The Imperial Treasury in Vienna holds perhaps the only surviving crown of the Bulgarian Tsars

published on 2/3/23 10:05 AM

Photo: Magdalena Gigova

Anyone visiting the Habsburg Treasury in Vienna will see the crown of István Bocskai (1557-1606), which some scholars claim to have belonged to the tzars of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. According to researchers, the crown was made in Persia.

It weighs 1.88 kg and is 23.5 cm high, gem studded and made of gold. The gemstones, including the huge green emerald stone on top, are rather primitively cut. White pearls are arranged in radial lines. The base of the crown is also encircled by two rows of pearls. It has an inlaid cross on the front which is barely distinguishable.

A Hungarian settler in Sofia believes that the crown of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Shishman has not disappeared without a trace. His reasoning is supported by historians, as István Bocskai ruled the Principality of Transylvania (Eastern Hungary) during the 150-year partial Turkish rule over Hungary. In 1605 he was rewarded by the Turkish Sultan Ahmed I with the crown of tzar Ivan Shishman, the last ruler of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. It is known as the "Crown of Bocskai". In fact, Transylvania was former Bulgarian territory until the establishment of the Hungarian state.

Presumably, the crown of Ivan Shishman (reigned 1371-1395) is the same one that tzar Kaloyan (1197-1207) received in 1204 from the Roman Pope. A 14th-century fresco from the monastery in the village of Lesnovo, on the other hand, shows the Serbian king Stefan Dušan (1331-1335) wearing almost the same crown.

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The Imperial Treasury in Vienna holds perhaps the only surviving crown of the Bulgarian Tsars

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