On July 17, 1393, after a long siege, the troops of Sultan Bayezid I captured the capital of the Second Bulgarian State, Veliko Tarnovo.
NIM recalls that
after the Battle of Kosovo Field on June 15, 1389, Sultan Bayazid I the Lightning (1389-1402) left the Balkan Christian states alone for a while,
as he was busy subduing the independent Turkish Beyliks in Asia Minor. After two years of calm, in 1391, Ottoman troops crossed the Danube and defeated the Wallachian voivode Mircho I Stari (1386-1418).
The following year, Ottoman troops reached and ravaged southern Hungary. The Hungarian king Sigismund I of Luxembourg (1387-1437), who, however, later became the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, immediately retaliated and defeated one of their units.
The ruler of the Kingdom of Tarnovo – Tsar Ivan Shishman (1371-1395), who had long been waiting for an opportune moment to reject his vassal status to the Ottoman Empire, hopeful entered into negotiations with Sigismund for the creation of a military alliance against the Ottomans. After Bayezid, known for his violent temper and temper, learned about the negotiations in the spring of 1393, he marched with a large army against Tarnovo.
At the same time, Tsar Ivan Shishman is in Nikopol.
Tarnovgrad was besieged from three sides by the Ottoman army. In the absence of the ruler, the defenders were supported by the last patriarch of Turnov for the time of the Bulgarian Middle Ages, Euthymius (b. early 30s of the 14th century – †ca. 1402).
The breach occurred in the section between the Cut Rock and Kayabasha.
The first Turk to enter the city was Adil baba, but he was killed about 180-200 steps from the Cut Rock in the direction of Kayabasha. The place that was pointed out as his grave was at the Babukchi cherry tree, where there was an iron window and a stone head marking the place where he was killed.
Repressions against the population of Tarnovo, described by Tsamblak and Joasaf Bdinski, and also in the Russian chronicles, show that Tarnovo had the fate of a city taken by force. The temples located on Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and its surroundings were either converted into mosques or destroyed. After the fall of the city, negotiations with Bayezid were led by Patriarch Euthymius.
Grigory Tsamblak tells the following about this event in “Praise for Patriarch Euthymius“:
“The barbarian king Bayazid, who was proud of his victories and the conquest of many nations, decided – the do-gooder! – to ravage the city [Tarnovo], because he had heard that it was very large, beautiful and fortified with walls, that its location was such that it would be difficult to conquer it, because apart from walls it is sufficiently protected by nature, and besides that there great riches and a numerous population, and that it is famous both for ecclesiastical and royal [buildings]. Therefore, having raised all the eastern [armies], starting from the Persian lands, from Lycaonia [in the southern part of central Asia Minor] and Asia [a diocese in the late Roman Empire which included the lands in the westernmost part of Asia Minor and the islands in the eastern part of the White Sea], crossed the Dardanelles. And when he had found all the western troops assembled, as he had commanded (in order to overcome with them not only Darius, king of the Persians and Medes, but even [those of] Alexander the Great) he suddenly attacked the city [Tarnovo]. He besieged it from all sides with an army, and not only from one or two sides. And many were spread out [along the walls of the city] the fierce ones. The barbarian raged: he threatened to burn [the inhabitants of the city] with fire; he threatened to cut them to pieces, and to deliver them up to another painful death; if they continue to be disobedient. And he achieved his purpose, but not by his power, but because God's will permitted [this].“
The description of the atrocities after the capture of Tarnovgrad is difficult even for a remarkable writer and connoisseur of the Bulgarian language such as Grigoriy Tsamblak:
“And they [the Tarno princes], following the evil messenger, like a flock of sheep following those who would slaughter them, and hastened to trust the murderous right-hand men, each carrying his own blood [was left to himself] . When he saw them in his hands, the bloodthirsty beast slaughtered them [in] the middle of the church [it is not known in which of the Tsarevets churches this unfortunate event took place] or, better to say, he sanctified them without being ashamed of the whites [ im] mows without sparing youth; turned their throats into the toy of the knife…
O holy host! Not one earlier, but others later, but [all], standing together before the torturer, spat on him and immediately, presenting themselves to Christ, crowned themselves [with a martyr's crown]. The torturer left their corpses for food for the birds of the sky, and the bishop counted their spirits among the meek angels. O warriors, you have kept [your] faith and your numbers have not diminished! And listen to the count: there were one hundred and ten [Tarnov princes], whose blood stained the church!“
The head of the church managed to temporarily and partially relieve the situation of the occupied city. But the patriarch had to leave the patriarchal palace and temple and took up residence in the largest of the surviving churches – “Saints Peter and Paul”. The city was subjected to demolition and looting.
Veliko Tarnovo was located on the Tsarevets, Trapezitsa and Momina fortress hills.
Tsarevets and Trapezitsa, due to their natural features, are two hard-to-reach hills, and their additional fortification made it extremely difficult to take them by storm.
Between the two hills was located the New Town, which today is called Asenova Mahala. This neighborhood was also protected by fortress walls. It was divided by the river Yantra, and the bridge was probably also fortified, as in the period of Turkish slavery. On the hill “Momina fortress” the third fortified quarter was located – Devingrad. The slopes between Tsarevets and Devingrad also represented a district of Tarnovo, but it was outside the city walls and the poorest part of the population lived there.
In the section between Tsarevets and the bend of the Yantra river was located the Latin quarter, called Frankhisar during the period of Turkish slavery. North of Trapezitsa was also the unfortified Jewish quarter. According to legend, Tarnovo consisted of 4 fortified neighborhoods: the first was Trapezitsa and the Dolna Mahala located under the hill, the second was Tsarevets, the third was Frenkhisar and the fourth covered the area around today's "Assumption" church. The last quarter was the least fortified and it was captured by the Turks first.
Ivan Shishman did not accept his new situation and sought the help of the Hungarian king Sigismund, who began to prepare a crusade against the Turks. The Sultan took preventive measures and Tarnovo was hit by a new wave of repressions – Patriarch Euthymius, after being taken out for public execution, although he was spared, was exiled to the Bachkovo monastery, 110 Tarno princes were killed, and part of the town's population was evicted.
The capture of Tarnovo on July 17, 1393 dealt a crushing blow to the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.
Taking advantage of the situation in August 1394, the ambitious Tsarigrad Patriarch Anthony appointed Metropolitan Jeremiah to rule the Diocese of Tarnovo. Bayezid undertook a new campaign against the Nicopolis vassal Mircho, which ended with a victory for the Turks in the Battle of Argesh River. On the way back on June 3, 1395. by order of the Sultan, Tsar Ivan Shishman was executed.
The following year, 1396, the Turks defeated the crusade organized to expel them, then captured Tsar Ivan Strazimir and sent him to Bursa, and in 1413 they finally conquered the Bulgarian lands.