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Kaloyan

Type Figure Region Bulgaria Time c. 1150–1207 Also known as John Asen、K Kaloyan、Kaloyan of Bulgaria

Bulgarian tsar (1197–1207) and the restorer of the Asen dynasty. In 1201 he recovered Varna and other Black Sea ports;…

Timeline

  1. 1201Varna · BulgariaIn 1201 Kaloyan recaptured Varna and other important Black Sea ports from Byzantium, opening up trade and military routes eastward for Bulgaria and consolidating his control over northeastern Bulgaria.
  2. 1204Tarnovo · BulgariaAfter the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople, Kaloyan accepted coronation by the legate of Pope Innocent III, receiving the title 'King of Bulgaria and Wallachia', and sought to win Western religious support against the Latin Empire and Byzantine remnant forces.
  3. 1205Adrianople · ThraceAt the Battle of Adrianople in 1205, Kaloyan led a combined Bulgarian and Cuman army to a crushing defeat of the forces of Latin Emperor Baldwin I, capturing and killing Baldwin, shaking the whole Balkans and bringing Bulgarian power to its zenith.
  4. 1207Tarnovo · BulgariaIn 1207 Kaloyan was assassinated either during the siege of Thessalonica or on the return journey; historians still debate the identity of the killers and their motives. After his death Bulgaria fell into court intrigues, setting the stage for Boril's usurpation.

Sources