Despotate of Dobruja

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Despotate of Dobruja
Добруджанско Деспотство (Bulgarian)
Dobrudzhansko Despotstvo (Bulgarian)
1356–1411
Flag of Dobruja
Flag around 1350 mentioned by Spanish Franciscan friar probably belongs to Dobruja[A]
Coat of arms of Terter dynasty (ruling despots) of Dobruja
Coat of arms of Terter dynasty
(ruling despots)
Despotate
CapitalKarvuna (Balchik)
Common languagesBulgarian, Romanian
Religion
Eastern Orthodox
GovernmentHereditary monarchy
Despot / Prince 
• 1340s-1347
Balik
• 1356-1386
Dobrotitsa
• 1385-1389, 1393-1399
Ivanko
Historical eraLate Middle Ages
• Established
1340s
• Conquest and incorporation into the Ottoman Empire
1411
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Second Bulgarian Empire
Ottoman Empire
Today part ofBulgaria
Romania
Ukraine

The Despotate of Dobruja or Principality of Karvuna (Bulgarian: Добруджанско деспотство or Карвунско княжество; Romanian: Despotatul Dobrogei or Țara Cărvunei) was a 14th-century quasi-independent Bulgarian polity in the region of modern Dobruja, that split off from the Second Bulgarian Empire under the influence of the Byzantine Empire. The Despotate of Dobruja existed from 1356 to 1411.

The principality's name is derived from the fortress of Karvuna (present-day

Cape Kaliakra
.

History

The principality was spun off from the

Patriarchate of Constantinople. A "Metropolitan of Varna and Dobrich" was mentioned in 1325. Under Balik's son Dobrotitsa (1347–1386; ruling with the title of "despot" after 1357) the principality came to its greatest power and extension and the capital was moved to Kaliakra
.

In 1346 or 1347, the principality was plagued by the

Caffa before they finally brought it to Sicily, Genoa and the whole of Western Europe. The principality had its own navy, which also engaged in piracy forcing the Genoese to complain, and possibly took part in an operation off Trebizond
. In 1453, the Ottoman navy at the siege of Constantinople was initially led by one admiral Baltoglu, a Bulgarian convert from the former principality.

The Principality of Karvuna at its greatest territorial extent, during the reign of Dobrotitsa

In 1366,

Nessebar;[3]
Varna, Emona, and Kozyak were ceded to Dobrotitsa for his help against Amadeus.

As a traditional breadbasket, Dobruja supplied wheat to Constantinople mostly via the major ports of Varna and Kaliakra frequented by the Genoese and Venetian fleets. The republics held their consulates at Varna and kept trading colonies at Castritsi and Galata outside that city.[citation needed]

Between 1370 and 1375, allied with

Bulgarian fleet[4] participated in the blockade of Constantinople, fighting with the Genoese fleet. Venetian sources from the late 14th century refer to Dobrotitsa as a "despot of the Bulgarians" (DESPOTUM BULGARORUM DOBROTICAM) and to his realm as "parts of Zagora (Bulgaria) subordinate to Dobrotitsa" (PARTES ZAGORAE (BULGARIAE) SUBDITAS DOBROTICAE).[5]

In 1386, Dobrotitsa died and was succeeded by

Mircea cel Bătrân of Wallachia.[6] In 1411, the Ottoman Turks invaded and incorporated Dobruja into the Ottoman Empire. In 1413, Varna was turned over to Manuel II Palaiologos[citation needed]. In 1414, the area was devastated by Tatars. In 1444 the Ottomans secured it after the Battle of Varna
.

At the very end of the 14th century, German traveller Johann Schiltberger described the lands of the former Bulgarian Empire as follows:[7]

I was in three regions, and all three were called Bulgaria. The first Bulgaria extends there, where you pass from

Tarnovo. The third Bulgaria is there, where the Danube flows into the sea
. Its capital is called Kaliakra.

However, today, some Gagauz people and Turkish scholars claim the Despotate of Dobruja, or as how they call it, the "Uzi Eyalet" or "Uzi State" (Romanian: Uziăilet; Turkish: Uzi Eyaleti or Uz Eyaleti), was the first Gagauz state in history.[8][9]

Rulers of the Despotate of Dobruja

UnknownUnknown
Balik
(around 1320–47)		TheodoreDobrotitsa
(1347–85)		Unknown*
Ivanko
(1385–95)		TerterUnknown
daughter		Michael Palaiologos**

Notes:
* Daughter of Alexios Apokaukos, Byzantine military commander
 ** Son of Michael Palaiologos, Despot of Zagora

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Flag of Vicina, Dobruja, around 1350, according to the story of a Spanish Franciscan friar: "I left Constantinople and entered the Mare Mayor (Black Sea), proceeding along the coast of the left hand to a great city called Vecina (Vicina¹). Here nine rivers unite and fall into the Mare Mayor². These nine rivers make a great commotion before this city of Vecina, which is the capital of the kingdom³. It has a white flag with four red squares."
    ¹ - In National Geographic Vecina is confounded with Vidin, although the latter is far away from the Black Sea, and has nothing to do with the Danube Delta.
    ² - The Danube Delta.
    ³ - Possible reference to principality of Dobrotici of Dobruja.

References

  1. ^ Based on Lalkov, Rulers of Bulgaria
  2. ^ Г. Бакалов, История на българите, Том 1, 2003, с. 457
  3. ^ Fine, Late Medieval Balkans, p. 367
  4. ^ "Medieval Bulgarian navy", Wikipedia, 2021-04-18, retrieved 2023-04-09
  5. ISBN 954-08-0022-9
    .
  6. ^ İnalcık, Halil. (1998). "Dobrudja". Encyclopaedia of Islam II. Leiden: E. J. Brill. 611 a-b
  7. ^ Delev, Petǎr; Valeri Kacunov; Plamen Mitev; Evgenija Kalinova; Iskra Baeva; Bojan Dobrev (2006). "19. Bǎlgarija pri Car Ivan Aleksandǎr". Istorija i civilizacija za 11. klas (in Bulgarian). Trud, Sirma.
  8. ^ Karanfil, Güllü (2019). "GAGAUZLAR ve DEVLETLEŞME". Turan-Sam (in Turkish). 11 (41): 376–381.
  9. ^ "Pagina principală > UTA Gagauzia > Istoria" (in Romanian). Government of Gagauzia.

Further reading

  • Васил Н. Златарски, История на българската държава през средните векове, Част I, II изд., Наука и изкуство, София 1970.
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