Medieval Bulgarian coinage were the

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

s minted by the Bulgarian Emperors during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire. There is no evidence that coins were minted during the First Bulgarian Empire, and minting ceased after the fall of the Second Empire with Ottoman domination in 1396. They were

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

(''perperi''),

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

(''aspri''), billon (coinage of silver and copper) and

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

coins, all flat and hollow. The inscriptions were usually in

Bulgarian language Bulgarian (, ; bg, label=none, български, bălgarski, ) is an Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian l ...

and rarely in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

. Due to the limited space the inscriptions were abbreviated, often written with a few letters and special signs. Artistically, they continued the

Byzantine 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 ...

numismatic tradition but the designs were often more schematic. The main means of expression were lines and dots. The Bulgarian coins had images different from the

and

Slav Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

coinage, so they form a distinct group. The coins are an important source for the history of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Ivan Asen II

Tsar

Ivan Asen II Ivan Asen II, also known as John Asen II ( bg, Иван Асен II, ; 1190s – May/June 1241), was Emperor (Tsar) of Bulgaria from 1218 to 1241. He was still a child when his father Ivan Asen I one of the founders of the Second Bulgarian Empir ...

(1218–1241) is the first Bulgarian ruler from whose reign coins are preserved. It is known that his predecessors

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzant ...

(1197–1207) and Boril (1207–1218) minted imitations of

Byzantine coins Byzantine currency, money used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West, consisted of mainly two types of coins: the gold solidus and a variety of clearly valued bronze coins. By the end of the empire the currency was issued only i ...

. Although Kaloyan was given the right to mint coins by

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

(and Boril inherited the right from him), there are no surviving coins of theirs, and historians assume that Ivan Asen II was the first ruler to actually mint coins. *Gold '' perpera'' - It is the only surviving gold coin, not only of a medieval Bulgarian monarch, but also of any Slavonic ruler of the period. One example was found in 1934 among other coins in the area of

Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appear ...

(contemporary

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

). It is now in the National Archaeological Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Its weight is 4.33 g, the diameter is 33 mm, and it is made of 16 carat gold. The shape is slightly hollow. On one side Ivan Asen II and

Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântul Dumitru; sr ...

are depicted upright. With one of his hands the Saint gives the Emperor a sword and with the other he is placing a crown on Ivan Asen's head. The inscription is in Bulgarian and abbreviated, and says: "''Ivan Asen, Tsar''" and "''Saint Dimitar''". On the other side of the coin is depicted

Christ Pantocrator In Christian iconography, Christ Pantocrator ( grc-gre, Χριστὸς Παντοκράτωρ) is a specific depiction of Christ. ''Pantocrator'' or ''Pantokrator'', literally ''ruler of all'', but usually translated as "Almighty" or "all-po ...

. The inscription is "''Jesus Christ, Tsar of the Glory''". Due to similarities with the coins of

Theodore Komnenos Doukas Theodore Komnenos Doukas ( el, Θεόδωρος Κομνηνὸς Δούκας, ''Theodōros Komnēnos Doukas'', Latinized as Theodore Comnenus Ducas, died 1253) was ruler of Epirus and Thessaly from 1215 to 1230 and of Thessalonica and most ...

, it is presumed that the coins might have been minted in the

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

mint, which was at the time under Bulgarian rule. The uniqueness of Ivan Asen's gold ''perpera'' and the peculiarity of its iconography have led a minority of researchers to doubt its authenticity."Златната монета на Иван Асен ІІ"- статия на Георги Гъбев в електронно списание "Будител" Its peculiarity is the double gesture of Saint Demetrius who simultaneously crowns the Emperor and gives him a sword, an image found in no Byzantine or other Slavonic coins. *Billon coins - There are around one hundred preserved coins of that type. On one side is the image of the Emperor and Saint Demetrius upright and holding a scepter with a star. On the other side is depicted Christ Pantocrator. These coins were probably minted in the Thessalonica mint. Their weight is between 3.00 and 3.08 grams.

Mitso Asen

*Billon coins - On one side is depicted the Emperor in 3/4 length, holding a cross in his left and a scepter in his right hand. On the other side is Saint Nicholas in half-length. The inscription "''Saint Nicholas''" is in Greek. The saint is protector of the sailors and was a patron of the Emperor probably because the personal lands of

Mitso Asen Mitso Asen ( bg, Мицо Асен) or Micho Asen (Мичо Асен) was the tsar of Bulgaria from 1256 until 1257. Reign Mitso Asen ascended the throne by virtue of his marriage to Maria, a daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria by Irene Komnene ...

