{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.asen-peter-1185","hasFind":true,"slug":"asen-peter-1185","url":"/en/stories/asen-peter-1185/","topic":"Peter, Asen and the revolt of 1185","title":"The church and the beginning of a tsardom","summary":"Two brothers receive a refusal from the emperor. People then gather for revolt around a prayer house. Follow a retreat and return with Cuman allies, the restoration of the Bulgarian state and what Choniates actually tells us.","cover":{"title":"The church and the beginning of a tsardom","subtitle":"Peter, Asen and the revolt of 1185–1186","hook":"How do Peter and Asen gather people for a revolt?","summary":"Two brothers receive a refusal from the emperor. People then gather for revolt around a prayer house. Follow a retreat and return with Cuman allies, the restoration of the Bulgarian state and what Choniates actually tells us.","takeaway":"The revolt begins the Second Bulgarian Tsardom, a state ruled by a tsar. A recorded promise of a saint’s help does not prove a miracle."},"sortYear":1185,"firstActivity":5,"epoch":{"id":"epoch.tsardom2","styleId":"tsardom2","sortOrder":3,"title":"Second Bulgarian Tsardom","dateLabel":"1185–1396","eraShort":"Second Tsardom","slug":"tsardom2","fill":"#86554A","ink":"#F6EEEA","raised":"#754A41","dark":"#805B59"},"epochId":"epoch.tsardom2","placeShort":"Tarnovo","date":"1185–1186","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-480.b57c9fca.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-960.b57c9fca.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-1478.b57c9fca.avif","w":1478}],"dominant":"#8e7965","h":1358,"w":1478,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-960.b57c9fca.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-960.b57c9fca.webp","id":"asset.asen.isaac-coin-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","objectCaption":"Coin of Isaac II","caption":"Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art","license":"CC0 1.0","attribution":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/32954","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"},"scenes":[{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s1-wedding-tax","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"A wedding paid for by others","body":"Isaac II Angelos is preparing a wedding. He is emperor of Byzantium, the eastern Roman Empire. The medieval account links discontent near the Balkan Mountains to a wedding tax. People must give their ruler some of their property.\n\nTwo brothers, Peter and Asen, go to the emperor. They ask to serve in the army and receive land near the mountains. Their request is refused. They return home insulted.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-480.caf46255.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-960.caf46255.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-1600.caf46255.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#9d948a","h":1430,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-960.caf46255.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-960.caf46255.webp","id":"asset.asen.isaac-coin","alt":"Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","objectCaption":"Coin of Isaac II","caption":"Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art","license":"CC0 1.0","attribution":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. Cropped image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. Cropped image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/32954","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":26.183833333333332,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.s1-wedding-tax","duration":26.283,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/s1-wedding-tax.3575eb80.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.met-coin"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s2-prayer-house","number":2,"kind":"narrative","title":"The brothers gather people in church","body":"People are afraid to rebel, the medieval author tells us. The brothers build a church for St Demetrius, honoured as Thessaloniki’s protector. People gathered inside proclaim that the saint has left Thessaloniki and will help free Bulgarians and Vlachs. Vlachs is an old name for communities speaking languages descended from the ancient Romans’ language.\n\nThe revolt is usually dated to 1185. The medieval account gives no exact day. A recorded promise does not prove a miracle.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-480.ea68a3ac.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-960.ea68a3ac.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-1600.ea68a3ac.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#7d6b5b","h":1065,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-960.ea68a3ac.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-960.ea68a3ac.webp","id":"asset.asen.church-overview","alt":"Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it.","objectCaption":"Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it.","caption":"Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Klearchos Kapoutsis · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY 2.0","attribution":"Klearchos Kapoutsis / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Klearchos Kapoutsis / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Demetrius_Tarnovo_Klearchos_2.