Shishman of Vidin
Encyclopedia
Shishman, Despot of Vidin ' onMouseout='HidePop("84984")' href="/topics/Floruit">fl.
1270s/1280s — before 1308/1313) was a Bulgarian
noble (boyar
) who ruled a semi-independent realm based out of the Danubian
fortress of Vidin
in the late 13th and early 14th century. Shishman, who was bestowed the title of "despot" by Bulgarian emperor George Terter I
, was of Cuman
extraction, and may have been established as lord of Vidin as early as the 1270s.
In 1291, he came under Tatar
suzerainty
and in 1292 he was in charge of an unsuccessful campaign against neighbouring Serbia. Even though the Serbs captured Vidin in their counter-offensive, perhaps thanks to Tatar influence Shishman was placed once more as the ruler of the region, this time as a Serbian vassal. However, he continued to rule his lands largely independently. As his son and successor as despot of Vidin Michael Shishman
acceded to the Bulgarian throne in 1323, Shishman was the progenitor of the last medieval Bulgarian royal dynasty, the Shishman dynasty.
that settled in Bulgaria after 1241, when ethnic conflicts with Hungarians forced them out of the Kingdom of Hungary
. It has been accepted in Bulgarian historiography that Shishman's first wife was an unnamed daughter of Anna–Theodora
and sebastokrator
Peter and thus a granddaughter of Emperor Ivan Asen II
(r. 1218–1241) of the Asen dynasty
. In contemporary sources, Shishman is variously described as a prince (knyaz
), king or even emperor (tsar
) of Bulgaria, though his only official title was that of "despot".
According to historian John V. A. Fine, Shishman may have established his authority over the Vidin
region as early as the 1270s, after the death of the previous lord of that area, Jacob Svetoslav
. He was perhaps elevated to the position of despot of Vidin soon after the accession of another Bulgarian noble of Cuman origin, George Terter I
(r. 1280–1292), to the Bulgarian throne in 1280. Shishman was likely a close relative, perhaps even a brother, of George Terter I.
Shishman's domain comprised "much of the Bulgarian land", as reported by the account of Serbian archbishop Danilo. Indeed, his lands constituted the largest autonomous region of Bulgaria at the time. Bulgarian historian Yordan Andreev estimates the lands ruled by Shishman to have extended from the Iron Gates gorge of the Danube
in the west to the towns of Lom and Vratsa
in the east. Shishman also controlled territories north of the Danube, in western Wallachia
(Oltenia
), as chroniclers describe the Danube River as running through the middle of his lands.
In 1285, increasing Tatar
pressure from the northeast had forced the Second Bulgarian Empire to come under the political dependence of Nogai Khan
, the ruler of the Golden Horde
. At the time Shishman's realm centred at Vidin was largely independent from the Bulgarian tsars in Tarnovo
, though he retained a degree of loyalty to Bulgaria and maintained friendly relations with Serbia. However, in 1291 Shishman too was forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of Nogai in order to counter the increasing Serbian pressure from the west. In the same year, the joint forces of Hungarian vassal Stephen Dragutin and Serbian king Stephen Milutin (r. 1280–1321) had managed to oust two Cuman–Bulgarian nobles and allies of Shishman, Darman and Kudelin
, who were in control of the Braničevo
region.
Encouraged by Nogai, in 1292 Shishman launched a major campaign against Milutin, his Serbian neighbour to the west. Thanks to the support of Tatar mercenaries, Shishman's forces raided deeply into Serbian territory and reached Hvosno
in Kosovo
. After attempting to conquer the fortress of Ždrelo near Peć
to no avail and burning the Žiča
monastery, Shishman's troops returned to Vidin without any territorial gains. Milutin's response to Shishman's act of aggression was much more successful. His counter-attack resulted in Serbian forces reaching Vidin and capturing Shishman's capital after a brief siege. The despot, however, managed to escape north of the Danube to the safety of his Tatar suzerains.
Instead of annexing Shishman's lands, Milutin reinstalled Shishman as the despot of Vidin and concluded an alliance with him. To confirm the alliance, Shishman married the daughter of Serbian Grand Prince Dragoš
. The future marriage of Shishman's son and future Bulgarian emperor Michael Shishman
(r. 1323–1330) to Milutin's daughter Anna Neda
was also arranged at the time with the intention of further sealing the union. It is quite apparent that Shishman's unlikely reinstallment in Vidin and alliance with Serbia were dictated by Nogai, as at the same time Serbia also came under Tatar dependence. Milutin was even forced to send his son Stephen Dečanski into captivity in order to prevent a Tatar attack.
Although Shishman's realm was nominally a Serbian client state
for an unknown time, he retained his prior semi-independence and he was completely in charge of his lands. He maintained good relations with Bulgaria and, according to Andreev, his political activity was mainly concentrated in dealing with Bulgaria. He also retained his close ties with Nogai and his descendants. In 1301–1302, Shishman provided political refuge to several of Nogai's relatives, including his grandson Qara-Kesek, who fled to Vidin along with a 3,000-strong cavalry and remained there until after 1325. These Tatar nobles were fleeing from the persecution of the new khan
, Toqta
, who had defeated and murdered Nogai in 1299–1300. Contrary to Andreev's opinion, Fine believes that the death of Nogai increased Serbia's influence over Vidin.
