Michael III Shishman

Mikhail was born between 1280 ^[4] and 1292 ^[3] years and was the son of a Vidin despot Shishman and the unnamed daughter of the sevastocrat Peter and Anna Theodora (daughter of Ivan Asen II ). He was also a distant relative of his predecessors on the Bulgarian throne - Theodore Svyatoslav Terter and George II Terter . After the conclusion of peace between his father and Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1292 , Michael was engaged to the Serbian princess Anna-Neda. They married in 1298 or 1299 ^[5] .

From the middle of the 13th century, Vidin maintained autonomy within Bulgarian rule, and he was successively ruled by Jacob Svyatoslav (d. 1276 ), Shishman (d. Between 1308 and 1313 ) and Mikhail Shishman. Shishman received the high court title of despot from Theodore Svyatoslav Terter , and Michael in the Venetian source was referred to as the despot of Bulgaria and the ruler of Vidinsky ^[5] . After the death by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin, Mikhail Shishman got the opportunity to pursue a more active policy in the Bulgarian capital Tarnovo . Soon he won leading positions among the Bulgarian nobility, and after the death of young George II Terter in 1323 he was elected king of Bulgaria ^[6] . According to some historians, Michael was chosen king due to his kinship with the Aseni dynasty ^[7] . His half-brother Belaur succeeded him as a despot Vidin ^[8] .

War with the Byzantines

The sudden death of George II Terter was accompanied by a brief period of chaos and anarchy, which was used by the Byzantine emperor Andronicus III Paleolog . The Byzantines captured northeast Thrace and captured a number of cities, including Yambol , Lardea, Ktenia, Rusokastro , Pomorie , Sozopol and Agatopol . At the same time, the Byzantine protege Voisil, brother of the former Bulgarian Tsar Smilets , settled in the Crimea , controlling the mountain passes in eastern and central Bulgaria ^[9] . Under these conditions, the newly elected Mikhail Shishman moved south against Andronicus III , while the Byzantine army, led by the emperor himself, besieged Philippopol ( Plovdiv ). The siege was unsuccessful, despite the fact that the Byzantines used a huge five-story siege tower ^{[9] [10]} . Michael took advantage of the siege of the Byzantines and quickly recaptured the lost cities, thus forcing the Byzantines to retreat ^[9] .

Although Mikhail Shishman forced Andronicus III to retreat, the Byzantines soon managed to take Philippopol , while the Bulgarians changed the composition of the garrison ^[11] . Despite the losses, the king managed to expel Voisil, and also in 1324 completely restore Bulgarian control over northern and northeastern Thrace, which was lost during the interregnum ^[12] . In the same 1324 , the Bulgarian king invaded Byzantium and reached Trayanopolis and the lower reaches of the Maritsa River ^[13] . Andronicus III Paleolog could not prevent the Bulgarians, since his forces were significantly inferior in numbers. He even offered Michael an honest duel to solve the conflict. The Bulgarian king answered with the words quoted subsequently by John Kantakuzin ^{[14] [15]} :

The Byzantine emperor was said to be furious with this answer. Nevertheless, Mikhail, who was aware of the conflict between Andronic III and Andronic II , hinted to the first that he could help him in the fight against his uncle, after which he returned to Bulgaria and began preparations for negotiations ^[14] .

Byzantine Peace Agreement and Civil War

At the negotiations held in Constantinople , it was decided that both countries should begin negotiations, despite the calls of the Bulgarian nobility to continue the war. Mikhail Shishman divorced his wife Anna-Neda and married Theodore Paleolog , a 35-year-old widow of Tsar Theodore Svyatoslav ^[16] . The exact reasons for this act have not been elucidated. Many historians suggest that marriage was intended to strengthen allied relations with the Byzantines in the face of a new threat - the Serbs began to penetrate into Bulgarian Macedonia ^{[17] [18]} . The marriage really strengthened the peace with Byzantium, moreover, the need for an ally made Michael prone to compromise. In negotiations with the Byzantines, it was decided that the border between the states should pass along the line Filippopol- Chernomen- Sozopol ^[17] . The agreement was finally signed in the autumn of 1324 , and Mikhail Shishman spent the next several years in peace with his neighbors ^{[17] [19]} .

In 1327 , Michael intervened in the civil war of Byzantium , supporting his brother-in-law Andronic III , while the Serbian king sided with his rival Andronic II . Andronic III and Mikhail Shishman met in Chernomen (according to Nicephorus Grigory, in Didimotik ) ^[20] and agreed on an alliance against Serbia. The Byzantine emperor also promised Bulgaria land with several cities and a large amount of money in case of victory in the struggle for power ^[21] . Thanks to this alliance, Andronic III gained control of Macedonia, but his success forced Michael to secretly enter into negotiations with Andronic II , offering military support in exchange for money and the cession of some border lands ^[22] . The Bulgarian ruler sent a detachment of 3,000 horsemen to guard the imperial palace in Constantinople and Andronicus II , but his true intentions were to capture the city and capture the old emperor ^{[23] [24]} . Andronicus II was warned by Andronicus III , and the emperor took precautions ^[25] .

