Bulgarian campaigns of Andronic III Paleolog

After the civil war, the Byzantine emperor became commander Andronic III Paleologue. Unlike his great-grandfather and grandfather, who relied mainly on diplomacy, Andronic III relied on the army. However, after the reforms of its predecessor Andronic II Paleolog , the Byzantine army was in complete decline - for example, it could not resist the struggle with the Ottomans. Also during the civil strife, the resources of Thrace were undermined. Using the internecine struggle, the Bulgarians raided and devastated Thrace. Moreover, the Bulgarian kingdom and the Serbian kingdom openly participated in the struggle for power between Andronic II and Andronic III. There were even cases that in 1326 the Bulgarian kingdom supplied Byzantium with bread. The authority of the Byzantine Empire in the eyes of neighboring states collapsed ^[1] .

Byzantine Frontier Political Situation by 1329

• By 1329, the Byzantine Empire bordered on many states: in Thrace, the kingdom of Byzantium remained the Bulgarian kingdom . Bulgarian troops constantly raided and devastated Thrace. So, the Bulgarian king temporarily held northern Thrace with the city of Philippopolis. However, during the war, Andronicus III managed to recapture the city and consolidate the peace treaty of 1326 ^[1] .
• In Macedonia, the Byzantine neighbor was the Serbian kingdom , which slowly attacked the northern part of northern Macedonia. Moreover, the Byzantine city of Ohrid seemed completely defenseless, given the fact that more Serbs than Greeks lived in it.
• In central Greece, Byzantium rivals were Epirus despotate and Thessaly state, which only occasionally recognized vassal dependence on the empire.
• The Byzantine Morea bordered on the weakened Achaean principality . It weakened after the death of Guillaume II Villardouin , and after the offensive policy of Andronicus Asen, the Byzantine government managed to capture a large territory in central Sea.
• In Asia Minor, Byzantine possessions bordered on strong Ottoman beylik , which pressed the Byzantines from their Asian lands. After the unsuccessful policy of Andronicus II Paleolog towards the Turks, it was no longer possible to restore the former position of the empire. After the unsuccessful lifting of the siege from Nicaea at the Battle of Pelecanon , the emperor had to abandon his aggressive policy in Asia Minor. In 1331, the Ottoman Turks captured Nicaea, which was a terrible shock to the Orthodox world, since Nicaea was the capital of the empire 70 years ago. In exchange for the security of the remaining Byzantine settlements in Asia Minor, the Byzantines agreed to pay tribute to the Ottomans. However, in 1337, the Turks took Nicomedia. In 1338, the Turks captured Scutari , being literally face to face with Constantinople. After that, in Asia Minor, Byzantium had only a narrow Black Sea strip of the Vifinsky Peninsula in the Khile ( Shile ) district, as well as semi-insulated fortresses of Heraclea Pontius , Amastrida , Pegi (Karabige) and Philadelphia.
• In the Aegean Sea, Byzantium bordered on the possessions of Chios lord , Lesbos and Naxos , which were semi-dependent on Genoa . They were not serious opponents of the empire, but gave a large income. Andronicus III Palaeologist saw in this an idea not only to restore Byzantine ties to the sea, but also to replenish the treasury. Soon Andronic III will conquer these lands .

Having come to power, Andronicus III again faced the aggression of the Bulgarians. In 1329, Tsar Michael III Shishman made a devastating raid on the southern regions of Thrace to the cities of Didimothih and Adrianople ^[1] .

In turn, Andronic III Paleologus invaded southern Bulgaria, devastated the region and captured the city of Yamvol. However, it was not possible to gain a foothold in the territory of Andronic III. The reasons were the threat from the Ottoman state. So for example, the Ottoman Turks began the siege of Nicaea . In this regard, the emperor was required to appear in Asia Minor . Andronicus III made peace with Shishman, abandoning the conquests in southern Bulgaria ^[1] .

After the conclusion of peace, Michael III refused to raid the Byzantine lands. Moreover, Bulgaria was threatened by the Serbian kingdom. On May 1, 1330, Serbian king Stefan Uros III Decan banned Venice from transporting its goods through Serbia to Bulgaria due to the fact that Shishman divorced his sister Anna. In response, Tsar Michael III decided to start hostilities. Shishman enlisted the support of Byzantium, hoping for the help of Andronicus III in the war with Serbia. According to the king, the Byzantine emperor was supposed to attack the enemy from the south, while Shishman planned to hit the Serbs from the east. Andronic III agreed with the plans of Michael. However, the position of the Byzantine emperor was expectant and he was in no hurry to join with the Bulgarians. At the end of July 1330, the Bulgarian army was defeated at the Battle of Velbudzh. Tsar Mikhail Shishman himself was captured and soon died of his wounds ^[1] .

After these events, the Bulgarian nobility offered the throne to the Serbian king. However, Uros III refused, satisfied with territorial acquisitions at the expense of Bulgaria. The king also insisted on the restoration on the Bulgarian throne of his sister Anna with her young son from the deceased king, Ivan Stefan . The sister of Andronicus III - Theodora, who was married to Shishman, was expelled from the country. In turn, taking advantage of the defeat of Bulgaria and the expulsion of his sister, Andronicus III again attacked the south of Bulgaria. Already in September 1330, the Byzantine emperor managed to capture all the cities from the Tundzha River to the Black Sea ^[1] .

Meanwhile, a coup has taken place in Bulgaria. Power in the country was captured by Mikhail Alexander Shishman's nephew. The new king was able to make peace with Serbia by organizing a dynastic marriage ^[1] . After that, Ivan Alexander tried to start negotiations with Andronic III, demanding to leave the Bulgarian lands. However, Andronic III refused to capitulate. Then Ivan Alexander gathered troops and set out on a campaign. In total, the Bulgarian army numbered about 8 thousand soldiers. Soon the king joined them about 2 thousand mercenaries. The Byzantine emperor had hardly 3 thousand people. Two troops clashed near Rusacastro in the summer of 1332 ^[2] .

In the ensuing battle, the Byzantines tried to prevent the Bulgarian forces from encircling them, but their maneuver failed. After a fierce battle, the Byzantines were defeated, left the battlefield and found refuge in Rusokastro. The Bulgarian army surrounded and besieged the fortress, making the situation of Andronicus III hopeless. Moreover, there was no provision in the city. At the same time, the captured Bulgarian fortresses located near Mount Ema revolted and destroyed the entire Byzantine garrison. Fortunately, the Bulgarian king proposed to begin peace negotiations ^[3] . Emperor Andronic III agreed and peace was concluded between the two states. The cities captured by the Byzantines between Tundzha and the Black Sea were again part of the Bulgarian kingdom. A dynastic marriage was also concluded. The son of Ivan Alexander and the heir to the throne, Mikhail Asen, was engaged to Mary, the daughter of Andronicus III ^[4] .

After the conclusion of peace, Bulgaria and Byzantium never again seriously fought. This was the last large-scale Byzantine-Bulgarian war. Although Byzantium gained nothing from the territories, however, the Bulgarian raids on the Byzantine lands ceased, and Byzantium was able to establish calm on the Bulgarian borders until the death of Andronicus III Paleolog. For the next 9 years after the campaign of the Byzantine Vasileus in 1332, the Thracian border of the Bulgarians was in relative calm. All this made it possible for Andronicus III not to worry about the center of the empire - Thrace.

• Skazkin S.D. History of Byzantium . - Moscow: Nauka, 1967. - V. 3. - 508 p.