The Developed Bulgarian Middle Ages - between 1186 and 1396
The developed Bulgarian Middle Ages is a period of 210 years. The revival of the created in X c. Middle of Bulgarian government - “kingdom - patriarchy”, is made fast (1235). The capital Turnovo, became not only the most important political and church center on the Balkan Peninsula after Tzarigrad and Solun, but also a place of sacred worship and one of the spiritual capitals of the Eastern Europen Christian world. The history of Bulgaria is not a story of a united government, but of a kingdom, that knew what separatism and political division was, the gained or lost lands, but always had a common political and culture center - Turnovo. The achieved in this period in the district in arts and culture had importance for the development of the Slavonian - Byzantine community and the peoples in it (Russians, Serbians, Moldovians and Wallachs).
In 1185 burst the following Bulgarian rebellion, lead by the brothers Peter and Assen. In front of a crowd, gathered for the sanctification of the “St. Dimitar” church in Turnovo, they announced the independence of Bulgaria. The older brother, Peter, was announced a king. Byzantium started wars to gain their power back, but they lost them. With the treaty signed in 1187 Bulgaria was admitted free. On the throne, given by Peter willingly went Assen. A fight begun for freeing all Bulgarian lands, for control over the power of the local landlords and strengthening of the central rule. Byzantium didn’t like it, neither did the Bulgarian landlords, that wanted to be the masters in their lands. There were plots urged by Byzantium. Their first victim was Assen, and the other was Peter. In 1197 on the Bulgarian throne was the youngest of all brothers - Kaloyan. He was a brave, clever and strict ruler. In no time he gained control over many Bulgarian fortresses, among them was the strongest - The Varna fortress. He empowered his influence in Thrace, the Rodopes and Macedonia afterwards. No matter his great successes, Byzantum didn’t admit him a king. Then Kaloyan made a union with the Roman church, that crowned him in 1204 and the independent Bulgarian church was under its control.
In the same year, 1204, Tzarigrad was conquered by the western knights, that formed their own country there, known as the Latin empire.
| The Bulgarian king made everything he could to live in peace with the new neighbors but it was all in vain. The Latins had pretensions to be the next Byzantine generation. They wanted to conquer all the Balkan Peninsula. Then king Kaloyan accepted the Greek offer for joint war tactics. The main fight was on 14 April 1205 near Odrin. The Bulgarians had a glorious victory. The Latin emperor - Baldwin of Flander was caught and taken in Turnovo. After a row of victories that make a Greeks alert and the Bulgarian landlords, too. Kaloyan’s power grew. He went with his armies in Macedonia and rounded Solun. His success was sure, but in the night before the invasion a plotter’s hand took his life. |
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In 1218 the Bulgarian throne was taken by the legal inheritor the son of Assen I - Ivan Assen II. His kingdom is one of the most glorious pages of the history of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.
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The greater influence of the Bulgarian king bothered the ruler of Epir - Todor Komnin. He infringed the peace treaty and invaded the Bulgarians lands. The two armies met at the Kloukotnitza village, the Haskovo district on 9 May 1230.The Byzantines were totally destroyed. Under the orders of King Ivan - Assen II everybody was set free except the cause of the war - T. Komnin, who together with his family was kept in Turnovo. |
| The Bulgarian armies took over the Odrin Thrace, the Belomorska district, all Macedonia and Albania. The borders of Bulgaria met three seas - the Black Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. The inner and outer trade was strengthened and the production did, too. The coining of money began - of gold, silver and copper. The building of fortresses, churches and monasteries enlarged. Turnovo was a marvelous capital, People, then, called it “The queen of cities”, “Kings town”, “Town of kings and glory”. |
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After the death of Ivan - Assen II in 1241 in our country there was a great fight for power. Kings were constantly changed.
The Tatar tribes of Chan Nogai gained from the weakening of the Bulgarian kingdom. They robbed, took prisoners without meeting resistance from the rulers.
The situation of countrymen was unbearable. Robbed by Bulgarians and foreigners they rebelled commanded by Ivailo. The rebellion took 3 tough years (1277 - 1280), but didn’t move it although Ivailo was king for a while. Thus, as a result of the inside quarrels for power and the wars and outside invasions, Bulgaria lost power and was torn apart. In the North-Eastern lands the Dobrudja district was formed. One of the last Bulgarian kings - Ivan - Alexander split the country in two - the Turnovo kingdom with his son Ivan Stratzimir. There were separate independent districts in the Rhodopes, along the Aegean Sea and in Macedonia. Rulers and landlords fought all the time with each other.
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While this destruction happened, even worse conquerors came by from the South - the Osman Turks. Fortress after fortress were lost, though the Bulgarians fought bravely. It couldn’t hold the pressure of the Osmans. In the spring of 1393 the capital was rounded and under siege. The protection of the town was commanded by the famous Bookman patriarch Evtimii. On 17 July 1393 after a three-month siege the fortress was taken over. Three years later the Vidin Kingdom fell. |
Thus one of the oldest European countries stopped existing for 5 centuries. The nation was facing great ordeals.
