List of Bulgarian monarchs

The monarchs of Bulgaria ruled the country, with interruptions, from the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 to the abolition of monarchy in a manipulated^[1] referendum held on 15 September 1946. The Bulgarian monarchy had two periods of foreign domination: one century and a half of Byzantine rule and almost five centuries of Ottoman rule. Early Bulgarian rulers possibly used the title khan, later knyaz for a brief period, and subsequently tsar.

The title tsar, the Slavic form of the Latin caesar, was first adopted and used in Bulgaria by Simeon I, following a decisive victory over the Byzantine Empire in 913. It was also used by all of Simeon I's successors until the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule in 1396. After Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottomans in 1878, its first monarch Alexander I adopted the title knyaz. However, when de jure independence was proclaimed under his successor Ferdinand in 1908, the title was elevated to the customary tsar once more. The use of tsar continued under Ferdinand and later under his heirs Boris III and Simeon II until the abolition of monarchy in 1946.

While the title tsar was translated as "emperor" in the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, it was translated as "king" in modern Bulgaria.

In the few surviving medieval Bulgarian royal charters, the monarchs of Bulgaria styled themselves as "In Christ the Lord Faithful Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians" or similar variations, sometimes including “... and Romans, Greeks, or Vlachs".

This list does not include the mythical Bulgar rulers and the rulers of Old Great Bulgaria listed in the Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans as well as unsuccessful claimants to the throne who are not generally listed among the Bulgarian monarchs.

