{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.ivan-asen-ii-1230","hasFind":true,"slug":"ivan-asen-ii-1230","url":"/en/stories/ivan-asen-ii-1230/","topic":"Ivan Asen II","title":"Ivan Asen II: a victory on a column","summary":"A tsar leaves an account of victory on stone. We compare his words with a written history and a charter to understand what he conquered and what he claimed.","cover":{"title":"Ivan Asen II: a victory on a column","subtitle":"Klokotnitsa, 1230, and the victor’s words","hook":"What does the column tell us about victory?","summary":"A tsar leaves an account of victory on stone. We compare his words with a written history and a charter to understand what he conquered and what he claimed.","takeaway":"The inscription is evidence of victory and of how the tsar presented his power; precise borders require other evidence."},"sortYear":1230,"firstActivity":4,"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":"Klokotnitsa","date":"1230","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-cutout-480.fce6aca4.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-cutout-612.fce6aca4.avif","w":612}],"dominant":"#887a71","h":2136,"w":612,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-cutout-612.fce6aca4.webp","w":612}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-cutout-612.fce6aca4.webp","id":"asset.ias.column-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","objectCaption":"Ivan Asen II inscription","caption":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Svik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_Asen_II_of_Bulgaria_Column.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"},"scenes":[{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s1-stone-voice","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"Letters on stone","body":"In a church in Tarnovo stands a column covered with rows of letters. They tell of Tsar Ivan Asen II and a victory.\n\nThe church is called the Holy Forty Martyrs. Martyrs are people honoured for dying for their faith. The building has been restored. A photograph of its roof does not show an untouched medieval church. The column, however, carries the old message. It was placed in the capital of the time. What did the tsar want people to remember?","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-church-480.cca997d6.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-church-960.cca997d6.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-church-1600.cca997d6.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#5c5647","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-church-960.cca997d6.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-church-960.cca997d6.webp","id":"asset.ias.church","alt":"Modern view after restoration. The roof and entire visible structure are not presented as untouched fabric from the tsar’s lifetime.","objectCaption":"Modern view after restoration. The roof and entire visible structure are not presented as untouched fabric from the tsar’s lifetime. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","caption":"Modern view after restoration. The roof and entire visible structure are not presented as untouched fabric from the tsar’s lifetime. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SS.Forty_Martyrs_Church_05.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-interior-480.485db945.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-interior-960.485db945.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-interior-1600.485db945.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#6d6351","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-interior-960.485db945.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-interior-960.485db945.webp","id":"asset.ias.interior","alt":"Wall-painting fragments around an opening in masonry. Pale surfaces and modern fittings do not show an untouched church from 1230.","objectCaption":"Wall-painting fragments around an opening in masonry. Pale surfaces and modern fittings do not show an untouched church from 1230.","caption":"Wall-painting fragments around an opening in masonry. Pale surfaces and modern fittings do not show an untouched church from 1230.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Powerfox · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Image: Powerfox; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Powerfox; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holy_Forty_Martyrs_Church,_Veliko_Tarnovo.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-old-photo-480.ef07e646.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-old-photo-960.ef07e646.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-old-photo-1600.ef07e646.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#d0c4a0","h":1299,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-old-photo-960.ef07e646.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-old-photo-960.ef07e646.webp","id":"asset.ias.old-photo","alt":"Photograph by Onorio Marcolesco. No exact date is given.","objectCaption":"Photograph by Onorio Marcolesco. No exact date is given.","caption":"Photograph by Onorio Marcolesco. No exact date is given.","kind":"archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Onorio Marcolesco · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: Onorio Marcolesco; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Onorio Marcolesco; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SS.Forty_Martyrs_Church_by_Markolesko.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":26.276708333333332,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s1-stone-voice","duration":26.368,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s1-stone-voice.330ab289.