George I of Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
George Terter I ruled as emperor (tsar
) of Bulgaria
1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.
The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century. Although George Terter I managed to maintain himself on the throne for more than a decade (unlike his two immediate predecessors), he appears to have failed to assert himself against the centrifugal forces even in his own capital. This severely limited any possibility of engaging in grand-scale international politics or even standing up to foreign aggression and Mongol raids. During the chaotic years preceding George Terter I's accession Bulgaria had lost all of Thrace
to the Byzantine Empire, and under his reign its remaining possessions in Macedonia were divided between the Serbians and the Byzantines in 1282-1284.
(Eltimir), who was made a despotēs by either his older brother or by the regency for Ivan II
.
When Ivan Asen III
became emperor at Tărnovo
in 1279 during the Uprising of Ivaylo
, he sought to strengthen his position by allying himself with George Terter. The latter divorced his first wife Maria, who was sent together with their son Theodore Svetoslav
as a hostage to the Byzantine Empire
, to marry Maria (Kira Maria
), the sister of Ivan Asen III. George Terter was accordingly made a despotēs, the highest rank in the Byzantino-Bulgarian court hierarchy.
The continued success of Ivaylo against Byzantine reinforcements led Ivan Asen III to flee the capital and escape to the Byzantine Empire, while George Terter I seized power as emperor in 1280. With the threat from Ivaylo and Ivan Asen III removed, George Terter I made an alliance with King Charles I of Sicily
, with Stefan Dragutin of Serbia, and with Thessaly against Michael VIII Palaiologos of the Byzantine Empire in 1281. The alliance failed as Charles was distracted by the Sicilian Vespers
and the secession of Sicily in 1282, while Bulgaria
was ravaged by the Mongols
of the Golden Horde
under Nogai Khan
. Seeking Serbian support, George Terter I engaged his daughter Anna
to the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin in 1284.
Since the death of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1282, George Terter I re-opened negotiations with the Byzantine Empire and sought the return of his first wife. This was eventually accomplished by treaty, and the two Marias exchanged places as empress and hostage. Theodore Svetoslav was made co-emperor by his father, but after another Mongol invasion in 1285, he was sent off as a hostage to Nogai Khan in the Golden Horde
. Theodore Svetoslav's sister was also sent to the Horde, where she married Nogai's son Chaka.
. George Terter I passed the next decade of his life in obscurity. In 1301 his son Theodore Svetoslav, already emperor of Bulgaria, defeated a Byzantine army and captured thirteen high-ranking officers, whom he exchanged for his father.
In Bulgaria George Terter I was not associated in power by his son, but he was confined to luxurious life in a city chosen by his son. An inscription from a rock-cut church near Ivanovo laconically mentions the death of "emperor Gergi" in the year 1308/1309.
By his second wife, Maria (Kira Maria
) of Bulgaria, sister of Ivan Asen III, George Terter I had one daughter:
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
) of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
1280-1292. The date of his birth is unknown, and he died in 1308/1309.
The reign of George Terter I represents a continuation of Bulgaria's precipitous decline during the second half of the 13th century. Although George Terter I managed to maintain himself on the throne for more than a decade (unlike his two immediate predecessors), he appears to have failed to assert himself against the centrifugal forces even in his own capital. This severely limited any possibility of engaging in grand-scale international politics or even standing up to foreign aggression and Mongol raids. During the chaotic years preceding George Terter I's accession Bulgaria had lost all of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
to the Byzantine Empire, and under his reign its remaining possessions in Macedonia were divided between the Serbians and the Byzantines in 1282-1284.
Early life
The antecedents of George Terter I are unclear, but the Byzantine sources testify that he was of Bulgarian and Cuman descent, something corroborated by his double name, which recalls the name of the Cuman clan Terteroba. George Terter I had at least one brother, named AldimirAldimir
Aldimir or EltimirWhile Aldimir is mentioned in Medieval Greek sources solely as Ἐλτιμηρῆς, Eltimiris, his original name Aldimir has been established thanks to the discovery of his son Ivan Dragushin's epitaph. was a Bulgarian noble of the 13th–14th century...
(Eltimir), who was made a despotēs by either his older brother or by the regency for Ivan II
Ivan II of Bulgaria
Ivan II , reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1298 to 1299. The date of his birth is unknown, but probably not much earlier than c. 1290. He died as a monk in exile before 1330.Ivan II succeeded his father Smilets as emperor in Tărnovo in 1298...
.
