James David Bourchier

James David Bourchier (18 December 1850 at Baggotstown House, Bruff, County Limerick – 30 December 1920 in Sofia, Bulgaria) (his last name is frequently misspelled as Boucher, Baucher or Bauchar) was an Irish journalist and political activist. He worked for The Times as the newspaper's Balkan correspondent. He lived in Sofia from 1892 to 1915. Bourchier was an honourable member of the Sofia Journalists' Society and a trusted advisor of Tzar Ferdinand of Bulgaria. He acted as an intermediary between the Balkan states at the conclusion of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913.

Bourchier was born in Limerick and studied at Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected a scholar in classics in 1871.

Deeply engaged in the processes that were taking place on the Balkan peninsula at that time, Bourchier supported the idea that the island of Crete be annexed by Greece.

In his writings he criticised certain clauses of the Bucharest Peace Treaty of 1913, which he deemed unfair to Bulgaria. As a result of the treaty Bulgaria lost the southern part of Dobrudja (which was annexed by Romania), and part of Macedonia.

Bourchier also expressed his strong support for Bulgaria during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919-1920. The conference produced five treaties, including the Treaty of Neuilly (the peace agreement between the Allies and Bulgaria). Under the terms of the treaty, Bulgaria had to cede part of Western Thrace to Greece and several border areas to Yugoslavia. Southern Dobrudja was confirmed in Romanian possession, reparations were required, and the Bulgarian Army was limited to 20,000 men.

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