The 1185 Uprising led by brothers Assen and Petar

published on 10/30/09 9:33 AM

October 26 is the day of the 1185 uprising, led by the brothers Assen and Petar that put an end to nearly two centuries of Byzantine domination in the Bulgarian lands.

In 1018 the Byzantine Empire finally subjected Bulgaria to its power, and managed to uphold the supremacy for nearly two centuries. There were many attempts to overrule this domination in the Bulgarian lands, but they failed as Constantinople was living the days of its upsurge and might. However, dark clouds started gathering on the horizon during the last quarter of the 12th century, when the Seldzhouk Turks from the east, and the King of Naples from the west, began closing the circle on Constantinople. The Koumans to the north ravaged the lands south of the river Danube every now and again. All this weakened gradually the power of the Byzantine Emperors over the territories of present-day northern Bulgaria.

In the spring of 1185, two Bulgarian boyars, the brothers Assen and Petar, paid a visit to the Byzantine Emperor Isaac-Angel to ask his grace in two minor claims: to be enlisted on the Emperor’s Guards and be granted a village in their own possession each. The Emperor sneered at their request and sent them away in humiliation. Upon their return to Tarnovo, they started plotting a large-scale uprising to break free from Byzantine domination and restore the Bulgarian state. Meanwhile, the Byzantine Emperor imposed a new tax on the cattle, which added to the accumulation of anti-Byzantine mood. The Norsemen of the Kingdom of Naples conquered Byzantine’s second most important city Thessaloniki on October 24, 1185. The date of the uprising had been carefully chosen. The end of October marked the end of the active farming season, and the forthcoming winter made it difficult for the Byzantine army to cross the Balkan range passages buried under deep snow. Brothers Assen and Petar also spread rumours that the patron saint of Thessaloniki, Dimiter, celebrated on October 26, had left his beloved city and had moved to Bulgaria’s fallen capital, Tarnovo, and the miracle-performing icon of the saint had miraculously appeared there. The brothers built a church and named it after St. Dimiter. It is in front of that church that in Tarnovo on October 26, 1185, they declared they no longer acknowledged Byzantine rule. The elder brother, Petar, was proclaimed Czar. Chronicles of that time attest to his wearing a gold wreath on his head and red shoes, the symbols of royalty. Soon after that Petar ceded his throne to his younger brother, Assen, who was a much better military leader.

The uprising spread across the whole of northern Bulgaria very quickly and by the end of the year had crossed the Balkan range. In 1186 the Byzantine Emperor led himself the troops against the rebels, after two of his generals had suffered severe defeats. The rebels escaped the clash by crossing the River Danube, but as soon as the enemy left northern Bulgaria they returned to the motherland. Byzantine Emperor Isaac-Angel made one last attempt at regaining power over the Bulgarian lands in the spring of 1187. He besieged the fortress of Lovech in northern Bulgaria but could not conquer it. Thus, the Peace Treaty that recognized the true power of Assen and Petar over the whole of present-day northern Bulgaria was signed, and the story of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom began.

English version: Radostin Zhelev

По публикацията работи: Konstantin Subchev

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The 1185 Uprising led by brothers Assen and Petar

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