List of Bulgarian monarchs

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This is a list of Bulgarian monarchs from the earliest historical records to 1946, when the monarchy in the country was abolished. Early Bulgarian rulers are believed to have used the title Khan (see Bulgar society for more details), later possibly kniaz, and still later the title tsar. According to Djagfar tarikhy (a 17th century Volga Bulgar source which is widely suspected to be a hoax and is generally not used in historical research), the earliest Bulgar leaders bore the title of baltavar, i.e. the Turkic "Elteber", a viceroy, known from the Chinese annals by its Chinese equivalent "Sylifa" and documented in the 10-th century by Al-Masoudi as a title used among the Dagestani Bulgars. The title Elteber or its variations like Ilutwer, Ilutver was recorded between the North Caucasian Huns, and Yiltawar or İltäbär (ibn Fadlan) in the Volga Bulgaria.

The title tsar was first adopted and used in Bulgaria by Simeon I following a decisive victory over the Byzantine Empire in 913. It was also used by all of Simeon I's successors until the fall of Bulgaria under Ottoman rule in 1396 . After Bulgaria's liberation from the Ottomans in 1878, its first monarch Alexander I adopted the title kniaz, but as complete independence was officially proclaimed under his successor Ferdinand in 1908, the title was changed to tsar again. Tsar was used by Ferdinand and later by his heir Boris III until the abolition of monarchy in 1946.

Note: before reaching the historical rulers (see below), the Nominalia of the Bulgarian khans mention two legendary or semi-legendary rulers who are described as having lived for centuries: Avitokhol (sometimes identified as Attila the Hun, 300 years) and Irnik (sometimes identified as Attila's son Ernakh, 150 years), as well as a regent, Gostun (2 years).

1 List of Bulgarian rulers (632-1946)
2 Death of the Bulgarian monarchs
3 See also

[edit] List of Bulgarian rulers (632-1946)

[edit] Great Bulgaria (632-681)

[edit] The Dulo clan (first reign, 605-753)

At times, the reign in the Bulgar lands was split.

Kubrat (605 - 665) over Onogunduri
Batbayan (665 - 668) over Onogunduri

[edit] First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018)

Name	Khan From	Khan Until
Asparukh	681	700
Tervel	700	721
Kormesiy	721	738
Sevar	738	753

[edit] The Ukil clan (753-766)

Name	Khan From	Khan Until
Kormisosh	753	756
Vinekh	756	762
Telets	762	765
Sabin	765	766

[edit] The Ugain clan (766-803)

Name	Khan From	Khan Until
Umor	766	766
Toktu	766	767
Pagan	767	768
Telerig	768	777
Kardam	777	803

[edit] Krum's dynasty, or possibly a second reign of the Dulo clan (803-997)

Name	Khan/Emperor From	Khan/Emperor Until
Krum	803	13 April 814
Omurtag	814	831
Malamir	831	836
Presian	836	852
Boris I	852	889 (died on 2 May 907)
Vladimir	889	893
Simeon I the Great	893	27 May 927
Peter I	27 May 927	969 (died on 30 January 970)
Boris II	969	971
Roman I	976	997 (simultaneously with Samuil 976 - 997)

[edit] House of Comitopuli (976-1018)

Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
Samuil	997(simultaneously with Roman I 976 - 997)	6 October 1014
Gavril Radomir	October 1014	August 1015
Ivan Vladislav	August 1015	February 1018
Peter II Delyan	1040	1041
Peter III (Constantin Bodin)	1072	1072

[edit] Byzantine rule (1018-1186)

[edit] Second Bulgarian Empire (1186-1395/1422)

[edit] House of Asen (1186-1280)

Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
Peter IV	1185	1190
Ivan Asen I	1190	1196
Peter IV	1196	1197
Kaloyan	1197	1207
Boril	1207	1218
Ivan Asen II	1218	1241
Kaliman I Asen	1241	1246
Michael I Asen	1246	1256
Kaliman II Asen	1256	1256
Mitso Asen	1256	1257
Constantine Tikh Asen	1257	1277
Ivailo	1277	1280 (a peasant rebel leader)
Ivan Asen III	1279	1280

[edit] House of Terter (first reign, 1280-1292)

Portrait	Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
	George I Terter	1280	1292

[edit] House of Smilets (1292-1298)

