Shishman (son of Michael Shishman)
Encyclopedia
Shishman was a contender for the Bulgaria
n throne in exile, third son of tsar
Michael Shishman
(r. 1323–1330). He was named after his grandfather Shishman of Vidin
and was probably born in the capital of the Bulgarian Empire
Tarnovo.
, in an attempt to extend the size of Bulgaria to that during the reign of Ivan Asen II
(1218–1241). The Byzantine Empire
suffered some setbacks and had to agree to concessions in Thrace
but Michael Shishman could not achieve a decisive success. He eventually allied with the Byzantines against Serbia and divoced with his Serbian wife Anna Neda
. In 1330 the Serbs
defeated the Bulgarian army in battle of Velbazhd, in which the Bulgarian tsar perished. After the battle the two sides negotiated peace in the locality Mraka and it was decided that the eldest son of Michael Shishman – Ivan Stephen
would succeed his father as emperor.
Eight months later, in 1331, Ivan Stephen was overthrown in a palace coup by Ivan Alexander
(1331–1371), son of Michael Shishman's sister. Anna Neda and her sons had to flee to Serbia.
Shishman did not follow his family and fled to Constantinople
. He was immediately sent to the Byzantine regent and later emperor John VI Kantakouzenos
, who acknowledged him as Emperor of Bulgaria. That act enfuriated Ivan Alexander who demanded that Shishman must be deported to Bulgaria and threatened with war. John VI Kantakouzenos answered that in case of war the Byzantines would transport Shishman to Vidin
with ships where the proximity with his family's domains would eventually lead to a civil war.
In 1331 Ivan Alexander launched a campaign, assembled his army at Sliven
and marched to the south. The Bulgarians and the Byzantines under Andronikos III Palaiologos
and Shishman fought a battle near Adrianople
which ended without a clear victor or in a minor Byzantine victory and a peace treaty was signed. After that event Shishman is not mentioned in the historical sources.
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...
n throne in exile, third son of tsar
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...
Michael Shishman
Michael Shishman of Bulgaria
Michael Asen III ), ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1323 to 1330. The exact year of his birth is unknown but it was between 1280 and 1292. He was the founder of the last ruling dynasty of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Shishman dynasty...
(r. 1323–1330). He was named after his grandfather Shishman of Vidin
Shishman of Vidin
Shishman, Despot of Vidin was a Bulgarian noble who ruled a semi-independent realm based out of the Danubian fortress of Vidin in the late 13th and early 14th century...
and was probably born in the capital of the Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
Tarnovo.
Background
His father, Michael Shishman led aggressive policy in the BalkansBalkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, in an attempt to extend the size of Bulgaria to that during the reign of Ivan Asen II
Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
-Early rule:He was a son of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria and Elena . Elena, who survived until after 1235, is sometimes alleged to be a daughter of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia, but this relationship is questionable and would have caused various canonical impediments to marriages between various descendants...
(1218–1241). 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...
suffered some setbacks and had to agree to concessions in 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...
but Michael Shishman could not achieve a decisive success. He eventually allied with the Byzantines against Serbia and divoced with his Serbian wife Anna Neda
Anna Neda of Serbia
Anna Neda was a 14th-century Serb Empress consort of Bulgaria. She was the daughter of Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and Princess Anna Terter, daughter of George I of Bulgaria...
. In 1330 the Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
defeated the Bulgarian army in battle of Velbazhd, in which the Bulgarian tsar perished. After the battle the two sides negotiated peace in the locality Mraka and it was decided that the eldest son of Michael Shishman – Ivan Stephen
Ivan Stephen of Bulgaria
Ivan Stefan ruled as emperor of Bulgaria for eight months from 1330 to 1331. He was the eldest son of emperor Michael III Shishman and Anna Neda of Serbia, a daughter of King Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia. Ivan Stephen was descendent to the Terter dynasty, the Asen dynasty and the Shishman...
would succeed his father as emperor.
Eight months later, in 1331, Ivan Stephen was overthrown in a palace coup by Ivan Alexander
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on February 17, 1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history...
(1331–1371), son of Michael Shishman's sister. Anna Neda and her sons had to flee to Serbia.
Rule in exile
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. He was immediately sent to the Byzantine regent and later emperor John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos
John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was the Byzantine emperor from 1347 to 1354.-Early life:Born in Constantinople, John Kantakouzenos was the son of a Michael Kantakouzenos, governor of the Morea. Through his mother Theodora Palaiologina Angelina, he was a descendant of the reigning house of...
, who acknowledged him as Emperor of Bulgaria. That act enfuriated Ivan Alexander who demanded that Shishman must be deported to Bulgaria and threatened with war. John VI Kantakouzenos answered that in case of war the Byzantines would transport Shishman to Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
with ships where the proximity with his family's domains would eventually lead to a civil war.
In 1331 Ivan Alexander launched a campaign, assembled his army at Sliven
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
and marched to the south. The Bulgarians and the Byzantines under Andronikos III Palaiologos
Andronikos III Palaiologos
Andronikos III Palaiologos, Latinized as Andronicus III Palaeologus was Byzantine emperor from 1328 to 1341, after being rival emperor since 1321. Andronikos III was the son of Michael IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia...
and Shishman fought a battle near Adrianople
Edirne
Edirne is a city in Eastern Thrace, the northwestern part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Edirne served as the capital city of the Ottoman Empire from 1365 to 1453, before Constantinople became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the Edirne...
which ended without a clear victor or in a minor Byzantine victory and a peace treaty was signed. After that event Shishman is not mentioned in the historical sources.
Sources
- Fine, John Van Antwerp (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472082605.