The Biographical Work of Serbian Archbishop Danilo II as a Source on the Feudal Relations in the Second Bulgarian Empire

Authors:

Pages: 70-79
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/GHVP3749

Abstract:

The article is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the passing of the great Bulgarian Byzantinist, Academician Dimitar Angelov, to be commemorated in 2026. He paid special attention to a paragraph from the historical work of Serbian Archbishop Danilo II in the 14th c. which contains important information about the Bulgarian aristocracy after the Battle of Velbazhd (Kyustendil) on 28 July 1330. There, the Bulgarian army, led by Michael III Shishman, was defeated by the Serbian troops of King Stefan Dečanski, and the tsar was killed. This information further supports the evidence that feudal relations rapidly gained ground in Bulgaria during the 14th c. It shows the great power of the major boyars in the different regions of the realm, which was probably granted by the monarch through the appanage system. Light is also shed on the emerging lineage hierarchy, similar to that in the West. It is very important that true vassalage relations were established at that time, these being a key feature of classic feudalism. Danilo’s account helps reconstruct the events of the dramatic two years following the Battle of Velbazhd. After the death of Tsar Michael III Shishman, the Bulgarian Empire was gripped by unrest. Some of the boyars made a deal with the victors in order to keep their estates. Others, however, kept fighting against the Serbs and overthrew their protégé Ivan Stefan. In the autumn of 1331, Tsar Ivan Alexander ascended the throne, defeated the Byzantines, and thereby Bulgaria saw the dawn of a new “Golden Age.”

Keywords:

Second Bulgarian Empire, Kingdom of Serbia, boyars, vassalage, aristocracy, Velbazhd, Michael III Shishman, Belaur, appanage.

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