Shishman died in the early 14th century but before 1308 or 1313. He was succeeded as ruler of Vidin by his son Michael, who in 1323 was elected to the Bulgarian throne due to the childless death of Emperor George Terter II
(r. 1321–1322). Besides Michael, Shishman's other progeny included Belaur
, another despot of Vidin, and Keratsa Petritsa
, the mother of Bulgarian emperor Ivan Alexander
(r. 1331–1371). Bulgarian historian Ivan Bozhilov classifies all of Shishman's known children as descendants of the Asen dynasty, thus indicating that they were born to his first wife, the daughter of Anna–Theodora. The descendants of Shishman of Vidin, known collectively as the Shishman dynasty, ruled the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1323 until it was ultimately subjugated by the Ottomans
at the turn of the 15th century.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1270s/1280s — before 1308/1313) was a Bulgarian
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...
noble (boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
) who ruled a semi-independent realm based out of the Danubian
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
fortress of 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...
in the late 13th and early 14th century. Shishman, who was bestowed the title of "despot" by Bulgarian emperor George Terter I
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor 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...
, was of Cuman
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
extraction, and may have been established as lord of Vidin as early as the 1270s.
In 1291, he came under Tatar
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
and in 1292 he was in charge of an unsuccessful campaign against neighbouring Serbia. Even though the Serbs captured Vidin in their counter-offensive, perhaps thanks to Tatar influence Shishman was placed once more as the ruler of the region, this time as a Serbian vassal. However, he continued to rule his lands largely independently. As his son and successor as despot of Vidin 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...
acceded to the Bulgarian throne in 1323, Shishman was the progenitor of the last medieval Bulgarian royal dynasty, the Shishman dynasty.
Bulgarian despot and Tatar suzerainty
Shishman's early life and rise through the ranks of the Bulgarian nobility are poorly documented. However, he is considered to have been a descendant of the wave of CumansCumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
that settled in Bulgaria after 1241, when ethnic conflicts with Hungarians forced them out of the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. It has been accepted in Bulgarian historiography that Shishman's first wife was an unnamed daughter of Anna–Theodora
Anna-Theodora Asenina of Bulgaria
Anna-Theodora Asenina was a 13th century Bulgarian princess, the daughter of tsar Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and princess Irene Komnene of Epirus.Through her mother, Anna-Theodora was a granddaughter of Theodore of Epirus....
and sebastokrator
Sebastokrator
Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...
Peter and thus a granddaughter of Emperor 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...
(r. 1218–1241) of the Asen dynasty
Asen dynasty
The Asen dynasty ruled a medieval Bulgarian state, called in modern historiography the Second Bulgarian Empire, between 1187 and 1280.The Asen dynasty and the Second Bulgarian Empire rose as the leaders of a rebellion against the Byzantine Empire at the turn of the year 1185/1186 caused by the...
. In contemporary sources, Shishman is variously described as a prince (knyaz
Knyaz
Kniaz, knyaz or knez is a Slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a royal nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....
), king or even emperor (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...
) of Bulgaria, though his only official title was that of "despot".
According to historian John V. A. Fine, Shishman may have established his authority over the 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...
region as early as the 1270s, after the death of the previous lord of that area, Jacob Svetoslav
Jacob Svetoslav
Jacob Svetoslav was a prominent 13th-century Bulgarian noble of princely Russian origin. Bestowed the title of despot, Yakov Svetoslav was the ruler of a widely autonomous domain of the Second Bulgarian Empire most likely located around Sofia...
. He was perhaps elevated to the position of despot of Vidin soon after the accession of another Bulgarian noble of Cuman origin, George Terter I
George I of Bulgaria
George Terter I ruled as emperor 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...
(r. 1280–1292), to the Bulgarian throne in 1280. Shishman was likely a close relative, perhaps even a brother, of George Terter I.
Shishman's domain comprised "much of the Bulgarian land", as reported by the account of Serbian archbishop Danilo. Indeed, his lands constituted the largest autonomous region of Bulgaria at the time. Bulgarian historian Yordan Andreev estimates the lands ruled by Shishman to have extended from the Iron Gates gorge of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in the west to the towns of Lom and Vratsa
Vratsa
Vratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
in the east. Shishman also controlled territories north of the Danube, in western Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
(Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
), as chroniclers describe the Danube River as running through the middle of his lands.
In 1285, increasing Tatar
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
pressure from the northeast had forced the Second Bulgarian Empire to come under the political dependence of 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...
, the ruler 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...
. At the time Shishman's realm centred at Vidin was largely independent from the Bulgarian tsars in Tarnovo
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...
