Ivan the Russian
Ivan the Russian | |
---|---|
Allegiance | Second Bulgarian Empire |
Rank | protostrator |
Ivan the Russian (Bulgarian: Иван Русина, Ivan Rusina; Hungarian: Orosz Iván) (fl. 1288/1323–1332) was a 14th-century Bulgarian military leader of Russian origin who served Bulgarian tsars Michael Shishman and Ivan Alexander. Prior to joining the armed forces of the Second Bulgarian Empire, Ivan the Russian may have been a military commander in the service of the Hungarian governor of Severin.
Ivan the Russian rose to a high rank in the Bulgarian military in the wake of the accession of Michael Shishman to the throne. In 1323, he was in charge of the Bulgarian defence of Plovdiv during the prolonged and ultimately successful Byzantine siege of the city. In 1328, he was involved in a failed Bulgarian attempt to capture the Byzantine capital Constantinople from within. Probably taking part in the turbulent events that surrounded and followed Michael Shishman's death, Ivan the Russian was last mentioned as a representative of Ivan Alexander in 1332.
Early years and siege of Plovdiv
Bulgarian historian Plamen Pavlov conjectures that Ivan the Russian was a
While Hungarian scholar
Michael Shishman's accession to the Bulgarian throne in 1323 meant that Ivan the Russian assumed an elite rank in the
The Bulgarian forces commanded by Ivan the Russian managed to withstand the four-month siege of Plovdiv undertaken by
Anti-Byzantine plot and later career
The loss of Plovdiv did not seem to have had a profound effect on Ivan's career, and he remained a royal favourite. In 1328, Ivan was tasked by Tsar Michael Shishman with the defence of the
In accordance with the plan, Ivan and his cavalry approached Constantinople while Michael Shishman waited in Yambol with his army. The plot was uncovered by the spies of Andronikos III. Fearing for his own imperial ambitions, he wrote to his rival and grandfather not to accept the Bulgarians into the capital. While Ivan stuck to the plan and signed an oath that he had come with peace to persuade the Byzantines, he promptly retreated to Bulgarian territory upon receiving that order from Michael Shishman.[1][15]
Ivan's role in the final years of Tsar Michael Shishman's reign and the rule of Ivan Stephen is uncertain, as he is not mentioned in the sources pertaining to that period. His high-ranking position nevertheless leads Pavlov to conjecture that Ivan took part in the Battle of Velbazhd of 28 July 1330, a Serbian victory over Bulgaria that paved the way to the Serbian dominance of the Balkans in the mid-14th century. Michael Shishman was killed in the battle and succeeded by his son Ivan Stephen (1330–1331). Pavlov believes that Ivan the Russian was among the Bulgarian nobles that ousted the weak Ivan Stephen in 1331 and placed Ivan Alexander (1331–1371) on the throne. It is also probable that Ivan the Russian took part in the Bulgarian victory over Byzantium at Rusokastro in 1332 because he was last recorded as Ivan Alexander's representative in the peace negotiations that followed.[1][14][16]
Assessment
Ivan the Russian was held in high regard by
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Павлов.
- ^ Vásáry, p. 124.
- ^ Vásáry, pp. 124–125.
- ^ The name is recorded as Inas (Greek: Ινας) in Byzantine sources and it has been identified with the old Hungarian name Ina. Vásáry, p. 124.
- ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- ^ a b Бакалов, “август, 1322 г.”
- ^ Jireček, p. 418.
- ^ Vásáry, pp. 123–124.
- ^ Иречек, p. 338.
- ^ Бакалов, “февруари, 1323 г.”
- ^ Делев, Петър; Валери Кацунов; Пламен Митев; Евгения Калинова; Искра Баева; Боян Добрев (2006). "18.3 Документи". История и цивилизация за 11. клас (in Bulgarian). Труд, Сирма АИ.
- ^ Бакалов, “юни, 1323 г.”
- ^ Vásáry, p. 126.
- ^ a b Jireček, p. 419.
- ^ Иречек, pp. 340–341.
- ^ Българска енциклопедия А–Я.
Sources
- ISBN 978-3-938402-11-5.
- Vásáry, István (2005). "The Tatars fade away from Bulgaria and Byzantium, 1320–1354". Cumans and Tatars: Oriental military in the pre-Ottoman Balkans, 1185–1365. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83756-9.
- "Иван Русина (началото на 14 в.)". Българска енциклопедия А–Я (CD) (in Bulgarian). БАН, Труд, Сирма. 2002. OCLC 163361648.
- Бакалов, Георги; Милен Куманов (2003). Електронно издание "История на България" (CD) (in Bulgarian). София: Труд, Сирма. ISBN 954528613X.
- OCLC 66252579.
- Павлов, Пламен (2005). "Руски "бродници", политически бегълци и военачалници през XII–XIV в.". Бунтари и авантюристи в средновековна България (in Bulgarian). Варна: LiterNet. ISBN 954-304-152-0.