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.museum-church"},{"id":"src.ias.restoration2006"},{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s2-broken-agreement","number":2,"kind":"narrative","title":"A broken agreement at Klokotnitsa","body":"Ivan Asen II became tsar in 1218. His neighbour was Theodore Komnenos, ruler of Epirus and Thessaloniki. Epirus was one of the states formed after the Byzantine Empire broke apart. The two rulers had an alliance agreement.\n\nAccording to a medieval account, Theodore broke the agreement and marched against Bulgaria. In 1230 their armies met at Klokotnitsa. Theodore lost the battle and was captured. The battle is usually dated to 9 March, the feast of the Forty Martyrs. We lack the evidence to draw the battle’s precise course.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-river-480.164ca8e1.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-river-960.164ca8e1.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-river-1600.164ca8e1.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#888e7a","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-river-960.164ca8e1.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-river-960.164ca8e1.webp","id":"asset.ias.river","alt":"River and vegetation at modern Klokotnitsa village. This does not establish the exact battlefield or the riverbank in 1230.","objectCaption":"River and vegetation at modern Klokotnitsa village. This does not establish the exact battlefield or the riverbank in 1230.","caption":"River and vegetation at modern Klokotnitsa village. This does not establish the exact battlefield or the riverbank in 1230.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"TodorBelomorski · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Image: TodorBelomorski; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: TodorBelomorski; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banska_river,_Klokotnitsa_village,_Haskovo_Province_11.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":35.169958333333334,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s2-broken-agreement","duration":35.285,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s2-broken-agreement.60b1aec0.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.kulman1974"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s3-read-the-column","number":3,"kind":"artifact","title":"Victory carved on a column","body":"In the inscription, Ivan Asen II says he raised the church and decorated it with paintings.\n\nThen comes the victory. The tsar reports defeating the opposing army and capturing Theodore with his boyars. Boyars were leading nobles around a ruler. He attributes his success to the help of the Forty Martyrs. This shows how he explained his victory. It does not prove that saints intervened. We are reading the victor’s account, rather than an impartial report.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-480.6083424b.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-1600.6083424b.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#606058","h":2272,"w":1704,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.webp","id":"asset.ias.column","alt":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","objectCaption":"Ivan Asen II inscription","caption":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Svik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_Asen_II_of_Bulgaria_Column.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-ias-letters","x":0.5,"y":0.44,"title":"Incised letters","body":"The rows are cut into stone. We use a published translation for their meaning, not guesses from unclear letters in the photograph.","sourceIds":["src.ias.zlatarski","src.ias.photo.01"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-ias-curve","x":0.59,"y":0.69,"title":"Curved surface","body":"The text follows the curve of the column. One photograph does not show all letters equally clearly.","sourceIds":["src.ias.photo.01"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-ias-capital","x":0.5,"y":0.13,"title":"Decoration above","body":"Above the inscribed shaft is a decorated top. This is a photograph of an object in the church, not a drawing of the victory.","sourceIds":["src.ias.photo.01"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":27.263541666666665,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s3-read-the-column","duration":27.392,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s3-read-the-column.16dd00c9.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.photo.01"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.a1-victors-account","number":4,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: whose account are we reading?","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.ias.victors-account","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What do we learn directly from the inscription?","sourceIds":["src.ias.zlatarski","src.ias.petrova2014"],"items":[{"id":"opt-royal","label":"How the tsar presents his victory."},{"id":"opt-moves","label":"The opposing army’s battlefield movements.","whyWrong":"We do not have a detailed account of the battle’s course."},{"id":"opt-day","label":"The day 9 March, explicitly written on the column.","whyWrong":"The day is inferred from the saints’ feast."},{"id":"opt-everyone","label":"The names of every ordinary soldier.","whyWrong":"The inscription is not a list of soldiers."}],"explanation":"The tsar reports victory, Theodore’s capture and the help he attributes to the saints.","correctItemId":"opt-royal","sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.1032083333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.a1-victors-account","duration":3.2,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/a1-victors-account.739330ff.