Some aspects of the Balkan Policy of Charles the First of Anjou

Authors:

Pages: 81-89

Abstract:

The author traces the establishment of Charles of Anjou in Southern Italy and Sicily during the years 1266–1268. Attention is paid to the transformation of his kingdom into a successor of the ambitions of the Normans to the lands in the Balkans (11th–12th centuries). Special attention is paid to the transformation of Bulgaria into an ally of the Neapolitan Court. The author traces the detailed negotiations between them in 1272–1275 and their results. The author assumes that these negotiations are fundamental for the government of the Bulgarian ruler Konstantin-Asen Tih (1257–1277). The contacts of Bulgaria with Naples continued up to King Georgi I Terter (1280– 1292), who also became an ally of Charles of Anjou. The defeat of the Neapolitans in 1281 (the battle in Berat) spoils the political plans of the Bulgarian ruler. After the Sicilian Vespers (1282) the political and military power of Charles of Anjou diminishes. This causes the end of his “Balkan policy”. Bulgaria withdraws into the horizons of the Balkan world again.

Keywords:

Balkans in the second half of the 13th century, Bulgaria, Byzantium, Neapolitan Kingdom, Albania

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