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":30.258916666666668,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.s2-prayer-house","duration":30.379,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/s2-prayer-house.f1f58061.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.dobycina2012"},{"id":"src.asen.consecration-tradition"},{"id":"src.asen.pijovic2021"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s3-church-today","number":3,"kind":"artifact","title":"The bricks above the window","body":"Look at St Demetrius Church below Trapezitsa in Veliko Tarnovo. Brick courses run between the stone blocks. Above the window are round ceramic ornaments, made of fired clay.\n\nThe museum links this church to the revolt. We cannot be sure this is the site of the brothers’ church. The date of the remains is disputed.\n\nThe photograph shows a reconstructed building. We cannot say every stone stood here when the brothers were alive.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-480.101a95b7.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-960.101a95b7.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-1600.101a95b7.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#74706e","h":1800,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-960.101a95b7.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-960.101a95b7.webp","id":"asset.asen.church-side","alt":"Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185.","objectCaption":"Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185.","caption":"Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_St_Demetrius,_Veliko_Tarnovo_2.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-asen-stone","x":0.47,"y":0.73,"title":"Stone and brick","body":"Stone blocks alternate with thin brick courses. We are looking at a reconstructed facade.","sourceIds":["src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.photo.church-side","src.asen.guide2015"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-asen-ceramics","x":0.62,"y":0.105,"title":"Ceramic dishes","body":"Round ceramic elements decorate the arch above the window. The museum describes this kind of facade decoration.","sourceIds":["src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.photo.church-side","src.asen.guide2015"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-asen-arches","x":0.47,"y":0.6,"title":"Arches along the wall","body":"These shallow arched niches decorate the wall. They are not passageways.","sourceIds":["src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.photo.church-side","src.asen.guide2015"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":25.301458333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.s3-church-today","duration":25.429,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/s3-church-today.9056621f.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.museum-church"},{"id":"src.asen.dermendzhiev2016"},{"id":"src.asen.photo.church-side"},{"id":"src.asen.guide2015"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s4-hills","number":4,"kind":"map","title":"A church below, a fortress above","body":"Find the church below Trapezitsa and Tsarevets hill on the map. They are different places. Tsarevets is a fortified hill. Steep slopes and the Yantra River hinder attackers. The hill holds the palace complex from which rulers governed the state.\n\nTarnovo becomes the restored Bulgarian state’s capital: the city from which it is governed. Today’s palace remains belong to different building phases. Not everything on the hill was built in the year of the revolt.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-480.b4b2525e.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-960.b4b2525e.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-1600.b4b2525e.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#929e97","h":456,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-960.b4b2525e.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-960.b4b2525e.webp","id":"asset.asen.tsarevets-panorama","alt":"Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church.","objectCaption":"Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church.","caption":"Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsarevets-Panorama.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Point for the present reconstructed church. It does not establish the exact location of the uprising events.","precision":"exact","id":"place.asen.church","name":"St Demetrius Church today","latitude":43.08777778,"longitude":25.64833333,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":40,"sourceIds":["src.asen.coord.q3656942","src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.guide2015"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asen.church","url":"/en/map/#asen.church"},{"note":"Tsarevets is the fortified hill with the palace complex of medieval Tarnovo.