(1256–1257) included the port of

Nesebar Nesebar (often transcribed as Nessebar and sometimes as Nesebur, bg, Несебър, pronounced ) is an ancient city and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located in Burgas Province. It is the administrative cen ...

and its environs.

Constantine Tikh Asen

The coinage of that ruler is distinguished by its variety, the use of new iconographic types and the precise engraving. *Billon coins :*First type: Obverse - Christ Emanuil; reverse - the Emperor in 3/4 length. :*Second type: Obverse - large

Latin Cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

; reverse - the Emperor on a throne without back, inscription in Bulgarian "''Konstantin, Tsar Asen''". :*Third type: Obverse - Christ Ubrus and ligature inscription "''Jesus Christ''"; reverse - the Emperor on horseback, inscription in Bulgarian "''Konstantin, Tsar Asen''". For the first time in Bulgarian coins the ruler is depicted on a horse. The iconographic type "Urbus" (

Mandylion According to Christian tradition, the Image of Edessa was a holy relic consisting of a square or rectangle of cloth upon which a miraculous image of the face of Jesus had been imprinted—the first icon ("image"). The image is also known as the M ...

) is unique for Byzantine-Slavonic coinage. :*Fourth type: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator; reverse - the Emperor on horseback with inscription in Bulgarian "''Constantine, Tsar Asen''". :*Fifth type: Obverse -

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

Hagioritissa; reverse - the Emperor upright holding a scepter in his right hand. Weight - 3,04 g; diameter - 26,25 mm. There are few preserved coins of that type. :*Sixth type: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator; reverse - the Emperor upright. :*Seventh type: Obverse -

Seraph A seraph (, "burning one"; plural seraphim ) is a type of celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christ ...

with six wings; reverse - half-length portrait of the Emperor holding a labrium in his right hand and a sphere with a cross in his left hand. The depiction of a six-winged seraph is unique for the Medieval Bulgarian coinage. It is still not proved that this type of coin belongs to Constantine Tikh Asen (1257-1277) because the inscription of the preserved item is damaged and only the word "''Tsar''" can be read. Image:Konstantin Asen-coin-coopery 2.JPG, Billon coin depicting a

Latin cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

Image:Konstantin Asen-coin-coopery 3.jpg, Billon coin depicting Constantine Tikh Asen on a throne Image:Konstantin Asen-coin-coopery.JPG, Billon coin depicting Constantine Tikh Asen on horseback

George I Terter

*Billon coins: Obverse - Christ on a throne; reverse - George I Terter (1280–1292) and his son

Theodore Svetoslav Theodore Svetoslav ( bg, Тодор Светослав, ''Todor Svetoslav'' and also Теодор Светослав, ''Teodor Svetoslav'') ruled as emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1300 to 1322. The date of his birth is unknown. He expanded the ter ...

as co-emperors. They are upright in full length holding together a flag or a cross.

Theodore Svetoslav

Theodore Svetoslav (1300–1321) was the first Bulgarian ruler who minted silver coins called ''aspra'' (from Greek ''aspron'', meaning "white"). *Silver coins: Frontage - Christ Pantocrator sitting on a throne; reverse - the Emperor upright holding a cross, and inscription in Bulgarian "''Svetoslav, Tsar of the Bulgarians''". Its weight is 1,53 G. There three emissions of that type which differ in the quality of the engraving. *Billon coins: Frontage - large Latin Cross; reverse - the Emperor on a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

. The depiction resembles that of Constantine Tikh but is without the waving mantle. There are two emissions made by different engravers. The inscriptions are in Bulgarian and abbreviated and say: "''Theodore''" and "''Svetoslav Theodore''". Image:Teodor Svetoslav-coin- coppery 2.jpg, Billon coin depicting Theodore Svetoslav on horseback Image:Teodor Svetoslav-coin-silver.JPG, A silver coin of Theodore Svetoslav

Michael Shishman

*Silver coins: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator sitting on a throne with high back; reverse - the Emperor on horseback, with inscription "''Michael Tsar''". Many of the coins of Michael Shishman (1323–1330) were later re-minted as coins of Ivan Alexander (1331–1371).