Table

Image	Title	Name	Reign	Notes/Death
Dulo dynasty (681–753)
	Khana[›]	Asparukh	681–700	Son of Khan Kubrat, ruler of Old Great Bulgaria. After the victory in the battle of Ongal in 680 he formed the modern country Bulgaria. Died in 700 in battle against the Khazars.[2]
	Khan	Tervel	700–721	Received the Byzantine title Caesar in 705.[3][4] Tervel was called by his contemporaries the Saviour of Europe referring to the decisive Bulgarian blow against the Arabs in the siege of Constantinople. Died in 721.[5]
	Khan	Kormesiy	721–738	Unknown date of death.[6]
	Khan	Sevar	738–753	Last ruler of the Dulo dynasty. Died of natural death or was dethroned in 753.[7]
Vokil clan (753–762)
	Khan	Kormisosh	753–756	Beginning of a period of internal instability. Deposed in 756.[8]
	Khan	Vinekh	756–762	Murdered in 762.[9]
Ugain clan (762–765)
	Khan	Telets	762–765	Murdered in 765.[10]
Non-dynastic (765–766)
	Khan	Sabin	765–766	Might have been of Slavic origin. Deposed by a People's Council in 766, fled to the Byzantine Empire.[11]
Vokil clan (766)
	Khan	Umor	766	Ruled for only 40 days. Deposed in 766 and fled to the Byzantine Empire.[12]
Non-dynastic (766–768)
	Khan	Toktu	766–767	Killed in the forests of the Danube in 767 by the opposition.[13]
	Khan	Pagan	767–768	Murdered by his servants in the region of Varna.[14]
Krum/Dulo dynasty (768–997)b[›]
	Khan[15]	Telerig	768–777	Son of Tervel.Fled to Constantinople in 777 and baptised.[16]
	Khan	Kardam	777–803	End of the internal crisis. Stabilization and consolidation of the country. Unknown date of death.[17]
	Khan[18]	Krum	803–814	Famous for the battle of Pliska in which the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I perished. Krum is also famous for introducing the first written laws into Bulgaria. Died of natural death (very likely from stroke) on 13 April 814. There are several theories on his death.[19]
	Kanasubigi[20] Ruler of the many Bulgarians[21]	Omurtag	814–831	Known for his construction policy, the administrative reform and the persecution of the Christians.[22]
	Khan	Malamir	831–836	Third and youngest son of Omurtag. Died of natural death at early age.[23]
	Khan	Presian I	836–852	Almost the whole of Macedonia was included in Bulgaria.[24]
	Prince (Knyaz)c[›]	Boris I Michael Id[›]	852–889	Christianization of Bulgaria; adoption of Old Bulgarian as the official language of the State and the Church; recognition of an autocephalous Bulgarian Church.[25] Abdicated in 883, died on 2 May 902, aged around 80.[26] Proclaimed a Saint.
	Prince	Vladimir	889–893	Eldest son of Boris I. Tried to restore Tengriism. Deposed and blinded by his father in 893.[27]
	Prince/Emperor (Tsar) Emperor of the Bulgarians and the Romans (claimed)[28] Emperor of the Bulgarians (recognized)[29]	Simeon I	893–927	Third son of Boris I, prepared for a cleric but enthroned during the Council of Preslav. Bulgaria reached its apogee and greatest territorial extend. Golden age of the Bulgarian culture. Died of a heart attack on 27 May 927, aged 63.[30]
	Emperor Emperor of the Bulgarians[31]	Petar I	927–969	Second son of Simeon I. His 42-year rule is the longest in Bulgarian history. Abdicated in 969 and died as a monk on 30 January 970.[32] Proclaimed a Saint.
	Emperor	Boris II	970–971	Eldest son of Petar I. Dethroned by the Byzantines in 971. Accidentally killed by the Bulgarian border guards in 977 when he tried to return to the country.[33]
	Emperor	Roman	977–991 (997)	Second son of Petar I. Castrated by the Byzantines but escaped to Bulgaria in 977. Captured in battle by the Byzantines in 991 and died in prison in Constantinople in 997.[34]
Cometopuli dynasty (997–1018)
	Emperor Emperor of the Bulgarians[35]	Samuel	997–1014	Co-ruler and general under Roman between 976 and 997. Officially proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria in 997. Died of a heart attack on 6 October 1014, aged 69–70.[36]
	Emperor	Gavril Radomir	1014–1015	Eldest son of Samuel, crowned on 15 October 1014. Murdered by his cousin Ivan Vladislav in August 1015.[37]
	Emperor	Ivan Vladislav	1015–1018	Son of Aron and nephew of Samuel. Killed in the siege of Drach.[38] His death brought the end of the First Bulgarian Empire which was annexed by the Byzantine Empire.
	Tsar Tsar of the Bulgarians	Presian II	1018
Cometopuli dynasty
	Emperor	Petar II Delyan	1040–1041	Claimed to have been descendent of Gavril Radomir. Led an unsuccessful uprising against Byzantine rule.[39]
	Emperor	Petar III	1072	Named Constantine Bodin and Descendent of Samuel, he was proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria after the sainted emperor Petar I during the Uprising of Georgi Voiteh.[40] Between 1081 and 1101 he ruled as King of Duklja.
Asen dynasty
	Emperor	Petar IV	1185–1190	Named Theodore, he was proclaimed Emperor of Bulgaria as Petar IV during the successful Uprising of Asen and Petar. In 1190 he gave the throne to his younger brother.[41]
	Emperor	Ivan Asen I	1190–1196	Younger brother of Petar IV. A successful general, he ruled until 1196 when he was murdered by his cousin Ivanko.[42]
	Emperor	Petar IV	1196–1197	Murdered in 1197.[41]
	Emperore[›] Emperor of Bulgarians and Vlachs, the Romanslayer	Kaloyan	1197–1207	Third brother of Asen and Petar. Expanded Bulgaria and concluded a Union with the Catholic Church. Murdered by plotters during the siege of Salonica.[43]
	Emperor	Boril	1207–1218	Son of a sister of Kaloyan. Deposed and blinded in 1218.[44]
	Emperor Emperor of the Bulgarians and the Greeks[45]	Ivan Asen II	1218–1241	Eldest son of Ivan Asen I. The Second Bulgarian Empire reached its apogee. Died of natural death on 24 June 1241, aged 46–47.[46]
	Emperor	Kaliman Asen I	1241–1246	Son of Ivan Asen II. Born in 1234, he died or was poisoned in 1246, aged 12.[47]
	Emperor	Michael II Asen	1246–1256	Son of Ivan Asen II. Murdered by his cousin Kaliman.[48]
	Emperor	Kaliman Asen II	1256	Murdered in 1256.[49]
	Emperor	Mitso Asen	1256–1257	Fled to the Nicaean Empire in 1261.[50]
	Emperor In Christ the Lord Faithful Emperor and Autocrat of the Bulgarians[51]	Constantine I	1257–1277	Bolyar of Skopie. Killed in battle in 1277 by the peasant leader Ivaylo.[52]
	Emperor	Ivan Asen III	1279–1280	Eldest son of Mitso Asen. Fled to Constantinople with the treasury.[53]
Non-dynastic
	Emperor	Ivaylo	1277–1280	Leader of a major peasant uprising. Fled to the Golden Horde but was murdered by the Mongol Khan Nogai.[39]
Terter dynasty (1280–1292)
	Emperor	George Terter I	1280–1292	Bolyar of Cherven. Fled to the Byzantine Empire in 1292, died Bulgaria in 1308–1309.[54]
Non-dynastic (1292–1300)
	Emperor	Smilets	1292–1298	Bolyar of Kopsis. Murdered or died of natural death in 1298.[55]
	Emperor	Chaka	1299–1300	Son of the Mongol Nogai Khan. Deposed and strangled in prison in 1300.[56]
Terter dynasty (1300–1322)
	Emperor	Theodore Svetoslav	1300–1321	Son of George Terter I. Spent his youth as a hostage in the Golden Horde. His rule marked a revival of Bulgaria. Died of natural death in the late 1321, aged 50–55.[57]
	Emperor	George Terter II	1321–1322	Son of Theodore Svetoslav. Died of natural death in the late 1322.[58]
Shishman dynasty (1323–1396)
	Emperor	Michael III Shishman	1323–1330	Bolyar of Vidin. Mortally wounded in the battle of Velbazhd on 28 July 1330 against the Serbs.[59]
	Emperor	Ivan Stephen	1330–1331	Son of Michael III Shishman. Deposed in March 1331 and fled to Serbia.[60] Might have died in 1373.
	Emperor In Christ the Lord Faithful Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians[61] and Greeks[62]	Ivan Alexander	1331–1371	Bolyar of Lovech. Descended of the Asen, Terter and Shishman dynasties. Second Golden Age of Bulgarian culture. Died of natural death on 17 February 1371, leaving Bulgaria divided among his sons.[59]
	Emperor In Christ the Lord Faithful Emperor and Autocrat of all Bulgarians and Greeks[63]	Ivan Shishman	1371–1395	Fourth son of Ivan Alexander. Beheaded by the Ottomans on 3 June 1395.[64]
	Emperor Emperor of the Bulgarians[65]	Ivan Sratsimir	1356–1396	Third son of Ivan Alexander. Ruled in Vidin. Captured by the Ottomans in 1396 and imprisoned in Bursa where he was strangled.[66]
	Tsar (Emperor) of Bulgaria	Constantine II	1397–1422	Son of Ivan Sratsimir (Ivan Sracimir) of Bulgaria by Anna, daughter of prince Nicolae Alexandru of Wallachia. He was crowned co-emperor by his father in or before 1395.
Annexation by Ottoman Empire (1396–1878)
House of Battenberg
	Prince	Alexander I	29 April 1879 – 7 September 1886	Abdicated due to Russian pressure. Died on 23 October 1893 in Graz.
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
	Prince/Tsar	Ferdinand I	7 July 1887 – 3 October 1918	Became Tsar after the official proclamation of independence on 22 September 1908. Abdicated on 3 October 1918 after the defeat in World War I. Died on 10 September 1948 in Coburg.
	Tsar	Boris III	3 October 1918 – 28 August 1943	Died on 28 August 1943 in unclear circumstances.
	Tsar	Simeon II	28 August 1943 – 15 September 1946	Monarchy abolished by the Communists. He served as the 48th Prime Minister of Bulgaria between 24 July 2001 and 17 August 2005.