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s4-prisoners","number":5,"kind":"narrative","title":"Soldiers return home","body":"What happened to the captives? A medieval account adds to the inscription. Ivan Asen released ordinary soldiers and sent them back to their towns and villages. This does not mean everyone was freed. Theodore himself remained a prisoner.\n\nPerhaps the tsar wanted to win over local people. This is an interpretation of his purpose. The two accounts add to each other. The stone stresses the royal victory, while the written history adds what happened to some of the defeated people.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-480.6083424b.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-1600.6083424b.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#606058","h":2272,"w":1704,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-column-960.6083424b.webp","id":"asset.ias.column","alt":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","objectCaption":"Ivan Asen II inscription","caption":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Svik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_Asen_II_of_Bulgaria_Column.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":27.60025,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s4-prisoners","duration":27.691,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s4-prisoners.931b8c1d.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s5-reach-and-rule","number":6,"kind":"map","title":"Soldiers in the fortresses","body":"The inscription claims conquests from Adrianople to Dyrrachium.\n\nBut power takes different forms. In annexed fortresses the tsar installed soldiers, governors and tax collectors. Thessaloniki remained under another ruler, Manuel, over whom Ivan Asen had influence. The inscription itself acknowledges that Constantinople was held by the Latins, western Christian rulers. Its claim that they submitted to him does not mean he captured their city. The points on our map therefore do not trace a certain state border.","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Tarnovo — the manifesto will be read here.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ind.church","name":"Holy Forty Martyrs Church","short":"Tarnovo","latitude":43.084444,"longitude":25.65,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.ind.coordinates-church","src.ind.military","src.ias.coord.church","src.ias.museum-church"],"guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/holy-forty-martyrs-church/","slug":"ind.church","url":"/en/map/#ind.church"},{"note":"Battle area; its precise extent is not established here.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ias.klokotnitsa","name":"Klokotnitsa area","latitude":41.992578,"longitude":25.495366,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.ias.coord.klokotnitsa","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"radiusMeters":5000.0,"guideUrl":null,"slug":"ias.klokotnitsa","url":"/en/map/#ias.klokotnitsa"},{"note":"Also called Odrin in Bulgarian; today it is Edirne in Turkey. The point shows the city, not the precise place of capture.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.kal.adrianople","name":"Adrianople","latitude":41.67304,"longitude":26.57361,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":10000,"sourceIds":["src.kal.coordinates.adrianople","src.ias.coord.edirne","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"kal.adrianople","url":"/en/map/#kal.adrianople"},{"note":"Dyrrachium, now Durrës. Adriatic city in the tsar’s description of conquests.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ias.durres","name":"Dyrrachium, now Durrës","latitude":41.31333333333333,"longitude":19.445833333333333,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.ias.coord.durres","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"radiusMeters":2500.0,"guideUrl":null,"slug":"ias.durres","url":"/en/map/#ias.durres"},{"note":"The city remained under Manuel; influence is distinct from direct government.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ias.thessaloniki","name":"Thessaloniki","latitude":40.640277777777776,"longitude":22.935555555555556,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.ias.coord.thessaloniki","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"radiusMeters":2500.0,"guideUrl":null,"slug":"ias.thessaloniki","url":"/en/map/#ias.thessaloniki"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-a0cdf33a21df4acf.jpg?v=ab006f5140","w":2048,"h":1352,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/story-a0cdf33a21df4acf-dark.jpg?v=9f1cec5b96","w":2048,"h":1352,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[]},"places":[{"note":"Tarnovo — the manifesto will be read here.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ind.church","name":"Holy Forty Martyrs Church","short":"Tarnovo","latitude":43.084444,"longitude":25.65,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.ind.coordinates-church","src.ind.military","src.ias.coord.church","src.ias.museum-church"],"guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/holy-forty-martyrs-church/","slug":"ind.church","url":"/en/map/#ind.church","number":1,"x":70.11215,"y":32.13842,"inside":true,"viewX":70.11215,"viewY":29.9926815},{"note":"Battle area; its precise extent is not established here.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ias.klokotnitsa","name":"Klokotnitsa area","latitude":41.992578,"longitude":25.495366,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.ias.coord.klokotnitsa","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"radiusMeters":5000.0,"guideUrl":null,"slug":"ias.klokotnitsa","url":"/en/map/#ias.klokotnitsa","number":2,"x":68.93424,"y":49.24133,"inside":true,"viewX":68.93424,"viewY":48.0576301875},{"note":"Also called Odrin in Bulgarian; today it is Edirne in Turkey. The point shows the city, not the precise place of capture.