europe. There were some claims (generally repeated) that he died in the camp in 1944: he however survived, was taken by the Nazis in 1943, and became a ‘special officer’ (Sonderführer) on the Eastern Front.

In 1945 he was taken by the Americans, released as not being German or a Nazi, and went to Boppard, where his wife had settled in 1944. 1948 Arrested in Eisenach, Thuringia (then in Soviet Sector of Germany, afterwards DDR), tried and sent to Siberia.

1956 He returned to Germany, with the rest of the surviving German POWs, taking up residence again in Boppard: he was granted a small state pension. He made some attempt to sell his memoirs, without success, but otherwise lived quietly (given his age and adventures not unsurprisingly).

1989 27 February Skossyreff died, and was buried in Boppard. (His grave gives his birth year as 1900 – because he could not prove to the authorities when he had been born.)

In some Russian-language publications and websites there are somewhat legendary stories reported as fact, notably claiming that Boris I ruled Andorra for a number of years until 1941 whereupon he was overthrown by Vichy France. This version is not supported by accounts in other languages.

There should be a number of photographs of Boris other than the one repeatedly used on a number of sites: During his campaign and ‘reign’ he encouraged photographers for publicity purposes, and he had an ‘official’ photograph taken during his brief ‘reign’ in which he wore a traditional Andorran birettina, When he was expelled from Spain (for the second time) in November 1934 he was photographed again.

References

The Times has a number of articles about Boris Skossyreff - both the takeover and the 1919 incident mentioned above (6 January 1919 p 4, 13 January p 2, 18 January p 5, and 20 January p 5), as well as the incidents of 1934 and a few entries thereafter.

What little other information there is on Boris Skossyreff tends to be scattered and somewhat obscure.

External links

A list of the (UK) Foreign Office references is at http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Boris_Skossyreff - though most of the files are no longer extant.


Material retrieved in part from the Wikipedia article at [[1]].

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