Ivan Alexander

*Silver coins: :*First type: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator sitting on a throne; on the reverse, the Emperor upright holding a scepter and a sphere with a cross. There is an inscription in Bulgarian "''Alexander, Tsar of the Bulgarians''". There are several varieties depending on their weight and the engraving. :*Second type: Obverse - Christ upright in full-length, blessing with two hands; reverse - Ivan Alexander and his son Michael Asen together holding a flag. That is the most common Medieval Bulgarian coin which is often discovered during archaeological excavations. The names of the two co-Emperors are written in monograms. On some of the coins there are marks of the

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

n Prince Vladislav I. That ruler did not mint his own coins and used the coinage of his suzerain Ivan Alexander, adding his signs. *Copper coins: Some of the copper coins of Ivan Alexander are hollow (''stamini'') and others are flat (''asarioni''). :First type: Obverse - a monogram of Ivan Alexander; reverse - the Emperor on a horse. :Second type: Obverse - a monogram of Ivan Alexander; reverse - the Emperor upright in full length holding a scepter and a sphere with cross. :Third type: Obverse - monograms of the name and the title of Ivan Alexander; on the reverse, the Emperor upright in 3/4 length. :Forth type: Obverse - a depiction of a castle with three towers and inscription in Bulgarian "''

Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

''"; on the reverse - Ivan Alexander and his son Michael Asen holding a flag. These are the most common Bulgarian copper coins from the Middle Ages. The stylized image of the capital can be seen only there and is used in the contemporary

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

. :Fifth type: Obverse - a

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...

-shaped monogram resembling the monograms of Michael Shishman; on the reverse, Ivan Alexander and Michael Asen holding together a cross. :Sixth type: Obverse - monograms the name and the title of the monarch; on the reverse - Ivan Alexander and Empress

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

together holding a cross. There are three varieties of that common coin. :Seventh type: Obverse - Christ Pantocrator on a throne; on the reverse,

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. Due to the lack of the ruler's name it is not proved whether it belongs to Ivan Alexander's coinage. There are theories that it was minted by

Michael II Asen Michael II Asen ( bg, Михаил II Асен; 1239 – December 1256/January 1257) was emperor (tsar) of Bulgaria from 1246 to 1256 or 1257. He was the son of Ivan Asen II and Irene Komnene Doukaina. He succeeded his half-brother, Kaliman I ...

. :Eight type: Obverse - a cross with acanthine leaves; on the reverse - Ivan Alexander upright in full length. There are several varieties which differ in the weights and the quality of engraving. :Ninth type: Obverse - a cross with acanthine leaves; on the reverse - a

double-headed eagle In heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle (or double-eagle) is a charge associated with the concept of Empire. Most modern uses of the symbol are directly or indirectly associated with its use by the late Byzantine Empire, origina ...

. It is not proven whether these coins belong to Ivan Alexander. The engraving is of very high quality. :Tenth type: Obverse - an

Orthodox cross The Russian Orthodox Cross (or just the Orthodox Cross by some Russian Orthodox traditions) is a variation of the Christian cross since the 16th century in Russia, although it bears some similarity to a cross with a bottom crossbeam slanted the ...

; on the reverse, a monogram-trident identical to that in the copper coin of the Emperor and his son Michael Asen.

Michael Asen

*Silver coins: :*First type: Obverse - Christ on a throne; on the reverse - Michael Asen and

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

upright holding a flag. The coin somewhat resembles the Venetian ducats. The names of the Prince and the Saint are written in different ways in the different varieties of the coin. The weight is from 1.40 g to 1.90 g. :*Second type: Obverse - Christ on a throne; on the reverse - Michael Asen and his wife Irina holding a flag. According to some researchers, the coins are from Michael II Asen and his mother Irina Komnina. There are two varieties of that coin. In the second variety Michael Asen and his wife hold a cross instead of a flag. The inscription is in Bulgarian and says "''Irina Tsaritsa, Mihail Tsar''". The weight varies from 1,50 G to 1,80 G. *Copper coins: :*First type: Obverse - Bust of Christ Pantocrator; on the reverse - Michael Asen upright in full length with inscription in Bulgarian "''Mihail Tsar''". That coin in considered as part of Michael Asen's coinage due to the similarities of the engraving technique with the coins of Ivan Alexander. :*Second type: Obverse - monogram-trident; on the reverse, Michael Asen on a horse. According to some research, the coin is of Michael Shishman.

Sources

*"Българските средновековни монети" - Стоян Авдев, издателство "БЕСИКЕ", София 2007 г. *"Българските монети" - Христо Божков, Венцислав Пейков, издателство "Борина", София 1993 г.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medieval Bulgarian Coins

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Numismatics

Coins A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

Economic history of Bulgaria