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.kal.adrianople","name":"Adrianople","latitude":41.67304,"longitude":26.57361,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":10000,"sourceIds":["src.kal.coordinates.adrianople","src.ias.coord.edirne","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"kal.adrianople","url":"/en/map/#kal.adrianople","number":3,"x":77.14769,"y":54.1908,"inside":true,"viewX":77.14769,"viewY":53.28550787500001},{"note":"Dyrrachium, now Durrës. Adriatic city in the tsar’s description of conquests.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.ias.durres","name":"Dyrrachium, now Durrës","latitude":41.31333333333333,"longitude":19.445833333333333,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.ias.coord.durres","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.zlatarski"],"radiusMeters":2500.0,"guideUrl":null,"slug":"ias.durres","url":"/en/map/#ias.durres","number":4,"x":22.85231,"y":59.73316,"inside":true,"viewX":22.85231,"viewY":59.139625624999994},{"note":"The city remained under Manuel; influence is distinct from direct 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Mountains","kind":"nature","x":62.114,"y":55.319,"viewX":62.114000000000004,"viewY":54.47716912500001},{"name":"Strandzha","kind":"nature","x":84.966,"y":48.349,"viewX":84.966,"viewY":47.115106624999996}],"crop":{"sx":1,"sy":0.9467455621301775,"x":0,"y":0.03742981893491126},"credit":{"id":"map-relief"}},"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":31.118083333333335,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s5-reach-and-rule","duration":31.232,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s5-reach-and-rule.a5632889.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.kulman1974"},{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.s6-another-document","number":7,"kind":"artifact","title":"A charter for merchants","body":"Beside the column in our story we place another kind of evidence: the Dubrovnik charter. A charter is a written document granting rights. This one concerns merchants from Dubrovnik. It has no written date. The tsar died in 1241.\n\nThe column tells us how the tsar wanted to be remembered. The charter reveals another of his tasks: arranging relations with merchants. To understand his power, we compare different kinds of evidence.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-charter-480.e4d349e8.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-charter-960.e4d349e8.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-charter-1600.e4d349e8.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#f0d3be","h":1148,"w":2000,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-charter-960.e4d349e8.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-charter-960.e4d349e8.webp","id":"asset.ias.charter","alt":"Reproduction of a document for Dubrovnik merchants. The document has no written date; Ralph Cleminson places it after 1230 and before the tsar’s death in 1241.","objectCaption":"Reproduction of a document for Dubrovnik merchants. The document has no written date; Ralph Cleminson places it after 1230 and before the tsar’s death in 1241.","caption":"Reproduction of a document for Dubrovnik merchants. The document has no written date; Ralph Cleminson places it after 1230 and before the tsar’s death in 1241.","kind":"archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"from the Middle Ages, unknown · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: from the Middle Ages, unknown; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: from the Middle Ages, unknown; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JoanAsenDeed.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-walls-480.08a45923.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-walls-960.08a45923.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-walls-1600.08a45923.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#807f5c","h":1800,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-walls-960.08a45923.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-walls-960.08a45923.webp","id":"asset.ias.walls","alt":"Remains and restored masonry around the church. This photograph alone does not date every wall.","objectCaption":"Remains and restored masonry around the church. This photograph alone does not date every wall.","caption":"Remains and restored masonry around the church. This photograph alone does not date every wall.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Powerfox · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Image: Powerfox; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Powerfox; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_near_to_Holy_Forty_Martyrs_Church,_Veliko_Tarnovo.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-03-480.723e1eb9.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-03-960.723e1eb9.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-03-1600.723e1eb9.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#807973","h":2400,"w":1800,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-03-960.723e1eb9.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-03-960.723e1eb9.webp","id":"asset.ias.fresco-03","alt":"Damaged church wall painting. Religious painting; the fragment’s date is not established here.","objectCaption":"Damaged church wall painting. Religious painting; the fragment’s date is not established here. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","caption":"Damaged church wall painting. Religious painting; the fragment’s date is not established here. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SS.Forty_Martyrs_Church_03.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-04-480.7e0d1c00.