The Bulgarophilia of the Cumans in the Times of the First Asenids of Bulgaria

• Main Author: Konstantin Golev
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: State Institution «Sh.Marjani Institute of History of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences» 2018-09-01
• Series: Zolotoordynskoe Obozrenie
• Online Access: http://goldhorde.ru/en/stati2018-3-1/

Abstract: Research objectives: The aim of the present paper is to examine the phe-nomenon of Bulgarophilia which was a recognizable pattern in the activities of the Cuman-Qïpchaq tribes of the Balkans during the late 12th and first half of the 13th century. The author seeks to answer the question: what were the factors that shaped the persistent Cuman support of the newly established Second Bulgarian Empire against various adversaries, such as Byzantium, the Latin Empire of Constantinople and the Kingdom of Hungary? Research materials: The present paper is based on various sources. The material of primary importance for the analysis of the Cuman-Qïpchaq activities in the Balkans is extracted from the Byzantine chronicles as well as from the Latin and French sources for the Crusaders on the Balkans. The data for the Cumans in the Rus’ letopisi, Persian chronicles and other Islamic sources are used as comparative material. Despite their diverse nature, all these sources share one similar feature – they do not place the history of the Cuman-Qïp¬chaqs at the center of the narrative and usually touch upon it only when the nomads were involved in the affairs of their sedentary neighbors. Thus, the picture of the Cuman-Qïpchaq activities in certain regions in general (and in the Balkans in particular) is inevitably fragmented and incomplete not only on the pages of the individual chronicles, but also in the entire medieval historiographical traditions in which they are found. Therefore, in order to draw a complete analysis of the Cuman-Qïpchaq presence in the Balkans, a comparative approach towards the diverse source base is adopted. The novelty of this study: The present text is the first one to identify and define the phenomenon of Bulgarophilia demonstrated by the Cumans during their activities on the Balkans at the end of the 12th and first half of the 13th century. It is also among the first research works that put the data for the Cuman presence in the Balkans in a broad comparative perspective, using additional sources for the history of these nomads in the Pontic Steppes as well as Central Asia. Research results: The consistent pattern of Cuman support for the Bulgarian military activities in Southeastern Europe is not viewed as a result of a certain emotional affection of the Cuman elite, but rather as a consequence of purely objective and material considerations. Bulgarophilia is examined and interpreted in the context of the general historiographical concept for the development of a balance between the Cuman-Qïpchaqs and their sedentary neighbors.