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asen.tsarevets","name":"Tsarevets","latitude":43.0833,"longitude":25.6528,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":1000,"sourceIds":["src.asen.coord.q512147","src.asen.museum-tsarevets"],"guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/tsarevets/","slug":"asen.tsarevets","url":"/en/map/#asen.tsarevets"},{"note":"The present church in the city associated with the saint’s cult.","precision":"exact","id":"place.asen.thessaloniki","name":"Hagios Demetrios, Thessaloniki","latitude":40.638822222222,"longitude":22.947858333333,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":30,"sourceIds":["src.asen.coord.q730019","src.asen.dobycina2012"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asen.thessaloniki","url":"/en/map/#asen.thessaloniki"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-819f41578b1b2957.jpg?v=bcd6d4d475","w":2048,"h":2040,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-819f41578b1b2957-dark.jpg?v=5f67219b5e","w":2048,"h":2040,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"places":[{"note":"Point for the present reconstructed church. It does not establish the exact location of the uprising events.","precision":"exact","id":"place.asen.church","name":"St Demetrius Church today","latitude":43.08777778,"longitude":25.64833333,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":40,"sourceIds":["src.asen.coord.q3656942","src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.guide2015"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asen.church","url":"/en/map/#asen.church","number":1,"x":65.4855,"y":32.11583,"inside":true,"viewX":65.4855,"viewY":19.774794218749996},{"note":"Tsarevets is the fortified hill with the palace complex of medieval 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saint?","sourceIds":["src.asen.choniates","src.asen.dobycina2012"],"items":[{"id":"opt-message","label":"A message promising the saint’s help was recorded."},{"id":"opt-miracle","label":"It is proven that the saint personally fought.","whyWrong":"The text reports a claim by participants, not verified participation by the saint in a battle."},{"id":"opt-unchanged","label":"The present building dates from the revolt.","whyWrong":"S3 shows a reconstructed building and explains the disagreement over its identification."}],"explanation":"Choniates reports what was proclaimed in the prayer house. A recorded promise does not prove that a miracle happened.","correctItemId":"opt-message","sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.dobycina2012"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.5675833333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.a1-evidence","duration":3.669,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/a1-evidence.1e90d80b.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.dobycina2012"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s5-return","number":6,"kind":"narrative","title":"Asen returns with the Cumans","body":"The imperial army advances. After a defeat, the brothers withdraw across the Danube. But Asen recruits Cuman allies beyond the river. The Cumans are a people of the steppes. Steppes are vast grassy plains. Asen returns with them after the emperor has withdrawn his army.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-480.39636247.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-960.39636247.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-1600.39636247.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#6e706e","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-960.39636247.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-960.39636247.webp","id":"asset.asen.gate","alt":"Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections.","objectCaption":"Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections.","caption":"Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsarevets_04.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":17.94075,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.s5-return","duration":18.048,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/s5-return.49d4edb9.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.vasary2005"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.a2-timeline","number":7,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: put the account in order","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.asen.timeline","kind":"sequence","prompt":"Before the emperor’s campaign, Choniates describes Peter wearing a gold crown and red shoes. Order the events from earliest to latest.","sourceIds":["src.asen.choniates"],"items":[{"id":"ev-petition","label":"The brothers’ petition is refused"},{"id":"ev-crown","label":"Peter adopts signs of rulership"},{"id":"ev-retreat","label":"The brothers withdraw across the Danube"},{"id":"ev-return","label":"Asen returns with Cuman allies"}],"explanation":"Choniates relates the refusal first, then the signs of rule, the retreat and the return with allies. This narrative order does not require a choice between disputed calendar dates.","correctOrderIds":["ev-petition","ev-crown","ev-retreat","ev-return"],"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":9.44225,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.a2-timeline","duration":9.557,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/a2-timeline.d9b7bbe2.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.s6-account-and-legend","number":8,"kind":"narrative","title":"The leaf copied in 1286","body":"The photograph shows a copy of the medieval account made in 1286. We do not know whether this leaf describes the revolt. The year dates the copy.\n\nThe author is a Byzantine official and historian hostile to the rebels. He records a promise of the saint’s help. That does not prove a miracle. The dream where St Demetrius shows Asen a place with a fiery sword is a legend. The old text makes us ask: what can we check?","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-480.892d4a54.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-960.892d4a54.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-1205.892d4a54.avif","w":1205}],"dominant":"#d2d2d2","h":1600,"w":1205,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-960.892d4a54.