Second Bulgarian Empire

Bulgaria, 1185–1396. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th century. In 1205, Emperor Kaloyan defeated the newly established Latin Empire in the Battle of Adrianople. His nephew Ivan Asen II defeated the Despotate of Epiros and made Bulgaria a regional power again.

Seat of power: Veliko Tarnovo

Rulers

Peter IV of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1185–1197

Theodor-Peter was the first emperor or tsar of the restored Bulgarian Empire from 1185 to 1197. In 1185, Theodor and Asen approached the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos in Thrace, demanding an estate in the Balkan Mountains. After the Emperor refused and humiliated them, they decided to incite a rebellion, taking advantage of the discontent that a new tax had caused among the Bulgarians and Vlachs.

Portrait of Peter IV of Bulgaria: CNG Coins, CC BY-SA 2.5, file

Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1187–1196

Ivan Asen I was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria as co-ruler with his elder brother, Peter II. Asen made a series of raids against Byzantine territories and expanded his rule over the lands along the Struma River in the early 1190s. A boyar, Ivanko, stabbed him to death in 1196.

Portrait of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria: CNG Coins, CC BY-SA 2.5, file

Kaloyan of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1196–1207

Kaloyan was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. To obtain an imperial title from the Holy See, Kaloyan entered into correspondence with Pope Innocent III, offering to acknowledge papal primacy. His expansionist policy brought him into conflict with the Byzantine Empire, Hungary, and Serbia.

Boril of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1207–1218

Boril was the emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1207 to 1218. He convoked the synod of the Bulgarian Church in early 1211. At the assembly, the bishops condemned the Bogomils for heresy.

Portrait of Boril of Bulgaria: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1218–1241

Ivan Asen II was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He inflicted a crushing defeat on Theodore Komnenos Doukas of the Empire of Thessalonica, in the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230. The control of the trade on the Via Egnatia enabled Ivan Asen to implement an ambitious building program in Tarnovo.

Portrait of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria: CNG Coins, CC BY-SA 2.5, file

Kaliman I of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1241–1246

Kaliman Asen I was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1241 to 1246. Kaliman was only seven when he succeeded his father. In the following years, the Mongols invaded Bulgaria and imposed a yearly tax on the country.

Michael II Asen

King of Bulgaria, 1246–1256

Michael II Asen succeeded his half-brother, Kaliman I Asen. In alliance with the Republic of Ragusa, Michael II Asen broke into Serbia in 1254, but he could not occupy Serbian territories. Shortly after the treaty, discontented boyars (noblemen) murdered Michael.

Portrait of Michael II Asen: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Ivaylo of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1278–1279

Ivaylo was a rebel leader who ruled briefly as tsar of Bulgaria. In 1277, he led a peasant uprising and forced the Bulgarian nobility to accept him as emperor. He reigned as emperor from 1278 to 1279, scoring victories against the Byzantines and the Mongols.

Portrait of Ivaylo of Bulgaria: Красимир Косев, CC BY 3.0, file

Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1279–1280

Ivan Asen III ruled as tsar of Bulgaria 1279-1280. To strengthen his position in Tarnovo, Ivan Asen III married his sister Maria (Kira Maria) to the Bulgaro-Cuman nobleman George Terter, but failed to assert himself throughout the country.

Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1300–1322

Theodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. He captured northeast fortresses and expanded the territory of the Bulgarian Empire. He persecuted the traitors who he thought were responsible for the Mongol interference and even the Patriarch, Joachim III, was executed.

Portrait of Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1330–1331

Ivan Stefan ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria for eight months from 1330 to 1331. At the battle of Velbazhd against the Serbs, Emperor Michael Asen III was wounded and died shortly afterwards in captivity.

Portrait of Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria: Anonymous author, Public domain, file

Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1331–1371

Ivan Alexander Asen ruled as Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The Tsar began his rule by dealing with internal problems and external threats from Bulgaria's neighbours, the Byzantine Empire and Serbia, as well as leading his empire into a period of economic recovery and cultural and religious renaissance. In an ill-fated attempt to combat these problems, he divided the country between his two sons, thus forcing it to face the imminent Ottoman conquest weakened and divided.

Portrait of Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria: Asenovec1186, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria

King of Bulgaria, 1371–1395

Ivan Shishman ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria in Tarnovo from 1371 to 3 June 1395. The authority of Ivan Shishman was limited to the central parts of the Bulgarian Empire. Ivan Shishman is the only Balkan ruler for whom there is no evidence of tribute paid to the Ottoman Empire or any military aid provided.

Portrait of Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Culture

In the 14th century Bulgarian culture, literature, art, and architecture flourished.
The mainstream of Bulgarian fine arts in the 13th and 14th centuries is known as the painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School. The frescoes in the Boyana Church near Sofia are an early example of the painting of the Tarnovo Artistic School, dating from 1259.
A prolific writer, Euthymius oversaw a major linguistic reform that standardized the spelling and grammar of the Bulgarian language.
Rila Monastery was re-erected at its present place by Hrelja, a feudal lord, during the first half of the 14th century.

Picture

The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery, is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.

Image: Raggatt2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.