When Ivan Asen III
Ivan Asen III of Bulgaria
Ivan Asen III , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1279–1280. Ivan Asen III was the son of Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and Maria of Bulgaria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and Irene of Thessalonica...
became emperor at Tărnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
in 1279 during the Uprising of Ivaylo
Uprising of Ivaylo
The Uprising of Ivaylo was an uprising of the Bulgarian peasantry against the Emperor Constantine Tikh and the Bulgarian nobility. The revolt was fuelled by resentment at the beginning feudalization of the Bulgarian Empire, as well as by the failure to confront the Mongol menace over north-eastern...
, he sought to strengthen his position by allying himself with George Terter. The latter divorced his first wife Maria, who was sent together with their son Theodore Svetoslav
Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria
Theodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire...
as a hostage to the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, to marry Maria (Kira Maria
Kira Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
Kira Maria Asenina was a Bulgarian princess and empress consort , second wife of George I of Bulgaria.Kira Maria was the daughter of tsar Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and his wife Maria. The dates and the places of her birth and death are unknown....
), the sister of Ivan Asen III. George Terter was accordingly made a despotēs, the highest rank in the Byzantino-Bulgarian court hierarchy.
Rule as Emperor
Charles I of Sicily
Charles I , known also as Charles of Anjou, was the King of Sicily by conquest from 1266, though he had received it as a papal grant in 1262 and was expelled from the island in the aftermath of the Sicilian Vespers of 1282...
, with Stefan Dragutin of Serbia, and with Thessaly against Michael VIII Palaiologos of the Byzantine Empire in 1281. The alliance failed as Charles was distracted by the Sicilian Vespers
Sicilian Vespers
The Sicilian Vespers is the name given to the successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out on the Easter of 1282 against the rule of the French/Angevin king Charles I, who had ruled the Kingdom of Sicily since 1266. Within six weeks three thousand French men and women were slain by...
and the secession of Sicily in 1282, while Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
was ravaged by the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
under Nogai Khan
Nogai Khan
Nogai , also called Isa Nogai, was a general and de facto ruler of the Golden Horde and a great-great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His grandfather was Baul/Teval Khan, the 7th son of Jochi...
. Seeking Serbian support, George Terter I engaged his daughter Anna
Anna Terter of Bulgaria
Anna Terter was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia . She was the third wife of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia....
to the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin in 1284.
Since the death of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos in 1282, George Terter I re-opened negotiations with the Byzantine Empire and sought the return of his first wife. This was eventually accomplished by treaty, and the two Marias exchanged places as empress and hostage. Theodore Svetoslav was made co-emperor by his father, but after another Mongol invasion in 1285, he was sent off as a hostage to Nogai Khan in the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
. Theodore Svetoslav's sister was also sent to the Horde, where she married Nogai's son Chaka.
Exile and death
For unknown reasons, though possibly under Mongol pressure, George Terter I and sought refuge in the Byzantine Empire in 1292. The Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos at first refused to receive him, perhaps fearing complications with the Mongols, and George Terter was kept waiting in wretched conditions in the vicinity of Adrianople. The former Bulgarian emperor was eventually sent to live in AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. George Terter I passed the next decade of his life in obscurity. In 1301 his son Theodore Svetoslav, already emperor of Bulgaria, defeated a Byzantine army and captured thirteen high-ranking officers, whom he exchanged for his father.
In Bulgaria George Terter I was not associated in power by his son, but he was confined to luxurious life in a city chosen by his son. An inscription from a rock-cut church near Ivanovo laconically mentions the death of "emperor Gergi" in the year 1308/1309.
Family
George Terter I was married twice. By his first wife, a Bulgarian named Maria, he had two children:- Theodore SvetoslavTheodore Svetoslav of BulgariaTheodore Svetoslav ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He was a wise and capable ruler who brought stability and relative prosperity to the Bulgarian Empire after two decades of constant Mongol intervention in the internal issues of the Empire...
, emperor of Bulgaria 1300-1322 - Elena, married to ChakaChaka of BulgariaChaka reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1299 to 1300. The date of his birth is unknown.Chaka was the son of the Mongol leader Nogai Khan by a wife named Alaka. Sometime after 1285 Chaka married an unnamed daughter of George Terter I of Bulgaria...
, emperor of Bulgaria 1299-1300.
By his second wife, Maria (Kira Maria
Kira Maria Asenina of Bulgaria
Kira Maria Asenina was a Bulgarian princess and empress consort , second wife of George I of Bulgaria.Kira Maria was the daughter of tsar Mitso Asen of Bulgaria and his wife Maria. The dates and the places of her birth and death are unknown....
) of Bulgaria, sister of Ivan Asen III, George Terter I had one daughter:
- AnnaAnna Terter of BulgariaAnna Terter was a Bulgarian princess and Queen consort of Serbia . She was the third wife of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia....
, who married first Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia, and then Michael (Demetrios) Doukas.