Fall Second_Bulgarian_Empire

the fortress of baba vida in vidin

the attempts of ivan alexander fight off ottomans in late 1340s , 1350s failed after 2 defeats in eldest son , successor michael asen iv , second son ivan asen iv may have been killed. emperor s relations other son ivan sratsimir, had been installed ruler of vidin, deteriorated after 1349, when ivan alexander divorced wife marry sarah-theodora, converted jew. when child ivan shishman designated heir throne, ivan sratsimir proclaimed independence.

in 1366, ivan alexander refused grant passage byzantine emperor john v palaiologos, , troops of savoyard crusade attacked bulgarian black sea coast. seized sozopolis, messembria, anchialus, , emona, causing heavy casualties , unsuccessfully laying siege varna. bulgarians granted passage john v, lost towns handed on byzantines. north-west, hungarians attacked , occupied vidin in 1365. ivan alexander reconquered province 4 years later, allied de jure vassals vladislav of wallachia , dobrotitsa. death of ivan alexander in 1371 left country irrevocably divided between ivan shishman in tarnovo, ivan sratsimir in vidin, , dobrotitsa in karvuna. 14th century german traveler johann schiltberger described these lands follows:

i in 3 regions, , 3 called bulgaria. first bulgaria extends there, pass hungary through iron gate. capital called vidin. other bulgaria lies opposite wallachia, , capital called tarnovo. third bulgaria there, danube flows sea. capital called kaliakra.

second bulgarian empire, 1331-71



the defeat of anti-ottoman coalition in battle of nicopolis in 1396 final blow leading fall of bulgarian empire.

on 26 september 1371, ottomans defeated large christian army led serbian brothers vukašin mrnjavčević , jovan uglješa in battle of chernomen. turned on bulgaria , conquered northern thrace, rhodopes, kostenets, ihtiman, , samokov, limiting authority of ivan shishman in lands north of balkan mountains , valley of sofia. unable resist, bulgarian monarch forced become ottoman vassal, , in return recovered of lost towns , secured ten years of uneasy peace.

the ottoman raids renewed in 1380s, culminating in fall of sofia. simultaneously, ivan shishman had been engaged in war against wallachia since 1384. according anonymous bulgarian chronicle, killed wallachian voivode dan of wallachia in september 1386. maintained uneasy relations ivan sratsimir, had broken last ties tarnovo in 1371 , had separated dioceses of vidin tarnovo patriarchate. 2 brothers did not cooperate repel ottoman invasion. according historian konstantin jireček, brothers engaged in bitter conflict on sofia. ivan shshman reneged on vassal obligation support ottomans troops during campaigns. instead, used every opportunity participate in christian coalitions serbs , hungarians, provoking massive ottoman invasions in 1388 , 1393.

despite strong resistance, ottomans seized number of important towns , fortresses in 1388, , 5 years later captured tarnovo after three-month siege. ivan shishman died in 1395 when ottomans, led bayezid i, took last fortress nikopol. in 1396, ivan sratsimir joined crusade of hungarian king sigismund, after christian army defeated in battle of nicopolis ottomans marched on vidin , seized it, bringing end medieval bulgarian state. resistance continued under constantine , fruzhin until 1422. former referred king sigismund distinguished constantine, glorious emperor of bulgaria .