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-960.892d4a54.webp","id":"asset.asen.manuscript","alt":"Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked.","objectCaption":"Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked.","caption":"Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked.","kind":"archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Unidentified reproduction provider · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unidentified reproduction provider / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Unidentified reproduction provider / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Niketas_Choniates,_Oxford,_MS_Roe_22.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":26.265083333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.s6-account-and-legend","duration":26.368,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/s6-account-and-legend.87828f70.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.dobycina2012"},{"id":"src.asen.primorsko-legend"},{"id":"src.asen.spingou2022"},{"id":"src.asen.photo.manuscript"}]},{"id":"asen-peter-1185.a3-matching","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: match the evidence","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.asen.matching","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each name or object with its description in the story.","sourceIds":["src.asen.choniates","src.asen.museum-church","src.asen.museum-tsarevets","src.asen.met-coin"],"items":[{"id":"m-choniates","label":"Niketas Choniates","pairedLabel":"Author of the revolt account"},{"id":"m-church","label":"Present-day St Demetrius","pairedLabel":"Church below Trapezitsa"},{"id":"m-tsarevets","label":"Tsarevets","pairedLabel":"Fortified hill with a palace complex"},{"id":"m-coin","label":"Isaac II’s coin","pairedLabel":"Metal object from the emperor’s time"}],"explanation":"Choniates is the author. Present-day St Demetrius is below Trapezitsa. The palace is on Tsarevets. The coin is a metal object from Isaac II’s reign, not a proven payment of the wedding tax.","sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.museum-church"},{"id":"src.asen.museum-tsarevets"},{"id":"src.asen.met-coin"}],"columns":["Item","Description"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":4.11325,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.asen-peter-1185.asen-peter-1185.a3-matching","duration":4.224,"src":"/audio/en/asen-peter-1185/a3-matching.8c069973.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.asen.choniates"},{"id":"src.asen.museum-church"},{"id":"src.asen.museum-tsarevets"},{"id":"src.asen.met-coin"}]}],"minutes":3,"sources":[{"year":1984,"url":"https://www.mercaba.es/bizancio/anales_bizantinos_de_coniates.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Niketas Choniates; Harry J. Magoulias (translator)","id":"src.asen.choniates","authors":["Niketas Choniates","Harry J. Magoulias (translator)"],"title":"O City of Byzantium: Annals of Niketas Choniatēs","container":"Byzantine Texts in Translation; Wayne State University Press, Detroit","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Primary account of levies, the brothers’ petition, the prayer house, proclaimed saintly assistance, signs of rule and return with Cuman support. Magoulias dates the meeting with the emperor to early 1186; this does not directly date the outbreak. On p. 206 the author uses Moesia and Bulgaria for the attributed aim of joint rule. These names are not mapped to modern borders."},"pages":"203–206","license":"Modern translation copyright Wayne State University Press; research reference only, no redistribution licence. Medieval underlying work is public domain.","isPdf":true},{"year":null,"url":"https://p.bdz.bg/www/p/o/poreditsa-blgarski-vladeteli-tsar-ivan-asen-i-2214.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"БДЖ – Пътнически превози ЕООД (institutional publisher; individual author not stated)","id":"src.asen.consecration-tradition","authors":["БДЖ – Пътнически превози ЕООД (institutional publisher; individual author not stated)"],"title":"Цар Иван Асен I, 1187–1196","container":"Поредица Български владетели","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"The modern tradition links the revolt with the church consecration in Tarnovo; date and identification are disputed elsewhere."},"pages":"1–2","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":2016,"url":"https://www.museumvt.com/uploads/editions/items/qob3ugc0ogt/preview/2016_Tom31_%D0%9Eptimized_compressed.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Евгени Дерменджиев","id":"src.asen.dermendzhiev2016","authors":["Евгени Дерменджиев"],"title":"За патриаршеския комплекс, царския дворец и фортификацията на средновековната крепост на хълма Царевец в предстоличния Търнов","container":"Известия на Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Challenge to the exact prayer-house location and its identification with the present church; competing building dates. Dermendzhiev argues coins and strata preclude construction before the mid-thirteenth century; p. 69 also discusses later dates. This contested identification is not a consensus."