After the victory of Andronicus III in the struggle for power, Mikhail Shishman tried to get the border territories by military means. He invaded Thrace in June 1328 , sacked the neighborhood of Wiese , but was forced to retreat when he met with the emperor’s army ^[26] . After that, the Bulgarians besieged Adrianople for 60 days, but to no avail, and as a result were forced to confirm the terms of the peace treaty, after which Mikhail returned to his homeland ^[27] . In turn, the Bulgarians returned to the Byzantines the Matochina fortress, captured at the initial stages of the campaign ^[28] . At the beginning of 1329 , the Bulgarian king, in a personal meeting with the Byzantine emperor, agreed on joint military operations against the gaining power of Serbia ^[3] . In a place known as Krimni between Sozopol and Pomorie, the parties signed an agreement on “lasting peace and eternal union” ^[26] .

The divorce from Anna-Neda in 1324 worsened relations between Bulgaria and Serbia, which were quite friendly from the beginning of the XIV century ^[29] . Anna-Neda had to leave the capital of Tarnovo with her sons and seek refuge with her brother Stefan Dečanski , the Serbian king ^[17] . Stefan Dechansky , busy fighting with his cousin Stefan Vladislav, was unable to confront Mikhail ^[16] . The Bulgarian king recognized Vladislav as king of Serbia, but his help was not enough. In the spring of 1324 , Stefan Dečansky sent the future Serbian archbishop Danilo II to negotiate with the Bulgarians in Tarnovo , but the mission did not give anything ^[20] . Two neighbors were opponents in the Byzantine civil war, when the Bulgarians supported Andronicus III , and the Serbs - Andronicus II ^{[16] [30] [31]} .

After concluding an agreement with Andronicus III in 1329 , Mikhail Shishman began preparations for a war with the Serbs, while devastating the lands around Ohrid . According to Serbian chronicles, he arrogantly demanded that the Serbian king come to him for negotiations, and threatened to “put his throne in the middle of Serbian land” ^[32] . In 1330 , Mikhail, hoping that the army of Andronicus III would join his campaign, moved to Serbia with an army of 15,000 soldiers, also receiving reinforcements from Wallachia and Moldavia ^[32] . First, he went to Vidin , where, as historians believe, he hoped to combine his forces with the soldiers of his brother Belaura, and then moved south ^[33] . Due to poor coordination with the Byzantines, the Bulgarian army met with the 15,000th army of Serbs alone in the area of Velbažd ^[34] . At a personal meeting of the Bulgarian and Serbian rulers, an agreement was reached on a one-day ceasefire - both sides expected reinforcements to arrive. Based on the agreement, Mikhail Shishman allowed his soldiers to replenish the supply of provisions. However, in the morning of July 28, reinforcements arrived at the Serbs in the person of 1,000 well-armed Catalan mercenaries, led by the king’s son Stefan Dusan , and the Serbs violated the agreement and attacked the Bulgarian camp ^[35] . Despite the unexpected attack, Mikhail tried to quickly bring his troops into a state of battle, but it was too late, and the Serbs won ^[32] . The outcome of the battle changed the geopolitical position in the Balkans for the next several decades, and although Bulgaria did not lose territories, the Serbs were able to occupy most of Macedonia ^[36] .

The circumstances of the death of Mikhail Shishman are unclear. According to the Byzantine emperor and historian John Kantakuzin , the king was mortally wounded in battle and soon died ^[35] . Another Byzantine historian suggests that Michael lived after being wounded for more than three days and died on the fourth day ^[37] . Serbian chronicles claim that his horse fell during the battle and crushed the rider. When the tsar’s body was delivered to Stefan Dechansky , he mourned him, but noted that the Bulgarian ruler himself “preferred war to peace” ^[38] . The Bulgarian writer of the 15th century, Grigory Tsamblak, wrote that Mikhail Shishman was captured and killed by the son of the Serbian king Stefan Dusan ^[38] . He was buried in the church of St. George in the village of Staro Nagorichino ^[39] , but later his remains were transferred to the church of the Forty Great Martyrs in Veliko Tarnovo ^[40] .

Mikhail Shishman has remained in history as an energetic and aggressive ruler. He managed to strengthen Bulgarian statehood after several decades of civil strife. Andreev calls him the brightest Bulgarian monarch of the XIV century ^[38] . According to John Kantakuzin , he wanted to expand his country to the limits from Constantinople to the Danube ^{[18] [21]} . He was also the first Bulgarian ruler for decades to try to pursue a more active policy in Macedonia ^[41] . The seal of Mikhail Shishman is depicted on a bill in 2 Bulgarian leva, issued in 1999 and 2005 ^[42] .

Mikhail Shishman was married for the first time to Anne-Neda, daughter of the Serbian king Stephen Milutin . From her, the king had several children, including Ivan Stephen , the heir to the Bulgarian throne ^[43] . From his second marriage to Theodora Paleolog , daughter of Michael IX Paleolog , Mikhail Shishman had several children whose names are unknown.

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