, though he retained a degree of loyalty to Bulgaria and maintained friendly relations with Serbia. However, in 1291 Shishman too was forced to acknowledge the suzerainty of Nogai in order to counter the increasing Serbian pressure from the west. In the same year, the joint forces of Hungarian vassal Stephen Dragutin and Serbian king Stephen Milutin (r. 1280–1321) had managed to oust two Cuman–Bulgarian nobles and allies of Shishman, Darman and Kudelin
Darman and Kudelin
Darman and Kudelin were two Bulgarian nobles who jointly ruled the region of Braničevo as independent or semi-independent autocrats in the late 13th century...
, who were in control of the Braničevo
Branicevo (region)
Braničevo is a geographical region in east-central Serbia. It is mostly situated in the Braničevo District.-History:...
region.
Anti-Serbian campaign and Serbian vassalage
Hvosno
Hvosno was a medieval Serbian župa located in the northern part of the Metohija region, in Kosovo. It roughly encompassed the areas of the modern Istok and Peć municipalities...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. After attempting to conquer the fortress of Ždrelo near Peć
Pec
Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
to no avail and burning the Žiča
Žica
Žiča is an early 13th century Serb Orthodox monastery near Kraljevo, Serbia. The monastery, together with the Church of the Holy Dormition, was built by the first King of Serbia, Stefan the First-Crowned and the first Head of the Serbian Church, Saint Sava....
monastery, Shishman's troops returned to Vidin without any territorial gains. Milutin's response to Shishman's act of aggression was much more successful. His counter-attack resulted in Serbian forces reaching Vidin and capturing Shishman's capital after a brief siege. The despot, however, managed to escape north of the Danube to the safety of his Tatar suzerains.
Instead of annexing Shishman's lands, Milutin reinstalled Shishman as the despot of Vidin and concluded an alliance with him. To confirm the alliance, Shishman married the daughter of Serbian Grand Prince Dragoš
Dragoš
Dragoš was a 14th-century Serbian nobleman who`s daughter was married to the Bulgarian Despot of Vidin Shishman, through an alliance formed by victorious Serbian King Stefan Milutin .-References:*...
. The future marriage of Shishman's son and future Bulgarian emperor 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) to Milutin's daughter 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...
was also arranged at the time with the intention of further sealing the union. It is quite apparent that Shishman's unlikely reinstallment in Vidin and alliance with Serbia were dictated by Nogai, as at the same time Serbia also came under Tatar dependence. Milutin was even forced to send his son Stephen Dečanski into captivity in order to prevent a Tatar attack.
Although Shishman's realm was nominally a Serbian client state
Client state
Client state is one of several terms used to describe the economic, political and/or military subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs...
for an unknown time, he retained his prior semi-independence and he was completely in charge of his lands. He maintained good relations with Bulgaria and, according to Andreev, his political activity was mainly concentrated in dealing with Bulgaria. He also retained his close ties with Nogai and his descendants. In 1301–1302, Shishman provided political refuge to several of Nogai's relatives, including his grandson Qara-Kesek, who fled to Vidin along with a 3,000-strong cavalry and remained there until after 1325. These Tatar nobles were fleeing from the persecution of the new khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
, Toqta
Toqta
Tokhta was a khan of the Golden Horde, son of Mengu-Timur and great grandson of Batu Khan.His name "Tokhtokh" means "hold/holding" in the Mongolian language....
, who had defeated and murdered Nogai in 1299–1300. Contrary to Andreev's opinion, Fine believes that the death of Nogai increased Serbia's influence over Vidin.
Shishman died in the early 14th century but before 1308 or 1313. He was succeeded as ruler of Vidin by his son Michael, who in 1323 was elected to the Bulgarian throne due to the childless death of Emperor George Terter II
George II of Bulgaria
George Terter II reigned as emperor of Bulgaria 1321–1322. The date of his birth is unknown, but he was born not long before 1307.George Terter II was the son of Theodore Svetoslav and Euphrosyne, and was named after his paternal grandfather George Terter I. It is possible that he was associated...
(r. 1321–1322). Besides Michael, Shishman's other progeny included Belaur
Belaur
Belaur was a Bulgarian noble and despot of Vidin and brother of the Bulgarian Emperor Michael Shishman . The son of Shishman of Vidin, he was among the most elaborate Balkan diplomats of his time...
, another despot of Vidin, and Keratsa Petritsa
Keratsa Petritsa
Keratsa Petritsa was a Bulgarian noblewoman , sister of tsar Michael Shishman of Bulgaria. Her eldest son Ivan Alexander rose to the Bulgarian throne after vicissitudes of politics....
, the mother of Bulgarian emperor 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...
(r. 1331–1371). Bulgarian historian Ivan Bozhilov classifies all of Shishman's known children as descendants of the Asen dynasty, thus indicating that they were born to his first wife, the daughter of Anna–Theodora. The descendants of Shishman of Vidin, known collectively as the Shishman dynasty, ruled the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1323 until it was ultimately subjugated by the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
at the turn of the 15th century.