Second Bulgarian Kingdom

Pronounced discontent occurred in the summer of 1185 in Northern Bulgaria, where the Constantinople government introduced an intolerable additional tax. This anti-Byzantine struggle was headed by the Turnovo boyars, Petar and Assen. In autumn of the same year they proclaimed restoration of the Bulgarian state before a multitude of people gathered for inauguration of the new St. Dimitrius church in Tirnovo. The elder of the two brothers - Petar (r. 1185-1190; 1196-1197) was crowned. In the years that followed, the Byzantines suffered many defeats in the southern Bulgarian lands. The second Bulgarian Kingdom added a lot of areas to its territory.Bulgaria also regained the Belgrade and Branichevo regions.

Tsar Peter II and Tsar Assen I (1185 - 1197)
Tsar Kaloyan (1197 - 1207)
Tsar Ivan Assen II (1218 - 1241)
Tsar Ivailo (1278 – 1280)
Tsar Teodor Svetoslav (1300 - 1321)
Tsar Mihail Shishman (1323 - 1330)
Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331 - 1371)
Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371 - 1395)
Tsar Ivan Stratsimir (1356 - 1396)

Extracts are used from the book "Rulers of Bulgaria"
Text by Profesor Milcho Lalkov, Ph.D.
Design by Krassimira Despotova Illustrations by Tekla Alexieva,
Buyan Filchev and Hristo Hadjitanev
Published by Kibea Publishing Company, Sofia, Bulgaria