Terwel

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Terwel (also Tervel, Tarvel, Terval, Terbelis) is considered to be the second ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire since the country was recognized in 681 by the East (Byzantium) . According to the Bulgarian Prince List , he was an illegitimate [firstborn] son ​​of Knjas Asparuch and nephew of Kuwer . His reign lasted from 700/701 to 718–721. He belonged to the Bulgarian ruling dynasty Dulo . The northern Bulgarian city of Terwel bears his name.

In 705 Terwel received the title Caesar from the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian II . This title was usually given to persons who were related to the emperor or related by marriage; at that time it was no longer connected with a claim to the succession, nor with specific powers. Terwel was the first foreigner to receive this title.

In many history books, the Central Asian title Khan is associated with Terwel. The only known and verifiable title of Terwel so far is the title Knjas.

The covenant with Justinian II 705

The Battle of Anchialus (708) .

In 705, the Byzantine emperor Justinian II , who was deposed and exiled in 695, fled his exile in Chersonese in the Crimea and sought refuge first with the Khazars and later with Terwel in Bulgaria.

Both signed a treaty and Justinian II managed to regain his throne in Constantinople with the help of an army of 15,000 Bulgarian soldiers . For this Justinian had promised the Bulgarian Knjas a rich reward and one of his daughters as a wife, but it is not known whether the marriage took place. Terwel had initially hesitated to accept Justinian's offer, especially since he was advised not to trust an agreement with Justinian, as he had previously broken his word with the Bulgarians. After a period of several months, Terwel finally agreed, as he was probably blinded by the prospect of becoming the first “barbaric” ruler to be married to a Byzantine princess, which would be considered a sign of recognition of his equality. It would also strengthen his position in the new Bulgarian territories. Terwel moved along the west coast of the Black Sea ( Via Pontica ) with his 15,000-man force . In Nessebar they were later emperor Leo III. who gave them 500 sheep to feed and joined them. The troops reached the city wall of Constantinople without resistance and almost unnoticed, at the gate of Charisius (the 5th military city gate), which was later also called the "Bulgarian gate". Justinian tried in vain for three days to get the people of Constantinople to go over to his side. Finally, with the help of loyal followers, he managed to get into the city at night via an aqueduct and there pulled some troops on his side. He had his adversaries in the city butchered and then triumphantly moved into the Blachernen Palace . The Bulgarian troops camped at the gates of Constantinople for a few months, until late autumn, without intervening in the fighting.

After Justinian had finally secured his power, he came into the camp of the Bulgarians and gave Terwel the title of Caesar in gratitude , the second highest title in the Byzantine Empire after the title of Basileus . This was actually reserved for the heir to the throne and made Terwel formally the second man in the state. Never before had this title been given to a foreign ruler. Some historians (e.g. Boschidar Dimitrov ) see this as an indication that Terwel presumably professed Christianity , otherwise such a survey would have been absolutely intolerable according to the understanding of the time in Constantinople. At the same time, Terwel received the legitimate right to land that was previously considered the heartland of East Stream, namely the Sagore area with the port cities Anchialos , Develtum and Mesembria as well as Aquae Calidae . In the eyes of the Byzantines, this sank the emperor's far from good reputation to zero. Justinian was probably well aware of this mistake in his policy, because as soon as he felt secure on the throne, he began a campaign against the Bulgarians, which he lost after the Battle of Anchialus in 708.

After Justinian's assassination in 711, Terwel tried to continue playing in Byzantine politics, always under the pretext of having to avenge his former allies. In 716 he finally concluded a new peace treaty with Emperor Theodosios III .

The monumental relief Rider of Madara in northeastern Bulgaria was probably created at the time of Terwel . According to some historians, it is supposed to represent an appreciation of the deeds of his father Asparuch .

War against the Arabs 717–718

On March 25, 717 Leo III ascended . the throne in Constantinople. In the summer of the same year Maslama , the brother of Caliph Sulayman, crossed the Dardanelles and surrounded the Byzantine capital with an army of 180,000 men. According to Arabic sources, his fleet is said to have been 2500 ships strong. However, with the help of the Greek fire , the defenders were able to withstand this first onslaught. In 718 Tervel sent his army to Leo III. help. The heavy winter, hunger and epidemics had already demoralized the besiegers. When 20,000 to 50,000 Arabs fell under the walls of the capital after the Bulgarian attack, the siege of Constantinople and the war were practically over. The sea blockade was abandoned on August 15, 718. Arab historians put the war losses on their side at 500,000 men.

The victory of Leo III. Coalition led by Byzantines, Bulgarians , Khazars , Armenians and other Caucasian peoples over the armies of the Caliphate stopped the spread of Islam on the eastern border of Asia Minor for the next 6 centuries. Some historians consider this last battle at the gates of Constantinople to have no less historical significance for the fate of Europe and Christianity than the battle of Tours and Poitiers in 732.

See also

literature

  • Detlef Kulman: Tervel . In: Biographical Lexicon on the History of Southeast Europe . Volume 4. Munich 1981, p. 287 f.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Иван Божилов, Васил Гюзелев: История на средновековна България, VII - XIV век. Anubis Verlag, Sofia 2006 (Ivan Bozhilow, Wassil Gjuzelew: History of Medieval Bulgaria, 7th – 14th centuries); P. 104.
  2. ^ Vesselin Beschevliev : "The proto-Bulgarian inscriptions", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, 1979, p. 94. The inscription: [...] the Bulgarians [...] and came to Terwel. My uncles in the region around Thessaloniki did not believe the emperor with the cut off nose and went back to Kisinas [...] one of his [...] by treaty the ruler Terwel gave the emperor [...] 5 thousand [. ..] the emperor won well with me .
  3. ^ Andreas N. Stratos: Byzantium in the Seventh Century. Vol. 5, Amsterdam 1980, ISBN 90-256-0852-3 . 119f.
  4. ↑ There are some differences in the Bulgarian Princes List when it comes to the spelling of the names in the individual manuscripts, but they have one thing in common: the Central Asian title Khan is not mentioned in any of the manuscripts. The founder of Danube Bulgaria Asparuch (the founder of Danube Bulgaria) and his five predecessors had a different title, namely the Slavic title Knjaz, which roughly means "king". The only verifiable title from his father Kubrat is Patricius, he received it in 635 from the Eastern Roman Emperor Herakleios.
  5. ↑ Friedhelm Winkelmann: Prosopographie der Mittelbyzantinischen Zeit , Vol.?, De Gruyter, Berlin, 2002, ISBN 3110151790 , p. 517 No. 7250 .
  6. ↑ Иван Божилов, Васил Гюзелев: История на средновековна България, VII - XIV век. Anubis Verlag, Sofia 2006 (Ivan Bozhilow, Wassil Gjuzelew: History of Medieval Bulgaria, 7th – 14th centuries); P. 106.
  7. ↑ Sagore comprised the area from the region south of the Balkan Mountains around the current city of Stara Sagora to the Bay of Burgas on the Black Sea.
predecessor Office successor
Asparuch Ruler of Bulgaria
700–721 		Kormesij
personal data
SURNAME Terwel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tervel; Tarvel; Terval; Terbelis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Khan of Bulgaria
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
DATE OF DEATH 8th century