},"volume":"XXXI","pages":"39–100","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":2012,"url":"https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/sceranea/article/view/5496","institutionOrAuthor":"Anastasia Dobyčina","id":"src.asen.dobycina2012","authors":["Anastasia Dobyčina"],"title":"A “Divine Sanction” on the Revolt: The Cult of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica and the Uprising of Peter and Asen (1185–1186)","container":"Studia Ceranea, University of Lodz","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Interpretation of saintly patronage as support for authority; position favouring 26 October 1185; icon and relic hypotheses, not a securely described object. Accepts 26 October 1185 citing Prinzing. This is a scholarly date, not an exact day in Choniates. Consecration is a ceremony dedicating a church to God."},"volume":"2","pages":"113–126","doi":"10.18778/2084-140X.02.10","license":"CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (article; not an image asset)"},{"year":2015,"url":"https://trapezitca1902.com/files/books/Patevoditel-2015.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Туристическо дружество „Трапезица-1902“","id":"src.asen.guide2015","authors":["Туристическо дружество „Трапезица-1902“"],"title":"Пътеводител „17 туристически маршрута в община Велико Търново“ / Guidebook “17 tourist routes in Veliko Tarnovo Municipality”","container":"ТД „Трапезица-1902“, Велико Търново; издание с подкрепата на община Велико Търново","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"The present church is reconstructed; the source gives Teofil Teofilov’s design and 1985."},"pages":"12–13","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":2021,"url":"https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/sceranea/article/view/13179","institutionOrAuthor":"Kirił Marinow","id":"src.asen.marinow2021","authors":["Kirił Marinow"],"title":"Tărnovgrad Viewed by the Others: the Case of Niketas Choniates","container":"Studia Ceranea, University of Lodz","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Choniates as Byzantine writer and official; Tarnovo’s defensive setting; its capital role is clear in the account of 1196."},"volume":"11","pages":"301–320","doi":"10.18778/2084-140X.11.15","license":"CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (article; not an image asset)"},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/32954","institutionOrAuthor":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art","id":"src.asen.met-coin","authors":["The Metropolitan Museum of Art"],"title":"Coin Nomisma Isaac II, 22.122.1","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Isaac II coin identification, twelfth-century date, electrum and museum collection; not evidence for the wedding tax."},"license":"CC0 1.0","accessed":"2026-11-02","container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.museumvt.com/каталог/църквата--св.-димитър----велико-търново","institutionOrAuthor":"Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново","id":"src.asen.museum-church","authors":["Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново"],"title":"Църквата “Св. Димитър” – Велико Търново","container":"Museum object catalogue","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Location below Trapezitsa; museum identification with the revolt; stone and brick courses, arches and ceramic decoration."},"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.museumvt.com/bg/каталог/архитектурно---музеен-резерват--царевец-?ulo=true","institutionOrAuthor":"Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново","id":"src.asen.museum-tsarevets","authors":["Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново"],"title":"Архитектурно – музеен резерват „Царевец“","container":"Museum object catalogue","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Tarnovo as capital; Tsarevets as governing centre; Yantra, fortifications, palace; restored patriarchal church."},"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_St_Demetrius,_Veliko_Tarnovo_2.JPG","institutionOrAuthor":"Kandi","id":"src.asen.photo.church-side","authors":["Kandi"],"title":"File:Church of St Demetrius, Veliko Tarnovo 2.JPG","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Image provenance, licence and visible content."},"license":"Public domain"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Niketas_Choniates,_Oxford,_MS_Roe_22.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Unidentified reproduction provider","id":"src.asen.photo.manuscript","authors":["Unidentified reproduction provider"],"title":"File:Niketas Choniates, Oxford, MS Roe 22.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Image provenance, licence and visible content."},"license":"Public domain"},{"year":2021,"url":"https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/bp/article/download/28282/26135/","institutionOrAuthor":"Marko Pijović","id":"src.asen.pijovic2021","authors":["Marko Pijović"],"title":"Late Medieval Vlachs in the Western Balkans, 13th to 15th centuries: Orality, Society and the Limits of Collective Identities","container":"Balcanica Posnaniensia","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"The older linguistic sense of Vlach; it does not determine modern nationality."},"volume":"XXVIII/1","pages":"65–92","doi":"10.14746/bp.2021.28.4","isPdf":true},{"year":2017,"url":"https://www.museumprimorsko.bg/novini/2017/10/sveti/?p=533","institutionOrAuthor":"Исторически музей Приморско","id":"src.asen.primorsko-legend","authors":["Исторически музей Приморско"],"title":"Свети Димитър – Покровител на българите","container":"Museum Primorsko, news","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Only a modern retelling of the legend of Asen’s dream and fiery sword; not medieval evidence."