Decline of the Bulgarian Second Empire

Timeline

1. 1350–1355Veliko Tarnovo · BulgariaIn his later years Ivan Alexander's governing capacity declined, his sons contested the throne, court infighting was constant, central control over local feudal lords weakened, and the empire steadily lost political cohesion.
2. 1352–1356Vidin · BulgariaIvan Alexander granted Vidin to his eldest son Ivan Sratsimir, who established a de facto semi-independent regime, and the empire effectively split into two centers, Tarnovo and Vidin.
3. 1354–1359Southern Bulgarian frontier · BulgariaThe Ottomans pressed northward from Thrace while Dušan's Serbian Empire threatened the southern flank; Bulgarian frontier towns in the south were repeatedly raided, the central army lacked the strength for effective defense, and by the late 1350s the empire's decline had become irreversible.