Ivan Shishman II (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: Иван Шишман), also known as (Ivan) Shishman III, was a Bulgarian rebel proclaimed as ''

tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

'' of Bulgaria in Tarnovo during the

First Tarnovo Uprising The First Tarnovo uprising ( bg, Първо търновско въстание, ''Parvo tarnovsko vastanie'') was a Bulgarian uprising against Ottoman rule based in the former Bulgarian capital, Tarnovo, that broke out in 1598 and was severely ...

(1598). He and the rebels briefly held control of Tarnovo, which had been the capital of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

(1185–1395), until the uprising was crushed by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Ivan Shishman II claimed descent from the Second Bulgarian Empire's last ruling dynasty, the House of Sratsimir, allegedly from the ''tsar''

Ivan Shishman Ivan Shishman ( bg, Иван Шишман) ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria in Tarnovo from 1371 to 3 June 1395. The authority of Ivan Shishman was limited to the central parts of the Bulgarian Empire. In the wake of the death of Ivan Alexan ...

(1371–1395). Although unverified, it is possible that he was a genuine descendant given that the family is recorded to have survived in the neighbouring

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

until at least the second half of the 16th century. It has also been suggested that "Ivan Shishman" was a name assumed by one of the other known leaders of the uprising,

Theodore Balina Theodore Balina ( bg, Теодор Балина/Teodor Balina) was an Ottoman Bulgarian nobleman and leader in the Sanjak of Nicopolis who led the First Tarnovo Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1598. Life To him the local merchant from Ra ...

, as self-proclaimed ''tsar''.

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References

Medieval Bulgarian royalty 16th-century Bulgarian people {{Bulgaria-hist-stub