Second Bulgarian empire
Quick Summary
The Second Bulgarian Empire emerged in 1185 when brothers Ivan and Peter Asen revolted against Byzantine rule, establishing a new kingdom centered in Tarnovo. This empire reached its zenith under Tsar Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), making Bulgaria the dominant Balkan power, controlling territories including Albania, Epirus, Macedonia, and Western Thrace. During this period, Bulgaria issued its own coinage, and the head of the Bulgarian church was elevated to patriarch in 1235.
However, the empire faced significant challenges after Ivan Asen II's reign. Mongol invasions from the north and internal strife caused by powerful nobles burdened the peasantry. A major peasant revolt in 1277–1280 briefly saw a swineherd named Ivaylo seize the throne. The Asen dynasty ended in 1280, followed by less successful ruling houses. The empire continued to decline, losing lands to Serbia and facing the growing threat of the Ottoman Turks, ultimately falling to them in 1396.12
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BulgariaThe second Bulgarian empireWith the collapse of the first Bulgarian state, the Bulgarian church fell under the domination of Greek ecclesiastics who took control of the see of Ohrid and attempted to replace the Bulgarian Slavic liturgy with a Greek liturgy. Bulgarian culture was by…
Read MoreWith the collapse of the first Bulgarian state, the Bulgarian church fell under the domination of Greek ecclesiastics who took control of the see of Ohrid and attempted to replace the Bulgarian Slavic liturgy with a Greek liturgy. Bulgarian culture was by…
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…peoples in 1185 produced the second Bulgarian empire, and by 1241 the Bulgarian tsars of the house of Asen (1185–1280) were supreme in most of the lands from the Danube River to the Aegean Sea and from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. But Mongol attacks from the north, Serbian…
Read More…peoples in 1185 produced the second Bulgarian empire, and by 1241 the Bulgarian tsars of the house of Asen (1185–1280) were supreme in most of the lands from the Danube River to the Aegean Sea and from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. But Mongol attacks from the north, Serbian…
Read More