Portrait	Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
	Smilets	1292	1298

[edit] Mongol monarch in Bulgaria (1298-1300)

Portrait	Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
	Chaka	1299	1300

[edit] House of Terter (second reign, 1300-1323)

Portrait	Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
	Teodor II Svetoslav	1300	1321
	George II Terter	1321	1322

[edit] House of Shishman (1323-1396/1422)

Name	Emperor From	Emperor Until
Michael III Shishman	1323	1330
Ivan Stephen	1330	1331
Ivan Alexander	1331	1371
Ivan Shishman	1371	1395
Ivan Stratsimir	1356	1396
Constantine II	1396	1422

[edit] Ottoman rule (1396/1422-1878)

[edit] Kingdom of Bulgaria (1878-1946)

[edit] House of Battenberg (1879-1886)

Portrait	Name	Knyaz From	Knyaz Until
	Alexander I	29 April 1879	7 September 1886

[edit] House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1887-1946)

Name	King From	King Until
Ferdinand I	7 July 1887	3 October 1918 (abdicated)
Boris III	3 October 1918	28 August 1943
Simeon II	28 August 1943	15 September 1946 (deposed)

[edit] Death of the Bulgarian monarchs

Monarch	Death
Asparukh	Perished in battle against the Khazars in 700
Tervel	Died of natural death in 721
Kormesiy	Died of natural death in 738
Sevar	Died of natural death in 753
Kormisosh	Murdered in 756
Vinekh	Murdered in 762
Telets	Murdered in 765
Sabin	Fled to Constantinople in 766
Umor	Fled to Constantinople in 766
Toktu	Killed in the forests of the Danube in 767
Pagan	Killed near Varna in 768
Telerig	Fled to Constantinople in 777
Kardam	Died of natural death in 802
Krum	Died of natural death on 13 April 814
Omurtag	Died of natural death in 831
Malamir	Died of natural death in 836
Presian	Died of natural death in 852
Boris I	Abdicated in 889, died of natural death on 2 May 907
Vladimir	Deposed in 893, unknown death
Simeon I the Great	Died of natural death on 17 May 927
Peter I	Abdicated in 969, died of natural death on 30 January 970
Boris II	Abdicated in 971, killed accidentally by a Bulgarian border patrol in 977
Roman	Captured again in 991, died in prison in Constantinople in 997
Samuil	Died of natural death on 6 October 1014
Gavril Radomir	Murdered by his cousin Ivan Vladislav in August 1015
Ivan Vladislav	Perished in the siege of Drach in February 1018
Peter II Delyan	Perished or captured in the battle of Ostrovo in 1041
Peter III	Captured in December 1072, died of natural death in 1101
Peter IV	Abdicated 1190, murdered during his second reign in 1197
Ivan Asen I	Murdered by his cousin Ivanko in 1196
Kaloyan	Murdered by Manaster in October 1207
Boril	Deposed in 1218, died of natural death in monastery
Ivan Asen II	Died of natural death on 24 June 1241
Kaliman I Asen	Poisoned in September 1246
Michael Asen	Muredered by his cousin Kaliman in 1256
Kaliman II Asen	Murdered in 1256
Mitso Asen	Fled in 1257, died of natural death in Byzantium c.1277
Constantine Tikh Asen	Killed in battle by Ivailo in 1277
Ivailo	Killed by the Tatars in 1280
Ivan Asen III	Fled to Constantinople in 1280, died of natural death in 1303
George I Terter	Abdicated in 1292, died of natural death in 1308/9
Smilets	Died of natural death in 1298
Chaka	Strangled in 1300
Theodore Svetoslav	Died of natural death in November 1321
George II Terter	Died of natural death in December 1322
Michael III Shishman	Mortally wounded in the battle of Velbazhd, died four days later on 31 July 1330
Ivan Stefan	Deposed in 1331, died of natural death in 1343
Ivan Alexander	Died of natural death on 17 February 1371
Ivan Shishman	Killed in 1395
Ivan Sratsimir	Deposed in 1396, strangled in 1397
Constantine II	Died of natural death on 17 September 1422
Alexander	Abdicated on 8 September 1886, died of natural death on 23 October 1893
Ferdinand	Abdicated on 3 October 1918, died of natural death on 10 September 1948
Boris III	Died on 28 August 1943
Simeon II	Deposed on 15 September 1946