Prince of Tarnovo ( bg, Княз Търновски, Knyaz Tarnovski) is the title held by the first-born son of the

Bulgarian monarch The monarchs of Bulgaria ruled the country during three periods of Bulgaria's history as an independent country: from the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 to the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria in 1018; from the Uprising of Asen ...

. This title is held only by the heir to the throne. Tarnovo (Veliko Tarnovo) was an old Bulgarian capital and the strongest Bulgarian fortification of the Middle Ages between the 12th and 14th century and the most important political, economic, cultural and religious centre of the empire. In the 14th century as the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

weakened Tarnovo claimed to be the Third Rome based on its pre-eminent cultural influence in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and the Slavic Orthodox world. In 1393 after vigorous resistance to a 3-month siege Turnovo was seized and the whole Bulgarian Tsardom was destroyed by the invading Ottoman Empire. The Bulgarian 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 ...

moved his residence to the castle of Nikopol but took the title Prince of Tarnovo (Lord of Tarnovo, bg, Господин Търновски, ''Gospodin Tarnovski''). In 1593 a Bulgarian noble and a descendant of the medieval Shishman dynasty,

Theodore Ballina 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 Ragu ...

of Nikopol took the title 'Prince of Tarnovo'. He was the leader of 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 ...

against the Ottoman Empire. In 1686

Rostislav Stratimirovic Rostislav Stratimirovic ( bg, Ростислав Стратимирович; russian: Ростислав Страшимирович; 1683–88) was a Bulgarian rebel leader who led the Second Tarnovo Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1686. ...

, another descendant of the dynasty and the leader of the

Second Tarnovo Uprising The Second Tarnovo uprising ( bg, Второ търновско въстание, ''Vtoro tarnovsko vastanie''), according to a unique Russian source published in 1847, is thought to be a Bulgarian uprising against Ottoman rule based in the form ...

, also took the title. During the Third Tarnovo Uprising in 1835, the title was taken by the leader of the uprising, Velcho Atanasov. After his abdication from the Bulgarian throne, Prince Alexander Batenberg claimed the title Prince of Tarnovo and used it until his death. In 1894 the first son of Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, Boris was given the old title 'Prince of Tarnovo' as a title for the Crown Prince, the heir apparent to the Bulgarian throne. The use of the title was continued by the royal family after the abolition of the monarchy in 1946. The wife of a Prince of Tarnovo is also titled

Princess of Tarnovo Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

( bg, Княгиня Търновска, ''Knyagina Tarnovska''). As of 2015, the current Prince of Tarnovo is Prince Boris, son of Prince Kardam.

List

People who have held the title Prince of Tarnovo:

Held in pretense

Since the monarchy's abolition, these are the people who have held the title Prince of Tarnovo in pretense:

References

{{reflist Bulgarian monarchs Turnovo Heirs to the throne