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-04-960.7e0d1c00.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-04-1600.7e0d1c00.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#776259","h":1800,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-04-960.7e0d1c00.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-ias-fresco-04-960.7e0d1c00.webp","id":"asset.ias.fresco-04","alt":"Figures and lettering in damaged painting. Pale losses have not been filled in this file; the figures are not identified here.","objectCaption":"Figures and lettering in damaged painting. Pale losses have not been filled in this file; the figures are not identified here. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","caption":"Figures and lettering in damaged painting. Pale losses have not been filled in this file; the figures are not identified here. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SS.Forty_Martyrs_Church_04.JPG","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-ias-rows","x":0.45,"y":0.42,"title":"Written rows","body":"This is a written document about merchants’ rights. It differs from the message carved on a column.","sourceIds":["src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia","src.ias.photo.02"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-ias-red","x":0.49,"y":0.88,"title":"Red letters","body":"Larger red letters appear at the bottom. The photograph shows their colour, but does not establish the ink’s composition.","sourceIds":["src.ias.photo.02"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-ias-loss","x":0.85,"y":0.92,"title":"White area","body":"A white area appears along the lower edge. This photograph alone cannot tell us its cause.","sourceIds":["src.ias.photo.02"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":26.555333333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.s6-another-document","duration":26.667,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/s6-another-document.73bc1292.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"},{"id":"src.ias.cleminson2015"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.kulman1974"},{"id":"src.ias.photo.02"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.a2-timeline","number":8,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: put the events in time order","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.ias.timeline","kind":"sequence","prompt":"In 1235 the Bulgarian Church once again had a patriarch, its highest spiritual leader. This was the restoration of the Bulgarian patriarchate.\n\nPut the events in order, earliest first.","sourceIds":["src.ias.kulman1974","src.ias.petrova2014","src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"],"items":[{"id":"ev-accession","label":"The reign begins"},{"id":"ev-battle","label":"Battle of Klokotnitsa"},{"id":"ev-patriarchate","label":"The patriarchate is restored"},{"id":"ev-death","label":"The tsar dies"}],"explanation":"The reign begins first. Victory and the restoration of the patriarchate follow. The tsar dies later.","correctOrderIds":["ev-accession","ev-battle","ev-patriarchate","ev-death"],"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.kulman1974"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":15.096291666666668,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.a2-timeline","duration":15.189,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/a2-timeline.bdb01bdb.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.kulman1974"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"},{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"}]},{"id":"ivan-asen-ii-1230.a3-matching","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: match the evidence","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.ias.matching","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each item to its role in the story.","sourceIds":["src.ias.zlatarski","src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia","src.ias.petrova2014"],"items":[{"id":"m-column","label":"The Tarnovo column","pairedLabel":"Royal account incised in stone"},{"id":"m-charter","label":"The Dubrovnik charter","pairedLabel":"Document about merchants’ rights"},{"id":"m-klokotnitsa","label":"Klokotnitsa","pairedLabel":"Place of the battle in 1230"}],"explanation":"The stone preserves the royal message. The charter grants rights. Klokotnitsa is associated with the battle.","sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"}],"columns":["Item","Description"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.230916666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.ivan-asen-ii-1230.ivan-asen-ii-1230.a3-matching","duration":3.328,"src":"/audio/en/ivan-asen-ii-1230/a3-matching.3a3ead14.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.ias.zlatarski"},{"id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia"},{"id":"src.ias.petrova2014"}]}],"minutes":4,"sources":[{"year":2015,"url":"","institutionOrAuthor":"Ralph Cleminson","id":"src.ias.cleminson2015","authors":["Ralph Cleminson"],"title":"Slavonic codicology","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies: An Introduction","supports":{"en":"The charter has no written date. Cleminson places it after 1230 and before the tsar’s death in 1241. The Croatian Encyclopedia conventionally dates it to 1230. Cleminson’s indexed text, p. 237, was used; the direct PDF link returns 403."},"pages":"237 (used passage)","accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/ivan-asen-ii","institutionOrAuthor":"Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža","id":"src.ias.croatian-encyclopedia","authors":["Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža"],"title":"Ivan Asen II.","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje","supports":{"en":"The charter has no written date. Cleminson places it after 1230 and before the tsar’s death in 1241. The Croatian Encyclopedia conventionally dates it to 1230. Cleminson’s indexed text, p. 237, was used; the direct PDF link returns 403."