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 Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

based in the former Bulgarian capital,

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 ...

, that broke out in 1686 and was severely crushed by the Ottoman authorities. In 1686

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a ...

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an area of 29,480 squ ...

and

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

joined the Holy League against the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

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. H ...

— a descendant of the medieval

Shishman dynasty The House of Shishman ( bg, Шишман), also Shishmanids or Shishmanovtsi ( bg, Шишмановци), was a medieval Bulgarian royal dynasty of Cuman (or partial Cuman) origin. The Shishman dynasty consecutively ruled the Second Bulgarian Emp ...

decided to exploit the international situation, established relations with the Russian Patriarch Joachim and visited

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in preparation for the uprising. In his absence the uprising burst prematurely and was doomed. He quickly returned to Tarnovo where he was proclaimed Prince of Bulgaria after the city was briefly liberated, with about 4,000 people gathering. However, the Ottoman authorities reacted immediately and quickly recaptured the city using regular army, brutally suppressing the uprising. Rostislav Stratimirovic fled the Ottoman territory and settled in Russia where he married the niece of the patriarch – Maria Dubrovska. The only source about the uprising (and the very existence of Rostislav Statimirovic) is the family chronicles of Rostislavich-Dubrovsky clan, now missing. Its legendary character makes many historians doubt its authenticity and consider it "a beautiful legend" which served the political interests in 19th century Russia. The ostensible owner of the chronicles, the amateur Russian historian Nikolay Savelyev who called himself Savelyev-Rostislavich (1815-1854) pretended to be a descendant of Rostislav of Bulgaria and the Patriarch's niece. However no independent sources corroborating such a genealogy of his rather modest family exist, and the whole story is presumed to be concocted by him.''Шишманов И. Д.'' Априлов и Н. В. Савельев-Ростиславич // Сборникъ на БАН. Книга 21: Нови студии изъ областьта на българското възраждане: В. Е. Априлов, Неофит Рилски, Неофит Бозвели. София: Печатница и букволеярница П. Глушков, 1926. С. 5-32. However, the Ottoman archives do indeed speak of insurgent activities in Tarnovo region during this period, centred on Arbanasi village.

References and notes

Bulgarian rebellions History of Veliko Tarnovo Rebellions against the Ottoman Empire 17th century in Bulgaria 1686 in Europe Conflicts in 1686 17th-century rebellions 1686 in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman period in the history of Bulgaria Rebellions in Bulgaria {{Bulgaria-hist-stub

See also

References and notes