Chaka of Bulgaria
Chaka | |
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Tsar of Bulgaria | |
Tengrist but it can be assumed that he was an Orthodox Christian ) |
Chaka (
Chaka had led his supporters into Bulgaria, intimidated the regency for Ivan II into fleeing the capital, and imposed himself as ruler in Tărnovo in 1299. It is not completely certain whether he reigned as Emperor of Bulgaria or simply acted as the overlord of his brother-in-law Theodore Svetoslav. He is accepted as a ruler of Bulgaria by Bulgarian historiography.
Chaka did not long enjoy his new position of power, as the armies of Toqta followed him into Bulgaria and besieged Tărnovo. Theodore Svetoslav, who had been instrumental in Chaka's seizure of power, organized a plot in which Chaka was deposed and strangled in prison in 1300. His head was sent to Toqta, which in turn secured Theodore Svetoslav's position as the new emperor of Bulgaria. It seems that Theodore Svetoslav's cooperation contributed to the withdrawal of Mongol interference in Bulgaria.
Family
It is not known if Chaka had children from Elena, the daughter of George I of Bulgaria. He had at least one son, Kara Küçük, likely from a concubine. Kara Küçük led a fragment of the Nogai Horde until sometime after 1301. After the death of Chaka, Kara Küçük fled the Horde with 3000 Tatar horsemen and offered to take service with Shishman of Vidin.
References
- John V.A. Fine, Jr., The Late Medieval Balkans, Ann Arbor, 1987.