},"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":1974,"url":"https://www.biolex.ios-regensburg.de/BioLexViewview.php?ID=484","institutionOrAuthor":"Detlef Kulman","id":"src.ias.kulman1974","authors":["Detlef Kulman"],"title":"Asen II.","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Biographisches Lexikon zur Geschichte Südosteuropas","supports":{"en":"The Croatian Encyclopedia describes the expansion after Klokotnitsa as the greatest of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Kulman describes a reach to three seas: the Black, Aegean and Adriatic. This does not mean the same direct rule everywhere. Adrianople is modern Edirne; Dyrrachium is modern Durrës."},"volume":"1","pages":"103–104","accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.museumvt.com/каталог/църква--св.-40-мъченици-","institutionOrAuthor":"Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново","id":"src.ias.museum-church","authors":["Регионален исторически музей – Велико Търново"],"title":"Църква „Св. 40 Мъченици“ и манастирски комплекс „Великата лавра“","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"РИМ Велико Търново, official website","supports":{"en":"Church, victory commemoration; surviving inscribed columns."},"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":2014,"url":"https://www.starobulglit.eu/issues/49/69-Petrova-Taneva.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Мая Петрова-Танева","id":"src.ias.petrova2014","authors":["Мая Петрова-Танева"],"title":"Търновският надпис на цар Иван Асен II, св. 40 „добропобедни“ мъченици и някои аспекти на култа им във Византия и в средновековна България","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Старобългарска литература; Институт за литература, БАН","supports":{"en":"The accepted date is 9 March 1230. It is inferred from the saints’ feast, not written in the inscription. Zlatarski also cites a western chronicle placing Theodore’s capture in April 1230. Here that chronicle is known through his quotation. The account of the broken agreement is by George Akropolites, read through Petrova-Taneva, pp. 70–71; his viewpoint is anti-Epirote."},"issue":"49–50","pages":"69–96","accessed":"2026-10-28","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_Asen_II_of_Bulgaria_Column.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Svik","id":"src.ias.photo.01","authors":["Svik"],"title":"File:Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria Column.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Visual identity and free licence of this file only."},"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JoanAsenDeed.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"from the Middle Ages, unknown","id":"src.ias.photo.02","authors":["from the Middle Ages, unknown"],"title":"File:JoanAsenDeed.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Visual identity and free licence of this file only."},"accessed":"2026-10-28"},{"year":2006,"url":"https://st40martyrs.org/index.php?Itemid=2&id=96&option=com_content&task=view","institutionOrAuthor":"Музеен комплекс „Св. 40 мъченици“; archival news, author unnamed","id":"src.ias.restoration2006","authors":["Музеен комплекс „Св. 40 мъченици“; archival news, author unnamed"],"title":"5.09. „Св. 40 мъченици“ отвори врати за богомолци","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"st40martyrs.org, site archive","supports":{"en":"Modern reconstruction; surviving column does not make whole building untouched."},"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"}},{"year":1972,"url":"https://macedonia.kroraina.com/vz3/vz3_2_2.htm","institutionOrAuthor":"Васил Н. Златарски; фототипно издание под ред. Димитър Ангелов","id":"src.ias.zlatarski","authors":["Васил Н. Златарски; фототипно издание под ред. Димитър Ангелов"],"title":"История на българската държава през средните векове. Том III: Второ българско царство. България при Асеневци (1187–1280)","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","container":"Наука и изкуство, София; digital transcription macedonia.kroraina.com","supports":{"en":"The inscription begins with the year 6738. This counts years from the creation of the world; here it corresponds to 1230 CE. Ivan Asen identifies himself as the son of the elder Tsar Asen. We use the published translation in Zlatarski, pp. 341–342."},"pages":"323–348 (chapter), 338–345 used","accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}}],"credits":[{"id":"asset.ias.column-cutout","src":"/media/asset-ias-column-cutout-612.fce6aca4.webp","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","w":612,"h":2136,"caption":"A stone column with incised letters in Tarnovo’s Holy Forty Martyrs Church. Not every letter can be read in this photograph.","credit":"Svik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Svik; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivan_Asen_II_of_Bulgaria_Column.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.ias.church","src":"/media/asset-ias-church-960.cca997d6.webp","alt":"Modern view after restoration. The roof and entire visible structure are not presented as untouched fabric from the tsar’s lifetime.","w":1600,"h":1200,"caption":"Modern view after restoration. The roof and entire visible structure are not presented as untouched fabric from the tsar’s lifetime. The Commons description gives 2009, while EXIF gives 2007. The exact capture date is unconfirmed.","credit":"Kandi · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Image: Kandi; Wikimedia Commons; Public domain. Unmodified. 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