See also

• List of Bulgarian consorts
• List of Prime Ministers of Bulgaria
• List of presidents of Bulgaria
• Cuman people
• Cumania

Notes

Citations

Sources

• Andreev, Jordan; Milcho Lalkov (1996). The Bulgarian Khans and Tsars (in Bulgarian). Veliko Tarnovo: Abagar. ISBN 954-427-216-X. 
• Bakalov, Georgi (1995). The Medieval Bulgarian Ruler (Title and Insignia) (in Bulgarian). Sofia. 
• Ivanov, Yordan (1970). Bulgarian Antiquities from Macednia (in Bulgarian). Sofia: BAN. 
• Laskaris, M. (1930). Bulgarian Antiquities (Book XI). The Vatopedi Charter of Emperor Ivan Asen II (PDF) (in Bulgarian). Sofia: BAN, Darzhavna Pechatnitsa. 
• Runciman, Steven (1930). A History of the First Bulgarian Empire. London: George Bell & Sons. OCLC 832687. 
• Stephenson, Paul (2004). Byzantium's Balkan Frontier. A Political Study of the Northern Balkans (900–1204). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-511-03402-4. 
• Whittow, Mark (1996). The Making of Byzantium (600–1025). Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20497-2. 
• Zlatarski, Vasil (1971) [1927]. History of the Bulgarian state in the Middle Ages. Volume I. History of the First Bulgarian Empire. (in Bulgarian) (2 ed.). Sofia: Nauka i izkustvo. OCLC 67080314. 

External links

• (English) Detailed list of Bulgarian rulers (PDF)

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