},"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"}},{"year":2022,"url":"https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/334677820/SpingouDOP2022ClassicizingVisionsOfConstantinople.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Foteini Spingou","id":"src.asen.spingou2022","authors":["Foteini Spingou"],"title":"Classicizing Visions of Constantinople after 1204: Niketas Choniates’ De signis Reconsidered","container":"Dumbarton Oaks Papers","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Independent scholarly cross-check of the year 1286 for Roe 22."},"volume":"76","pages":"181–220","isPdf":true},{"year":2005,"url":"https://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/37569/excerpt/9780521837569_excerpt.htm","institutionOrAuthor":"István Vásáry","id":"src.asen.vasary2005","authors":["István Vásáry"],"title":"Cumans and Tatars: Oriental Military in the Pre-Ottoman Balkans, 1185–1365","container":"Cambridge University Press, Cambridge; ISBN 9780521837569","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Cumans as steppe nomadic communities; explanation of steppes without exact borders."}},{"year":null,"url":"https://pinakes.irht.cnrs.fr/notices/cote/48403/","institutionOrAuthor":"Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (CNRS)","id":"src.asen.roe22","authors":["Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes (CNRS)"],"title":"United Kingdom, Oxford, Bodleian Library, Roe, 22 (Diktyon 48403)","container":"Pinakes: Textes et manuscrits grecs","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","accessed":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Date of the copy, distinct from the uprising year; does not establish that the photographed leaf narrates the uprising."}}],"credits":[{"id":"asset.asen.isaac-coin-cutout","src":"/media/asset-asen-isaac-coin-cutout-960.b57c9fca.webp","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","w":1478,"h":1358,"caption":"Isaac II coin, 12th century, in electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. No link to the wedding tax is established.","credit":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art","license":"CC0 1.0","attribution":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 22.122.1 · Gift of Bashford Dean, 1922 · CC0 1.0. 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Cropped image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/32954","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.asen.church-overview","src":"/media/asset-asen-church-overview-960.ea68a3ac.webp","alt":"Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it.","w":1600,"h":1065,"caption":"Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it.","credit":"Klearchos Kapoutsis · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY 2.0","attribution":"Klearchos Kapoutsis / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Klearchos Kapoutsis / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Modern photograph of St Demetrius Church and the foundations around it. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Demetrius_Tarnovo_Klearchos_2.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.asen.church-side","src":"/media/asset-asen-church-side-960.101a95b7.webp","alt":"Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185.","w":2400,"h":1800,"caption":"Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185.","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Facade of reconstructed St Demetrius Church. This is not an untouched wall from 1185. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_St_Demetrius,_Veliko_Tarnovo_2.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.asen.tsarevets-panorama","src":"/media/asset-asen-tsarevets-panorama-960.b4b2525e.webp","alt":"Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church.","w":1600,"h":456,"caption":"Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church.","credit":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"www.vacacionesbulgaria.com / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Tsarevets hill today, with restored fortifications and patriarchal church. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsarevets-Panorama.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.asen.gate","src":"/media/asset-asen-gate-960.39636247.webp","alt":"Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections.","w":1600,"h":1200,"caption":"Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections.","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Kandi / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Present-day view of walls and a tower on Tsarevets, including reconstructed sections. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsarevets_04.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.asen.manuscript","src":"/media/asset-asen-manuscript-960.892d4a54.webp","alt":"Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked.","w":1205,"h":1600,"caption":"Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked.","credit":"Unidentified reproduction provider · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Unidentified reproduction provider / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Roe 22, leaf 440v according to Commons; copied in 1286. The content of the pictured leaf has not been checked. 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